Annie moves closer to Oscar

Gretchen Hoffman

The group behind the prestigious Annie Awards hopes moving the

ceremony to February will give the animation industry accolades a

greater pull with the Academy Awards.

The 30th annual Annies, which traditionally have been awarded in

November, will be Feb. 1 at The Alex Theatre. The Oscars are awarded

March 23.

“The primary motivation for us changing the Annies to Feb. 1 is

because we wanted the calendar year for the eligibility period to be

Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 to kind of mirror the Academy Awards,” said Antran

Manoogian, president of the Association Internationale Du Film

D’Animation, or ASIFA-Hollywood, the 1,800 members of which judge the

nominations.

“We wanted the Annie Awards to be positioned in a way that our

nominations could influence the Academy Award nominations,” he added.

In the past, awards were given to animation projects released

between Aug. 1 and July 31 in a given year. By synchronizing the

Annies with the Oscars, it will give the animation awards a higher

prominence within the motion picture industry, ASIFA-Hollywood board

member Frank Gladstone said.

“I think that there will be more attention paid to the Annies,”

Gladstone said. “We believe people are looking to the Annies ... as a

harbinger. Also, it’s much easier to judge from Jan. 1. to Dec. 31.”

The addition last year of the Best Animated Feature category to

the Oscars underscores the influence the Annies could have: “Shrek”

took the top prize at both ceremonies.

“The Annies are considered by the animation industry to be the

highest and most prestigious award to be given in this field,”

Manoogian said. “Especially within the past few years, it has

certainly grown in notoriety. The goal, of course, is to promote

animation, and we’re pleased to see that it’s becoming recognized by

the general public and the industry.”

Each year, Annie Award trophies are awarded for the year’s best

productions, including feature film, short subject, home video and

TV.

“Although we’re a relatively small part within the motion picture

industry, Annies have always been a very worthwhile endeavor all

these years,” Gladstone said.