Nino Vongphachanh is a Casting Director and aspiring TV Writer with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from New York University. Nino’s background in casting gives him an adoration for watching and reviewing performances, so journalism is another medium that allows him to voice his enthusiasm to a wider audience. Nino strives to enlighten to world of the importance of diversity on screen with his work, which aligns with The Hollywood Insider’s mission to be the most influential and progressive global entertainment network. Nino enjoys being up-to-date with all current events and trends, helping him create a fresh perspective on the topics he writes about. Keeping an open mind with the goal of promoting awareness in film and television, Nino writes passionately about projects he believes advance the world artistically and culturally.
Jan 26, 2023
Table of Contents
Photo: Annie Awards 2023
To honor creators of animatedCinema, the International Animation Society presents the Annie Awards, the award show created to give the best-animated projects of the season with an award granted by ASIFA-Hollywood (the Los Angeles division of the International Animation Society). Originating in 1972, the Annie Awards will see its 50th award show in February of 2023.
Annie Awards 2023 Best Feature
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinnochio’ leads the Annie Awards nominations with nine nominations, including a nomination for Best Feature. The dark and twisted take on the century-old tale received critical acclaim and many awards for Guillermo and Netflix including a Golden Globe for Animated Feature, so it acts as a front-runner in the Best Feature category. Alongside ‘Pinocchio’, Disney and Pixar’s ‘Turning Red’, ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ from DreamWorks Animation, Netflix’s ‘The Sea Beast’, and Netflix, A Monkeypaw Production, and A Gotham Group Production’s ‘Wendell & Wild’ earned a nomination in the biggest category of the night.
Netflix Earns the Most Nominations Out of All Studios
‘The Sea Beast’ and ‘Wendell & Wild’ earning a nomination in the Best Feature category places Netflix in three out of the five spots in the category. Including those three Best Feature nominations, Netflix overwhelms with a total of 50 nominations from its animated movies and series. ‘Love Death + Robots’ and ‘Oni: Thunder God’s Tale’ each provided Netflix with six nominations in the TV/Media categories.
Best Indie Feature
Netflix even found itself nominated in the Best Indie Feature category for its collaboration with Cartoon Saloon (the studio responsible for ‘The Breadwinner) on ‘My Father’s Dragon’. January Films, Balthazar Productions, and Walking the Dog’s ‘Charlotte’, Science SARU’s ‘Inu-Oh’, On Classic (Mediawan) and Bidibul Productions’s ‘Little Nicholas, Happy As Can Be’, and ‘Marcel the Shell with Shoes On’ from Marcel the Movie LLC also scored a nomination in the Best Indie Feature category.
‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’ Leads TV/Media
Topping both Netflix’s ‘Love Death + Robots’ and ‘Oni: Thunder God’s Tale’’s nomination count, ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’ from NoneMore Productions and Bad Robot Productions received seven total nominations. Airing on Apple TV+, this short animated project is only 34 minutes long and is first nominated in the Best Special Production category alongside Apple and BBC Studios’ ‘Prehistoric Planet’, Magic Light Pictures’s ‘Superworm’, ‘The House’ from Nexus Studios and Netflix, and ‘The Sandman’ from Netflix and Warner Bros. Television Production. To qualify for the Best Special Production category, it must be a production with substantial animated footage that does not qualify as a full feature length animated production. Examples of projects that qualify but are not limited to would be theme park animations, educational films, and home video entertainment productions.
Best TV/Media
The Best TV/Media category is divided into Preschool, Children, Mature, and Limited Series. Up for Best TV/Media – Preschool, ‘Elinor Wonders Why’ from SHOE Ink. LLC, ‘Gabby’s Dollhouse’ from DreamWorks Animation, Disney’s ‘Rise Up, Sing Out’, ‘Spirit Rangers’ from Laughing Wild and Netflix, and Tiny Chef Productions LLC and Imagine Entertainment’s ‘The Tiny Chef Show’ face off.
For the Best TV/Media – Children category, ‘Abominable and the Invisible City’ by DreamWorks Animation, ‘Big Nate’ from Nickelodeon Animation, ‘Moominvalley’ from Gutsy Animations, Disney’s ‘The Owl House’, and ‘We Baby Bears’ from Cartoon Network Studios compete for the best animated series for ages 6 to 13.
Nominees for Best TV/Media – Mature are against each other for the best series for audiences 14 years old and up. The nominees are ‘Bob’s Burgers’ from 20th Television and Bento Box Entertainment, ‘Harley Quinn’ from Warner Bros. Animation, ‘Rick and Morty’ from Rick and Morty LLC, A Gracie Films Production’s collaboration with 20th Television Animation for a special episode of ‘The Simpsons’ titled ‘The Simpsons – Treehouse of Horror XXXIII’, and ‘Tuca & Bertie’ from The Tornante Company.
Lastly, Best TV/Media – Limited Series nominees are ‘BAYMAX!’ by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Lighthouse Studios and Apple’s ‘El Deafo’, Kapital Entertainment and FOX Entertainment’s ‘HouseBroken’, Netflix and A Tonko House Production’s ‘Oni: Thunder God’s Tale’, and ‘Undone’ by Tornante Company and Amazon Studios.
Favorites and Possible Upsets
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ has successfully swept many award shows that it has been nominated in, and the Annie Awards can expect to give ‘Pinocchio’ more accolades. ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ has not been eligible for nomination in other award shows due to its late release in 2022, but it has proven through reviews and box office numbers that it can be a dark horse in the Best Feature category against ‘Pinocchio’ and ‘Turning Red’.
‘Marcel the Shell with Shoes On’ has been adored by social media and reigns as the top movie in the Best Indie Feature section due to its astounding 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Having lost the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award for Best Animated Feature to ‘Pinocchio’, ‘Marcel the Shell with Shoes On’ now finds itself nominated in a different section than the large production studio project. Finding itself nominated alongside ‘Pinocchio’ and ‘Turning Red’, the indie film demonstrates its prevalence to animation fans and critics and will most likely take home the trophy.
Full Nomination List
Best Feature
‘Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red’ – Pixar Animation Studios
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company
‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ – DreamWorks Animation
‘The Sea Beast’ – Netflix
‘Wendell & Wild’ – Netflix Presents A Monkeypaw Production / A Gotham Group Production
‘Bob’s Burgers’ Episode: ‘Some Like it Bot Part 1: Eighth Grade Runner’ – 20th Television/Bento Box Entertainment
‘Harley Quinn’ Episode: ‘Batman Begins Forever’ – Warner Bros. Animation
‘Rick and Morty’ Episode: ‘Night Family’ – Rick and Morty LLC
‘The Simpsons – Treehouse of Horror XXXIII’ Episode: ‘Treehouse of Horror XXXIII’ – A Gracie Films Production in Association with 20th Television Animation
‘Tuca & Bertie’ Episode: ‘The Pain Garden’ – The Tornante Company
Best TV/Media – Limited Series
‘BAYMAX!’ Episode: ‘Sofia’ – Walt Disney Animation Studios
‘El Deafo’ Episode: ‘Everybody Sounds So Weird’ – Lighthouse Studios in association with Apple
‘HouseBroken’ Episode: ‘Who’s Having A Merry Trashmas?’ Kapital Entertainment and FOX Entertainment
‘Oni: Thunder God’s Tale’ Episode: ‘The Demon Moon Rises’ – A Netflix Series / A Tonko House Production
‘Undone’ Episode: ‘Rectify’ – Tornante Company and Amazon Studios
Best Student Film
‘Au revoir Jérôme !’
Student Director: Adam Sillard, Gabrielle Selnet & Chloé Farr
School: Gobelins, l’école de l’image
‘Birdsong’
Student Director: Michelle Cheng
Student Producer: Michelle Cheng
School: California Institute of the Arts
‘Synchronie Passagère’
Student Director: Julia Le Bras-Juarez
School: Supinfocom Rubika
‘The Most Boring Granny in the Whole World’
Student Director: Damaris Zielke
Student Producer: Jiayan Chen
School: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH
‘The Soloists’
Student Director: Mehrnaz Abdollahinia, Feben Elias Woldehawariat, Razahk Issaka, Celeste Jamneck & Yi Liu
School: Gobelins, l’école de l’image
Best FX – TV/Media
‘Cars on the Road’ Episode: ‘Road Rumblers’
Production Company: Pixar Animation Studios
FX Production Company: Pixar Animation Studios
Christopher Foreman, Elana Lederman, John Lockwood, Jae Jun Yi, Justin Ritter
‘Love Death + Robots’ Episode: ‘Bad Travelling’
Production Company: Blur Studio for Netflix
FX Production Company: Blur Studio
Kirby Miller, Igor Zanic, Joseph H. Coleman, Steven Dupuy, Josh Schwartz
‘Prehistoric Planet’ Episode: ‘Coasts’
Production Company: BBC Studios in association with Apple
FX Production Company: MPC
‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’
Production Company: NoneMore Productions and Bad Robot Productions
FX Production Company: NoneMore Productions
Peter Baynton, Raymond Pang, Martial Coulon
‘The House’
Production Company: Nexus Studios for Netflix
FX Production Company: Nexus Studios
Germán Díez, Álvaro Alonso Lomba, Hugo Vieites Caamaño
Best FX – Feature
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’
Production Company: 20th Century Studios / Disney Studios
FX Production Company: Wētā FX
Johnathan M. Nixon, David Moraton, Nicholas Illingworth, David Caeiro Cebrian, Alex Nowotny
‘Disney and Pixar’s Lightyear’
Production Company: Pixar Animation Studios
FX Production Company: Pixar
Carl Kaphan, Cody Harrington, Hope Schroers, Jon Barry, Nate Skeen
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’
Production Company: Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company
‘Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls Mayhem in the Multiverse’
Warner Bros Animation
Tara Strong (Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Raven)
‘The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder’ Episode: ‘New Kids On The Block’ – Disney TV Animation
Karen Malina White (Dijonay Jones)
‘Zootopia+’ Episode: ‘The Godfather of the Bride’ – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Maurice LaMarche (Mr. Big)
Best Voice Acting – Feature
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company
David Bradley
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company
Gregory Mann
‘Marcel the Shell with Shoes On’ – Marcel the Movie LLC
Jenny Slate
‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ – DreamWorks Animation
Wagner Moura
‘The Sea Beast’ – Netflix
Zaris-Angel Hator
Best Writing – TV/Media
‘BAYMAX!’ Episode: ‘Sofia’ – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Cirocco Dunlap
‘Big Nate’ Episode: ‘The Legend of the Gunting’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Mitch Watson, Emily Brundige, Ben Lapides, Sarah Allan
‘Love Death + Robots’ Episode: ‘Bad Travelling’ – Blur Studio for Netflix
Andrew Kevin Walker
‘The House’ – Nexus Studios for Netflix
Enda Walsh
‘Tuca & Bertie’ Episode: ‘The Pain Garden’ – The Tornante Company
Lisa Hanawalt
Best Writing – Feature
‘Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red’ – Pixar Animation Studios
Domee Shi, Julia Cho
‘ETERNAL SPRING (長春)’ – Lofty Sky Entertainment Inc.
Jason Loftus
‘Inu-Oh’ – Science SARU
AKIKO NOGI
‘Marcel the Shell with Shoes On’ – Marcel the Movie LLC
Dean Fleischer Camp, Jenny Slate, Nick Paley, Elisabeth Holm
Best Editorial – TV/Media
‘Amphibia’ Episode: ‘All In’ – Disney TV Animation
Andrew Sorcini, Yoonah Yim, Jennifer Calbi, Julie Anne Lau, David Vasquez
‘Green Eggs and Ham’ Episode: ‘The Sam Who Came In From The Cold’ – Gulfstream Pictures/ A Stern Talking To/ A Very Good Production in association with Warner Bros. Animation for Netflix
Margaret Hou
‘Karma’s World’ Episode: ‘Keys, The Inventor’ – 9 Story Media Group, Brown Bag Films and Karma’s World Entertainment for Netflix
Damien Dunne, Ultan Murphy, Emma O’Brien, Fred O’Connor, Aiden McKenna
‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Episode: ‘The Stars At Night’ – CBS’s Eye Animation Productions, Titmouse; Secret Hideout; and Roddenberry Entertainment
Andy Maxwell, Zach Lamplugh, Brandon Brocker, Paul Mazzotta
‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’ – NoneMore Productions and Bad Robot Productions
Daniel Budin
Best Editorial – Feature
‘Disney and Pixar’s Lightyear’ – Pixar
Tony Greenberg, Katie Bishop, Chloe Kloezeman, Axel Geddes, Tim Fox
‘Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red’ – Pixar Animation Studios
Nicholas Smith, Steve Bloom, David Suther, Anna Wolitzky, Christopher Zuber
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company
Ken Schretzmann, Holly Klein, Emily Chiu, Hamilton Barrett
‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ – Dreamworks Animation
James Ryan, ACE, Jacquelyn Karambelas, Natalia Cronembold, Joe Butler, Katie Parody
‘The Sea Beast’ – Netflix
Joyce Arrastica, ACE, Will Erokan, Vivek Sharma, Michael Hugh O’Donnell, Daniel Ortiz
The 50th Annie Awards will premiere on February 25, 2023 on the Annie Awards website.
By Nino Vongphachanh
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
Nino Vongphachanh is a Casting Director and aspiring TV Writer with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from New York University. Nino’s background in casting gives him an adoration for watching and reviewing performances, so journalism is another medium that allows him to voice his enthusiasm to a wider audience. Nino strives to enlighten to world of the importance of diversity on screen with his work, which aligns with The Hollywood Insider’s mission to be the most influential and progressive global entertainment network. Nino enjoys being up-to-date with all current events and trends, helping him create a fresh perspective on the topics he writes about. Keeping an open mind with the goal of promoting awareness in film and television, Nino writes passionately about projects he believes advance the world artistically and culturally.
Nino Vongphachanh is a Casting Director and aspiring TV Writer with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from New York University. Nino’s background in casting gives him an adoration for watching and reviewing performances, so journalism is another medium that allows him to voice his enthusiasm to a wider audience. Nino strives to enlighten to world of the importance of diversity on screen with his work, which aligns with The Hollywood Insider’s mission to be the most influential and progressive global entertainment network. Nino enjoys being up-to-date with all current events and trends, helping him create a fresh perspective on the topics he writes about. Keeping an open mind with the goal of promoting awareness in film and television, Nino writes passionately about projects he believes advance the world artistically and culturally.
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