“Up” may be a prohibitive favorite in the Oscars’ animated feature category, but the Annie Awards are not always enamored of Pixar’s critically acclaimed films.
Last year at the Annies — which are presented by the International Animated Film Society — the Pixar film “WALL-E” didn’t win a single award, while “Kung Fu Panda” swept nearly all the top prizes. (“WALL-E” went on to win the Oscar.)
And on Tuesday, when the 2009 nominations were announced, “Up” took second place to Henry Selick’s “Coraline,” which topped the feature film field with 10 nominations. “Up” had nine, “The Princess and the Frog” eight, “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” four and “Fantastic Mr. Fox” three.
Nominees in the animated feature category are “Cloudy,” “Coraline” (right), “Mr. Fox,” “Up,” “Princess” and “The Secret of Kells.” The last two of those films did not receive nominations in the director category; Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki did, for “Ponyo.”
None of the Annie nominees for animated short subject made the Oscar shortlist in that category.
In the feature film categories, Disney dominated the nominations, with 19 nods among “Up,” “Princess” and “Ponyo.” Focus Features had 12 (for “Coraline” and “9”), 20th Century Fox five (“Mr. Fox” and “Ice Age: The Dawn of the Dinosaurs”).
Over the eight years in which the Academy has given out an award for animated feature, the Oscar and Annie winners have matched six times. The only two differences came last year, with “Kung Fu Panda” winning the Annie while “WALL-E” took home the Oscar, and in 2006, when “Cars” won the Annie and “Happy Feet” triumphed at the Oscars.
The full list of nominations is here.
The Annie Awards ceremony will take place at UCLA’s Royce Hall on Feb. 6.
