HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 Wins Big At 42nd Annie Awards

DreamWorks Animation’s HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 took Best Animated Feature top honors at the 42nd Annual Annie Awards held Saturday, January 31 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

The film, produced by Bonnie Arnold, also won Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Feature Production – Fabio Lignini, Outstanding Achievement, Directing – Dean DeBlois, Outstanding Achievement, Music in an Animated Feature – John Powell, Jónsi, Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding – Truong “Tron” Son Mai, Outstanding Achievement, Editorial in an Animated Feature Film – John K. Carr.

Read my interview with John Powell HERE.

The Best Animated Special Production was awarded to ‘Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey’ (Voyager Pictures LLC); Best Animated Short Subject FEAST (Walt Disney Animation Studios); Best Animated TV/Broadcast Commercial ‘Flight of the Stories’ (Aardman Animations); Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Preschool Children ‘Tumble Leaf’ (Amazon Studios); Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Children’s Audience ‘Gravity Falls’ (Disney Television Animation); Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production ‘The Simpsons’ (Gracie Films in association with 20^th Century Fox Television); Best Animated Video Game ‘Valiant Hearts: The Great War’ (Ubisoft); and Best Student Film ‘My Big Brother’ (Savannah College of Art and Design, Jason Rayner).

The Annie Awards honor overall excellence as well as individual achievement in a total of 36 categories from best feature, production design, character animation, and effects animation to storyboarding, writing, music, editing and voice acting, and have often been a predictor of the annual Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

The ceremony was live-streamed again this year at www.annieawards.org/watch-it-live where animation enthusiasts and those who were unable to attend the event, could watch the show. A complete list of winners can be viewed at www.annieawards.org and highlights of the ceremony will be uploaded to the Annies website in the next few weeks.

“Our industry waits all year for this event and it never disappoints,” said ASIFA-Hollywood Executive Director, Frank Gladstone. “This was a terrific night with something for everyone. It was fun to take a look back at our history, celebrate and honor what we have accomplished over the past year, and even look forward a little to what is in store for 2015 and beyond.”

Presenting the coveted Annie trophies this year were the comedy-folk duo Garfunkel  & Oates – actress-songwriters Riki Lindhomeand Kate Mucucci; Veteran voice talent and industry legend June Foray; Songwriter and music director Richard Sherman, Filmmaker and artist Tomm Moore; Industry professionals Leslie Iwerks, John Musker, Ron Clements and ASIFA-Hollywood president Jerry Beckand Executive Director, Frank Gladstone.

This year’s Juried Award recipients included Winsor McCay lifetime achievement award – producers Didier Brunner and Lee Mendelson, and legendary animator Don Lusk; June Foray benevolent service award – author and critic Charles Solomon; Ub Iwerks technical achievement award – DreamWorks Animation’s Apollo Software; and the Annie Special Achievement award – The Walt Disney Family Museum.

Visit www.annieawards.org.