'Robot Dreams', 'Spider-Man:Across the Spider-Verse', 'War Is Over' Win at the 2024 Annie Awards

7 Annie Awards for the Sony Pictures animation sequel, 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' in the 2024 Annie Awards ceremony. The animation film won Best Animation Feature, but also awards for Best Directing, Music, Production Design, Character Design, FX and editing.

Hayao Miyazaki's film 'The Boy and the Heron' still managed to win Best Storyboarding (Hayao Miyazaki) and Character Animation (Takeshi Honda) -even though it lost its writing nomination to Netflix's 'Nimona'. The sci-fi film also managed to score another Annie Award for Voice Acting (Chloë Grace Moretz).

No Disney or Pixar wins at the Annies' feature animation categories; however, Pixar alumnus Dave Mullins won the best short subject with the Oscar-nominated The 'War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko' 

Set in an alternate WWI reality where a senseless war rages on, two soldiers on opposite sides of the conflict play a joyful game of chess. A heroic carrier pigeon delivers the soldiers' chess moves over the battlefield as the fighting escalates

Watch the film's trailer:

Here are the other nominees in the category

• Carne de Dios, Ojo Raro & Fedora Productions
• Daffy in Wackyland, Warner Bros. Animation
• HUMO, Outik Animation, 3rd Street Video, Mindsoup Entertainment, IMCINE
• PINA, PUNCHLINE CINEMA / NEXT DAYS FILMS

The European animation feature winner 'Robot Dreams' by Spanish Pablo Berger, the poignant friendship relationship between a dog and a robot,  managed to win the Best Independent Feature award, solidifying its chances for the upcoming Academy Awards (another Oscar-nominated film).

CalArts student Justine King won the Best Student Film with her 'The Little Poet' film, a wandering into famous painters via an egg-shaped dreamer

The other nominees:

• From The Top / Student Director: Rich Farris, Student Producer: Martina Buendia Silva
  School: National Film and Television School
• Kolaj / Student Director: Besen Dilek / Student Producer: Besen Dilek
  School: Filamakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH
• La quête de l'humain / Student Team: Mélina IENCO, Lucie JURIC, Caroline LEIBEL, Faustine MERLE, Claire PELLET
  School: Gobelins, l'école de l'image
• Quem Salva / Student Team: Laure Devin, Maxime Bourstin, Nathan Medam, Charles Hechinger, Titouan Jaouen
  School: Supinfocom Rubika
  
  

Check the complete winners' list:

Special Annie Awards were given to Lotte Reiniger, Studio Ghibli composers Joe Hisaishi and NFB producer Marcy Page; the The Ub Iwerks Award for technical advancement affecting the animation industry was posthumously presented to John Oxberry 

The 51st Annie Awards took place at UCLA’s Royce Hall on Saturday, February 17, 2024.