49th Annie Awards: ‘The Mitchells vs. the Machines,’ ‘Arcane’ dominate

Netflix cleaned up at the 49th Annie Awards on Saturday, with the The Mitchells vs. the Machines on the feature film side earning eight wins and on the TV/Media side the video game adaptation Arcane, an League of Legends game adaptation from Riot Games and Fortiche Production, led all winners in a clean sweep with nine awards overall, winning in each of the categories for which it was nominated.

Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon had led the nominations 10, including Best Feature, Best Character Animation, Best Voice Acting and Best Writing, but went home empty-handed.

Disney’s other big animated film, Encanto, won two awards of its nine nominations, Best Music and Best Storyboarding.

Netflix dominated the overall nomination total with 52, led by Arcane, its series based on the multiplayer online game League of Legends by Riot Games, which earned nine, plus the haul from The Mitchells vs. the Machines. Disney was next with 29 with Pixar, Marvel and its own animation studio across film and television.

In addition to the 36 competitive award categories, the Annies presented juried prizes to Disney animator Ruben Aquino, computer pioneer Lillian Schwartz and Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki received the Winsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement. The June Foray Award for charitable contributions to the animation industry went to filmmakers Renzo and Sayoko Kinoshita, founders of the Hiroshima International Animation Festival. The Python Foundation will be honored with the Ub Iwerks Award for technical achievement for its open-source Python programming language. Artist and author Glen Vilppu received a special achievement award for his work in teaching a generation of animation professionals. The certificate of merit for service to the art and industry of animation went to Evan Vernon.

Here is the complete list of winners for the 49th Annie Awards.

Film

Best Feature

Encanto
Luca
The Mitchells vs. the Machines – WINNER
Raya and the Last Dragon
Sing 2

Best Indie Feature

Belle
Flee – WINNER
Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko
Pompo the Cinephile
The Summit of the Gods

Best Short Subject

Bestia – WINNER
Easter Eggs
MAALBEEK
Night Bus
Steakhouse

Best Direction – Feature

Belle (Mamoru Hosoda)
Encanto (Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Charise Castro Smith)
Flee (Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Kenneth Ladekjær)
Luca (Enrico Casarosa)
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (Mike Rianda, Jeff Rowe) – WINNER

Best Writing – Feature

Belle (Mamoru Hosoda)
Flee (Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Amin Nawabi)
Luca (Jesse Andrews, Mike Jones)
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (Mike Rianda, Jeff Rowe) – WINNER
Raya and the Last Dragon (Qui Nguyen, Adele Lim)

Best Music – Feature

Encanto (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Germaine Franco) – WINNER
Luca (Dan Romer)
Poupelle of Chimney Town (Youki Kojima, Yuta Bandoh)
Raya and the Last Dragon (James Newton Howard, Jhené Aiko)
Vivo (Alex Lacamoire, Lin-Manuel Miranda)

Best Voice Acting – Feature

Stephanie Beatriz, Encanto
Jack Dylan Grazer, Luca
Abbi Jacobson, The Mitchells vs. the Machines – WINNER
John Leguizamo, Encanto
Kelly Marie Tran, Raya and the Last Dragon

Best Character Animation – Feature

The Boss Baby: Family Business
Encanto – WINNER
Luca
Raya and the Last Dragon
Wish Dragon

Best Character Animation – Live Action

Flora & Ulysses
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – WINNER
The Suicide Squad
The Tomorrow War
Y: The Last Man

Best Character Design – Feature

Luca
The Mitchells vs. the Machines – WINNER
Raya and the Last Dragon
Ron’s Gone Wrong
Vivo

Best Editorial – Feature

Encanto
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs. the Machines – WINNER
Raya and the Last Dragon

Best Production Design – Feature

Belle
The Mitchells vs. the Machines – WINNER
Raya and the Last Dragon
Ron’s Gone Wrong
Vivo

Best Storyboarding – Feature

The Addams Family 2
Encanto – WINNER
Raya and the Last Dragon
Spirit Untamed
Vivo

Best FX – Feature

Belle
Encanto
The Mitchells vs. the Machines – WINNER
Raya and the Last Dragon
Vivo

Best Student Film

A Film About A Pudding
HOPE
I Am a Pebble
Night of the Living Dread – WINNER
Slouch

Television/Media

Best TV/Media – General Audience

Arcane (Episode: When These Walls Come Tumbling Down) – WINNER
Bob’s Burgers (Episode: Fingers-loose)
Love, Death + Robots (Episode: Ice)
Star Wars: Visions (Episode: The Duel)
Tuca & Bertie (Episode: The Dance)

Best TV/Media – Children

Amphibia (Episode: True Colors)
Carmen Sandiego (Episode: The Himalayan Rescue Caper)
Dug Days (Episode: Science)
Maya and the Three (Episode: The Sun and the Moon) – WINNER
We the People (Episode: Active Citizenship)

Best TV/Media – Preschool

Ada Twist, Scientist (Episode: Twelve Angry Birds) – WINNER
Muppet Babies (Episode: Gonzo-rella)
ODO (Episode: Doddle Song)
Stillwater (Episode: Crossing Over / Kind of Blue)
Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum (Episode: I am Ella Fitzgerald)

Best Special Production

For Auld Lang Syne
La Vie de Château
Mum Is Pouring Rain
Namoo – WINNER
The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf

Best Sponsored

A Future Begins – WINNER
Fleet Foxes – Featherweight
The Good Guest Guide to Japan
Tiptoe & The Flying Machine
Wandavision – “Don’t Touch that Dial” Title Sequence

Best Direction – TV/Media

Amphibia (Episode: True Colors) – Jenn Strickland, Kyler Spears
Arcane (Episode: The Monster You Created) – Pascal Charue, Arnaud Delord, Barthelemy Maunoury – WINNER
Crossing Swords (Episode: Tent Pitching) – John Harvatine, Brad Schaffer, Ethan Marak
Hilda and the Mountain King (Episode: Broadcast Special) – Andy Coyle
Maya and the Three (Episode: The Sun and the Moon) – Jorge R. Gutierrez

Best Writing – TV/Media
Arcane (Episode: The Monster You Created) – Christian Linke, Alex Yee – WINNER
Maya and the Three (Episode: Chapter 4: The Skull) – Silvia Olivas, Jorge R. Guitterez
Muppet Babies (Episode: Gonzo-Rella) – Ghia Godfree
The Mighty Ones (Episode: Berry’s Pet Threat) – Jillian Goldfluss, Erica Jones, Nicolette Wood
Tuca & Bertie (Episode: Planteau) – Lisa Hanawalt

Best Voice Acting – TV/Media

Kimberly Brooks, DC Super Hero Girls (Episode: #EnterNightSting)
Parvesh Cheena, Centaurworld (Episode: Johnny Teatimes Be Best Competition: A Quest for the Sash)
Ella Purnell, Arcane (Episode: When These Walls Come Tumbling Down) – WINNER
Charlie Saxton, Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans (Episode: Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans)
Michael J. Woodard, Arlo the Alligator Boy (Episode: Broadcast Special)

Best Music – TV/Media

Blush (Episode: Broadcast Short Film) – Joy Ngiaw
Hilda and the Mountain King (Episode: Broadcast Special) – Ryan Carlson
Maya and the Three (Episode: The Sun and the Moon) – Tim Davies, Gustavo Santaolalla – WINNER
Mila (Episode: Broadcast Short Film) – Flavio Gargano
Mira, Royal Detective (Episode: The Eid Mystery) – Amritha Vaz, Matthew Tishler, Jeannie Lurie

Best Character Animation – TV/Media

Arcane (Episode: The Monster You Created) – WINNER
Love, Death + Robots (Episode: All Through the House)
Namoo (Episode: Namoo Animated Short)
Ultra City Smiths (Episode: The Little Baby Hand Pinky Grip)
We the People (Episode: Active Citizenship)

Best Character Animation – Video Game

Disney Wonderful Worlds
It Takes Two
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Madrid Noir
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – WINNER

Best Character Design – TV/Media

Arcane (Episode: Some Mysteries Better Left Unsolved) – WINNER
Batman: The Long Halloween Part One (Episode: Broadcast Special)
Kid Cosmic (Episode: The Rings of Power)
Maya and the Three (Episode: The Sun and the Moon)
Yuki 7 (Episode: They Called Her Number Seven)

Best Editorial – TV/Media

Amphibia (Episode: True Colors)
Arlo the Alligator Boy (Episode: Broadcast Special)
Love, Death + Robots (Episode: Pop Squad)
Tom and Jerry in New York (Episode: Billboard Jumble)
What If…? (Episode: What If…Ultron Won?) – WINNER

Best Production Design – TV/Media

Arcane (Episode: Happy Progress Day!) – WINNER
Arlo the Alligator Boy (Episode: Broadcast Special)
Love, Death + Robots (Episode: Ice)
Maya and the Three (Episode: The Sun and the Moon)
Yuki 7 (Episode: They Called Her Number Seven)

Best Storyboarding – TV/Media

Arcane (Episode: When These Walls Come Tumbling Down) – WINNER
Invincible (Episode: Where I Really Come From)
Kid Cosmic (Episode: The Big Win)
Love, Death + Robots (Episode: Pop Squad)
The Ghost and Molly McGee (Episode: All Systems No)

Best FX – TV/Media

Arcane (Episode: Oil and Water) – WINNER
Castlevania (Episode: The Endings)
Maya and the Three (Episode: The Sun and the Moon)
Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas (Episode: Broadcast Special)
Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans (Episode: Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans)

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

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