A whopper catch: Nine Annies for ‘Finding Nemo’

“Finding Nemo” dominated the Annie Awards on Saturday night at the animation industry’s annual gala, winning nine, including best animated feature.

That the film made by Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures took so many nods may not have been much of a surprise, but host Steve Marmel began razzing Pixar’s soon-to-be ex-partner before a single award was handed out.

“If I’m making too much fun of them, when I say Disney, I want you to think, ‘Lay off,’ ” the writer-comedian told the more than 500 animation insiders at Glendale’s Alex Theatre.

Recent layoffs of Disney animators and the rift between Disney and Pixar figured prominently among those attending the 31st Annie Awards ceremony, especially in light of the triumph of “Finding Nemo.” Animated by Pixar, the charmer about a father clown fish’s search for his lost son has grossed $850 million worldwide, the most for an animated film.

Nominees for best feature included a traditionally animated film, “The Triplets of Belleville,” from the French studio Les Armateurs, but the ceremony confirmed the growing significance of computer animation, and by extension Pixar.

Among other awards for “Nemo,” Ellen DeGeneres, who played the memory-impaired guide Dory, won for best voice acting in a feature. “Nemo” was also honored for its direction, writing, production design, character animation, effects animation and music.

“I’d really like to thank Pixar for not being in this category,” said Jeff Garcia, when honored for voice-acting the role of Sheen Estevez in Nickelodeon’s “The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Nightmare in Retroville.”

Many industry veterans insist there is room for more than one kind of animation. “As much as people want to pit hand-drawn against computer animation, it’s not either/or,” said Eric Goldberg, nominated for his direction of the Warner Bros. feature “Looney Tunes: Back in Action.”

Recipient of the technical Ub Iwerks Award for developing software that adds computer lighting effects to drawn characters, Scott Johnston also emphasized that the two could coexist. “One of the things I think we need to do is to stop dwelling on two techniques as if they were mortal enemies.”

Roy Disney was given a standing ovation when he came onstage to honor John Hench, the veteran Disney animator and Imagineer who died last week at age 95. Disney, who recently quit the board of the company founded by his father, Roy, and uncle Walt, talked about his campaign to oust Disney Chief Executive Michael Eisner, in an interview before the ceremony, put on each year by ASIFA-Hollywood, the International Animated Film Society.

“I think there’s a total lack of understanding of the medium and the art on the part of top management” at Disney, he said. “I don’t think they ever had much of a clue ... You have to trust people, and that’s what’s not happening.” Disney said he felt management had been growing more alienated from animators and other employees since the death of Disney President Frank Wells in a helicopter crash in 1994.

He predicted that Disney would eventually renew its commitment to traditional animation. “We will always do both, no matter what they say.” The reason? “Because everybody in this business started out with a pencil and a piece of paper. They didn’t start out doing this,” he said, mimicking working at a computer keyboard.

Pixar representatives were gracious throughout the evening, as they rose repeatedly to collect their Annies. “Nemo” co-director Lee Unkrich thanked Pixar and Disney: “They set us up with an amazing sandbox that we got to play in for the last 10 years.” Co-director Andrew Stanton dedicated his Annie to his peers in the uncertain animation industry, “everyone who has gone out and tried to make art in the oppressive face of commerce.”