2025 Annie Awards Nominations: ‘The Wild Robot’ Leads with 10

Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot leads the 52nd Annie Awards for animation with 10 nominations, which were announced this morning, followed by Walt Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out 2 and Aardman and Netflix’s Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, with seven apiece; and Locksmith Animation and Netflix’s That Christmas, with six.

All four films are nominated for Best Feature, alongside DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda 4 and Netflix and Tsuburaya’s Ultraman: Rising. Best Feature-Independent nominees are Sacrebleu’s Flow (Latvia’s International Feature Film Oscar submission), Paramount Pictures’ Kensuke’s Kingdom, GKIDS’ trio of Chicken for Linda!, Look Back and Mars Express, and IFC Films’ Memoir of a Snail.

For direction of an animated feature, where the majors and the independents aren’t split, the Annies nominated Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach for Chicken For Linda!, Gints Zilbalodis for Flow, Chris Sanders for The Wild Robot, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl‘s creator Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham, and That Christmas for first-time feature director Simon Otto, leaving Inside Out 2 director Kelsey Mann snubbed in this category. Otto was the head of character animation on the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy, which was directed by Robot‘s Sanders.

Inside Out 2 bounced back in the writing category as screenwriters Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein were nominated alongside three independent movies: the dialogue-free Flow (Zilbalodis and Matīss Kaža), Kensuke’s Kingdom (Frank Cottrell-Boyce); and Memoir of a Snail (Adam Elliot). Snubs in this category include feature and directing nominees The Wild Robot, written by Sanders, and That Christmas, from British writer/director/producer Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually). Disney Animation’s massive holiday blockbuster Moana 2 missed out on best feature, directing and writing nominations but earned a total of four noms, including in the category for character animation. No independent features made an appearance there, which also included Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot.

The Wild Robot earned a pair of noms for voice acting in a feature: Lupita Nyong’o was nominated for her role as Roz and Kit Connor for the role of Brightbill. Nominations in the category also include Maya Hawke, who played Anxiety in Inside Out 2, Brian Tyree Henry, who voiced D-16/Megatron in Transformers One, and Mélinée Leclerc, who voiced Linda in Chicken for Linda!

Oscar shortlisted animated shorts that earned Annie noms include Beautiful Men, In the Shadow of the Cypress, Wander to Wonder and Yuck!, while three visual effects shortlisted films are nominated for the Annie Award for character animation in a live action production: Better Man, Gladiator II and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

The 52nd Annie Awards will be held February 8 at UCLA’s Royce Hall, where several juried awards will also be presented. Aaron Blaise, Eunice Macaulay and Normand Roger will be honored with Winsor McCay Awards for career achievement. Women in Animation will be recognized with the June Foray Award for charitable impact; Alberto Menache, with the Ub Iwerks Award for technical innovation; and the “original directors” of Walt Disney’s animated films, with a Special Achievement Award.

Here is the complete list of nominations for the 52nd Annie Awards.

BEST FEATURE

Inside Out 2, Pixar Animation Studios

Kung Fu Panda 4, DreamWorks Animation

That Christmas, Locksmith Animation for Netflix

The Wild Robot, DreamWorks Animation

Ultraman: Rising, Netflix Presents in association with Tsuburaya Productions

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Aardman and Netflix

BEST FEATURE-INDEPENDENT

Chicken for Linda!, Dolce Vita Films, Miyu Productions, Palosanto Films, France 3 Cinéma, Distributed by GKIDS

Flow, Sacrebleu Productions, Take Five, Dream Well Studio

Kensuke’s Kingdom, Paramount Pictures

Look Back, Studio Durian Distributed by GKIDS

Mars Express, Everybody on Deck, Je Suis Bien Content Distributed by GKIDS

Memoir of a Snail, Snails Pace Films / Arenamedia

BEST SPECIAL PRODUCTION

A Bear Named Wojtek, The Illuminated Film Company and Filmograf

Mog’s Christmas, Lupus Films

Orion and the Dark, DreamWorks Animation

Tabby McTat, Magic Light Pictures

Yuck!, Ikki Films & Iliade et Films

BEST SHORT SUBJECT

Beautiful Men, Animal Tank, Miyu Productions & Ka-Ching Cartoons

In the Shadow of the Cypress, Barfak Animation Studio

Ruthless Blade, IDEOMOTOR Culture Media Co., Ltd.

The Swineherd, Fleng Entertainment and Tumblehead Productions

Wander to Wonder, Circe Films, Kaap Holland Film, Les Productions de Milou, Beast Animation, Blink Industries & Pictanovo

BEST SPONSORED

feelslikeimfallinginlove, Blinkink

Fuzzy Feelings, Passion Pictures Hungry Man

Moonlit Bamboo Forest, Passion Paris Production, HoYoFair

Natlan Impressions Trailer – “Blaze to Natlan”, BUCK

Welcome to the City of Love, Nexus Studios

BEST TV/MEDIA – PRESCHOOL

lDisney Jr.’s Ariel, Episode: Crystal Cavern Caper – Wild Canary, Disney Branded Television

Gabby’s Dollhouse, Episode: Pandy’s Bad Day, DreamWorks Animation

Jessica’s Big Little World Episode: Jessica’s Picnic, Cartoon Network Studios

The Tiny Chef Show, Episode: Tiny Chef’s Spooky Stump Spectacular, Imagine Entertainment, Tiny Chef Productions and Nickelodeon Productions

Wonder Pets: In the City, Episode: Save Tate?. A Nickelodeon Production in association with Apple

BEST TV/MEDIA – CHILDREN

GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH, Episode: Never Use Double Negatives, Warner Bros. Animation

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, Episode: Batten Down the Hatches – DreamWorks Animation

Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Episode: The Molecular Level, Flying Bark Productions, Disney Television Animation, Disney Branded Television

Primos, Episode: Summer of Tater Luna, Disney Television Animation, Disney Branded Television

WondLa, Episode: Ruins, Skydance Animation in association with Apple

BEST TV/MEDIA – MATURE

Bob’s Burgers, Episode: They Slug Horses, Don’t They? – 20th Television Animation

Solar Opposites. Episode: The What If?! Device, 20th Television Animation

South Park, Episode: The End of Obesity, MTV Entertainment Studios

The Great North, Episode: Aunt Misbehavin’ Adventure, 20th Television Animation

The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy, Episode: The Land of Sex and Death, Amazon MGM Studios, Titmouse Studios

BEST TV/MEDIA – LIMITED SERIES

Dream Productions, Episode: A Night to Remember, Pixar Animation Studios

Iwájú, Episode: Tola, Walt Disney Animation Studios

Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, Episode: Part Three, Lucasfilm Ltd.

Moon Girl’s Lab, Episode: Moon Girl Saves the Moon, Disney Television Animation, Disney Branded Television

My Adventures with Superman, Episode: Pierce the Heavens, Superman!, Warner Bros. Animation

BEST STUDENT FILM

Adiós, Student Director: José Prats, Student Producer: Bernardo Angeletti, School: National Film and Television School

El Ombligo de la Luna olaj, Student Directors: Sara António, Julia Grupińska, Bokang Koatja, Tian Westraad, Ezequiel Garibay, School: Gobelins

Pear Garden, Student Director/Producer: Shadab Shayegan, School: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH, Animationsinstitut

Polliwog, Student Director: Julia Skala, Student Producer: Max Pollmann, School: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH, Animationsinstitut

Turmspringer, Student Director: Oscar Bittner, Student Producer: Andra Berila, School: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH, Animationsinstitut

BEST FX – TV/MEDIA

Arcane. Episode: The Dirt Under Your Nails, Production Company: A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix, FX Production Company: Fortiche Studio, Guillaume Degroote, Aurélien Ressencourt, Adam Bachiri, Guillaume Zaouche, Jérôme Dupré

Dream Productions, Episode: A Night to Remember, Production Company: Pixar Animation Studios. FX Production Company: Pixar Animation Studios, Gary Bruins, Jongwon Pak, Arturo Aguilar, Alan Browning, Alen Lai

Secret Level, Episode: Warhammer 40,000: And They Shall Know No Fear, Production Company: Amazon MGM Studios, Blur Studio Inc., FX Production Company: Blur Studio, Josh Schwartz, Joe Coleman, Michael Huang, Guilherme Casagrandi, Raul Rodrigues

Secret Level, Episode: Dungeons & Dragons: The Queen’s Cradle, Production Company: Amazon MGM Studios, Blur Studio, FX Production Company: Blur Studio, Arthur Loiseau, Tom O’Bready, Esteban Genre, Alexandre Lerouge, Guillaume Grelier

Secret Level. Episode: Crossfire: Good Conflict, Production Company: Amazon MGM Studios, Blur Studio, FX Production Company: Blur Studio, Kamil Murzyn, Rafał Rumiński, Jarosław Armata, Michał Śledź, Michał Firek

BEST FX – FEATURE

Kung Fu Panda 4, Production Company: DreamWorks Animation, FX Production Company: DreamWorks Animation, Zachary Glynn, Alex Timchenko, Kiem Ching Ong, Yorie Kaela Kumalasari, Jinguang Huang

Moana 2, Production Company: Walt Disney Animation Studios, FX Production Company: Walt Disney Animation Studios, Santiago Robles, Marc Bryant, Deborah Carlson, Jake Rice, Ian J. Coony

The Wild Robot, Production Company: DreamWorks Animation, FX Production Company: DreamWorks Animation, Derek Cheung, Michael Losure, David Chow, Nyoung Kim, Steve Avoujageli

Ultraman: Rising, Production Company: Netflix Animation,FX Production Company: Industrial Light & Magic, Goncalo Cabaca, Vishal Patel, Zheng Yong Oh, Nicholas Yoon Joo Kuang, Pei- Zhi Huang

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Production Company: Aardman and Netflix, FX Production Company: Aardman Production, Howard Jones, Rich Spence, Deborah Jane Price, Jon Biggins, Kirstie Deane

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – TV/MEDIA

Arcane, Episodes: Killing Is A Cycle, Heavy Is the Crown, Finally Got the Name Right, The Message Hidden Within the Pattern, The Dirt Under Your Nails, Pretend Like It’s the First Time, Blisters and Bedrock, A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix, Tom Gouill

Dream Productions, Episodes: The Dream Team, Out of Body, Romance!, Pixar Animation Studios, Travis Hathaway

In the Know, Episodes: Yogurt Week, Thinksgiving, Peacock Original in association with Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, Bandera, ShadowMachine, Jeff Riley

Star Trek: Lower Decks, Episodes: Various, CBS’s Eye Animation Productions, Titmouse; Secret Hideout; and Roddenberry Entertainment, Raymond Dunster

The Patrick Star Show, Episode: Something Stupid This Way Comes, Screen Novelties / Nickelodeon Animation Studios, Colin Lepper

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – FEATURE

Inside Out 2, Pixar Animation Studios, Aviv Mano

Kung Fu Panda 4, DreamWorks Animation, Patrick Guisiano

Moana 2, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Brian Scott

The Wild Robot, DreamWorks Animation, Fabio Lignini

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Aardman and Netflix, Carmen Bromfield Mason

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – LIVE ACTION

Better Man, Production Company: Footloose Productions, VicScreen, Partizan, Facing East Entertainment, Rocket Science, Lost Bandits. FX Production Company: Wētā FX, Shaun Freeman, Luisma Lavin Peredo, Carlos Lin, Seoungseok Charlie Kim, Kaori Miyazawa

Gladiator II, Production Company: Paramount, FX Production Company: Framestore LTD, Kyle Dunlevy, Philipp Winterstein, Gil Daniel, Michael Elder, Julien Bagory

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Production Company: Legendary Entertainment, FX Production Company: Wētā FX, Ludovic Chailloleau, Jonathan Paquin, Craig Penn, Florian Fernandez, Marco Barbati

House of the Dragon, Season 2, Production Company: Warner Bros, FX Production Company: Wētā FX, Jason Snyman, Manjoe Chan, Chloe McLean, Cedric Enriquez Canlas, Vincent Lee

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Production Company: 20th Century Studios. FX Production Company: Wētā FX, Christian Kickenweitz, Aidan Martin, Allison Orr, Radiya Alam, Howard Sly

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – VIDEO GAME

#BLUD, Exit 73 Games, Chris Burns, Bob Fox

Asgard’s Wrath 2, Sanzaru Games, Sanzaru Games Animation Team

Diesel Legacy, Maximum Entertainment, Maximum Entertainment

Neva, Nomada Studio, Nomada Studio Animation Team

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Ninja Theory, Ninja Theory

BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – TV/MEDIA

Dream Productions, Episode: A Night to Remember, Pixar Animation Studios, Grant Alexander

Jentry Chau vs. the Underworld Episode: Pilot, A Netflix Series, Kal Athannassov

Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Episode: The Molecular Level, Disney Television Animation, Cinema Gypsy Productions, Jose Lopez

Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Episode: Bishop Makes Her Move!, Nickelodeon Animation Studios and Point / Grey Picture, Rustam Hasanov

X-Men ’97, Episode: Mutant Liberation Begins – Marvel Studios, Amelia Vidal

BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – FEATURE

Inside Out 2, Pixar Animation Studios, Deanna Marsigliese

Scarygirl, Highly Spirited and Like A Photon Creative, Nathan Jurevicius

Spellbound, Netflix Presents / Skydance Animation Presents a Skydance Animation Film, Guillermo Ramíre

That Christmas, Locksmith Animation for Netflix, Uwe Heidschötter

The Wild Robot, DreamWorks Animation, Genevieve Tsai

BEST DIRECTION – TV/MEDIA

Arcane, Episode: The Dirt Under Your Nails, A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix, Arnaud Delord, Pascal Charrue, Bart Maunoury

Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation. Disney Television Animation, Disney Branded Television, Anna O’Brian

Bob’s Burgers. Episode: They Slug Horses, Don’t They? – 20th Television Animation, Bernard Derriman

Tabby McTat Television Movie, Magic Light Pictures, Jac Hamman, Sarah Scrimgeour

Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Episode: The Pearl, Nickelodeon Animation Studios and Point / Grey Pictures, Alan Wan, Colin Heck

BEST DIRECTION – FEATURE

Chicken for Linda!, Dolce Vita Films, Miyu Productions, Palosanto Films, France 3 Cinéma / Distributed by GKIDS, Chiara Malta, Sébastien Laudenbach

Flow, Take Five, Sacrebleu Productions, Dream Well Studio, Gints Zilbalodis

That Christmas, Locksmith Animation for Netflix, Simon Otto

The Wild Robot, DreamWorks Animation, Chris Sanders

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Aardman and Netflix, Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham

BEST MUSIC – TV/MEDIA

Arcane. Episode: The Dirt Under Your Nails, A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix, Ryan Jillian Santiago, Alexander Seaver, Simon Wilcox

Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation Television Movie, Disney Television Animation, Disney Branded Television, Joachim Horsley

Hazbin Hotel, Episode: Masquerade, Amazon MGM Studios, A24, Bento Box Entertainment, Sam Haft, Andrew Underberg

Jentry Chau vs. the Underworld Episode: Lock-In, A Netflix Series, Brian H. Kim

WondLa, Episode: Captive, Skydance Animation in association with Apple. Joy Ngiaw

BEST MUSIC – FEATURE

Kensuke’s Kingdom, Lupus Films, Stuart Hancock

Piece by Piece. i am OTHER, TREMOLO in association with The LEGO Group, Pure Imagination Studios and Tongal, Pharrell Williams, Michael Andrews

That Christmas, Locksmith Animation for Netflix, John Powell, Ed Sheeran, Johnny McDaid

The Wild Robot, DreamWorks Animation, Kris Bowers

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Aardman and Netflix, Lorne Balfe, Julian Nott

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – TV/MEDIA

Arcane, Episode: The Dirt Under Your Nails, A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix, Arnaud-Loris Baudry, Julien Georgel, Faustine Dumontier, Charlotte O’Neil

Dream Productions, Episode: The Dream Team, Pixar Animation Studios, Bert Berry, Josh Holtsclaw

Orion and the Dark, DreamWorks Animation, Timothy Lamb, Christine Bian

Silly Sundays, Episode: Stringy Soup, Cartoon Saloon,, Fran Bravo, Rosa Ballester Cabo

WondLa, Episode: Bargain, Skydance Animation in association with Apple, Andy Harkness

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – FEATURE

Inside Out 2, Pixar Animation Studios, Jason Deamer, Josh West, Keiko Murayama, Bill Zahn, Laura Meyer

That Christmas, Locksmith Animation for Netflix, Justin Hutchinson-Chatburn, Mike Redman

The Wild Robot, DreamWorks Animation, Raymond Zibach, Ritchie Sacilioc

Ultraman: Rising, Netflix Presents in association with Tsuburaya Productions, The Ultraman: Rising Production Design Team

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Aardman and Netflix, Matt Perry, Darren Dubicki, Richard Edmunds, Matt Sanders, Gavin Lines

BEST STORYBOARDING – TV/MEDIA

Arcane, Episode: Killing is a Cycle, A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix, Joséphine Meis

Invincible Fight Girl, Episode: The Way of The World, Cartoon Network Studios, Gladyfaith Abcede, Miki Brewster, Kaela Lash, Sheldon Vella

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, Episode: That Night, DreamWorks Animation, Aevery Huens

Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin, WildBrain Studios in association with Apple, David Lux

Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Episode: The Pearl, Nickelodeon Animation Studios and Point / Grey Pictures, Laura Gille, Sebrina Gao, Kevin Molina-Ortiz

BEST STORYBOARDING – FEATURE

Despicable Me 4, Illumination, Habib Louati

Moana 2, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Ryan Green

Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie, Nickelodeon Animation, Piero Piluso

Spellbound, Netflix Presents / Skydance Animation Presents a Skydance Animation Film, Alex Relloso Horna, Carlos Zapater Oliva

That Christmas, Locksmith Animation for Netflix, Ashley Boddy, Lorenzo Fresta, Helen Schroeder

BEST VOICE ACTING – TV/MEDIA

Bob’s Burgers, Episode: The Right Tough Stuff, 20th Television Animation, John Roberts (Character: Linda Belcher)

Bob’s Burgers, Episode: They Slug Horses, Don’t They?, 20th Television Animation, Kristen Schaal (Character: Louise Belcher)

Dream Productions Episode: Out of Body, Pixar Animation Studios, Paula Pell (Character: Paula)

Hazbin Hotel, Episode: Dad Beat Dad, Amazon MGM Studios, A24, Bento Box Entertainment, Jeremy Jordan (Character: Lucifer)

Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Episode: Splinter and April Fight a Goldfish, Nickelodeon Animation Studios and Point / Grey Pictures, Ayo Edebiri (Character: April O’Neil)

BEST VOICE ACTING – FEATURE

Chicken for Linda!, Dolce Vita Films, Miyu Productions, Palosanto Films, France 3 Cinéma / Distributed by GKIDS, Mélinée Leclerc (Character: Linda)

Inside Out 2, Pixar Animation Studios, Maya Hawke (Character: Anxiety)

The Wild Robot, DreamWorks Animation, Lupita Nyong’o (Character: Roz)

The Wild Robot, DreamWorks Animation, Kit Connor (Character: Brightbill)

Transformers One, Paramount Animation, Brian Tyree Henry (Character: D-16 / Megatron)

BEST WRITING – TV/MEDIA

Craig of the Creek, Episode: Whose Dimension Is It Anyway?, Cartoon Network Studios, Harron Atkins, Lorraine DeGraffenreidt, Pearl Low, Richie Pope

Jessica’s Big Little World, Episode: Jessica’s Picnic, Cartoon Network Studios, Austin Faber, Gabriel Franklin, Shawneé Gibbs, Shawnelle Gibbs, Ashleigh Hairston

Orion and the Dark, DreamWorks Animation, Charlie Kaufman

The Simpsons, Episode: Bart’s Birthday, A Gracie Films Production in Association with 20th Television Animation, Jessica Conrad

Yuck!, Ikki Films & Iliade et Films, Loïc Espuche

BEST WRITING – FEATURE

Flow, Take Five, Sacrebleu Productions, Dream Well Studio, Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža

Inside Out 2, Pixar Animation Studios, Meg LeFauve, Dave Holstein

Kensuke’s Kingdom, Paramount Pictures, Frank Cottrell-Boyce

Memoir of a Snail, Snails Pace Films / Arenamedia, Adam Elliot

BEST EDITORIAL – TV/MEDIA

Arcane, Episode: Pretend Like It’s the First Time, A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix, Nazim Meslem, Gilad Carmel, Roberto Fernandez

Creature Commandos, Episode: Cheers to the Tin Man, Warner Bros. Animation and DC Studios, Annie De Brock

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, Episode: Batten Down the Hatches, DreamWorks Animation, Ben Choo, Rich Liverance, Eric Hendricks, Anna Adams, Ian Hurley

Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Episode: The Molecular Level, Disney Television Animation, Cinema Gypsy Productions, Sandra Powers, Phil Lomboy, Ryan Burkhard, Neil Wilson III, Gabriel Gelbrecht

Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Episode: The Pearl, Nickelodeon Animation Studios and Point / Grey Pictures, Caleb Yoder

BEST EDITORIAL – FEATURE

Inside Out 2, Pixar Animation Studios, Maurissa Horwitz, David Suther, Fiona Toth, Jonathan Vargo

Moana 2, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Jeremy Milton, Michael Louis Hill

The Wild Robot, DreamWorks Animation, Mary Blee, Collin Erker, Orlando Duenas, Lucie Lyon, Brian Parker

Ultraman: Rising, Netflix Presents in association with Tsuburaya Productions, Bret Marnell, ACE, William Max Steinberg, Nik Siefke, Ryan Sommer, Kaye Speare

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Aardman and Netflix, Dan Hembery