Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation’s KPop Demon Hunters (pictured) proved that HUNTR/X really don’t miss with a 10-category sweep of the 53rd Annie Awards on Saturday.
The annual ceremony dedicated to outstanding animated projects took place on February 21 at UCLA’s Royce Hall in LA. KPop Demon Hunters came out on top in every category it was nominated in, including the coveted Best Feature—where it beat out Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, Zootopia 2, Elio and The Bad Guys 2. It also picked up trophies for other major film categories like Best Direction, Best Production Design, Best Music and Best Writing, further cementing its Oscar frontrunner status.
Other kids movies that got some love from the Annies included Arco, which won the Best Independent Feature prize. How To Train Your Dragon took home Best Character Animation – Live Action, while The Bad Guys 2 collected a win for Best Storyboarding in a film. Best Short went to Aaron Blaise’s 2D-animated Snow Bear, which has generated more than four million views on YouTube.
In the TV race, a variety of kids shows were recognized. The mouse-led toon Wow Lisa and fan-favorite The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball collected the best preschool and children’s awards, respectively. Best Special Production went to Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical, while Best Limited Series was picked up by Win Or Lose, a show about a middle-school softball team.
Meanwhile the BAFTA Film Awards were also held on Sunday night—though KPop Demon Hunters was notably absent, since its streaming rollout disqualified it from the race. Instead, the Best Animated Feature winner was Zootopia 2, which is nearing a whopping US$1.9 billion at the global box office. The Indian live-action drama Boong—about a young boy navigating social tensions at the border of the Manipur state—won Best Children’s & Family Film, beating out Zootopia 2 as well as Arco and Lilo & Stitch.
Select winners from the Annie Awards are listed below, with a full list available online.
BEST FEATURE
KPop Demon Hunters
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
BEST FEATURE – INDEPENDENT
Arco
Remembers, MountainA France, France 3 Cinéma
BEST SPECIAL PRODUCTION
Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical
WildBrain Studios in association with Apple
BEST SHORT SUBJECT
Snow Bear
The Art of Aaron Blaise
BEST TV/MEDIA – PRESCHOOL
Wow Lisa (Episode: Rainy Day)
Punkrobot
BEST TV/MEDIA – CHILDREN
The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball (Episode: The Rewrite)
Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe
BEST TV/MEDIA – LIMITED SERIES
Win Or Lose (Episode: Home)
Pixar Animation Studios
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – LIVE ACTION
How To Train Your Dragon
DreamWorks Animation / FX: Framestore
Kayn Garcia, Jean-Denis Haas, Meena Ibrahim, Nathan McConnel, Nick Tripodi
BEST STORYBOARDING – FEATURE
The Bad Guys 2
DreamWorks Animation
Anthony Holden, Young Ki Yoon











