'How To Train Your Dragon' Leads Scandal-Tainted Annie Awards: Will it Win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature?
by Marivic Cabural
Scandal at awards shows is nothing new, but who knew there could be such an uproar over an awards show for kids?
DreamWorks' "How to Train Your Dragon" was the biggest winner at the recently concluded 38th Annual Annie Awards held at the UCLA Royce Hall, which honor excellence in animation, but the real scandla was in who didn't bother to show up.
Pixar Animation Studios and The Walt Disney Company did not participate in the annual awards process, with Disney-Pixar president Ed Catmull saying, "We believe there is an issue with the way the Annies are judged."
The disagreement resulted from strong Oscar contender "Toy Story 3” from Pixar Studios and Disney’s “Tangled” not winning any honors from The Annie Awards.Disney argued that the process was weighted in favor of DreamWorks Animations.
“How To Train Your Dragon” won the Best Animated Feature award plus ten other trophies from the Annie Awards, leading to speculations that the film might also win the statue at the upcoming 83rd Annual Academy Awards.
Other winners in the Production categories include:
Best Animated Short Subject - "Day & Night"
Best Animated Television Commercial -"Children's Medical Center"
Best Animated Television Production--- `"Kung Fu Panda Holiday"
Best Animated Television Production for Children - "SpongeBob SquarePants"
Best Animated Video Game - "Limbo"
Annie Awards latest category, Character Animation in a Live Action Production, went to Sony Pictures' "Alice in Wonderland."
The Annie Awards is presented by the International Animated Film Society-ASIFA Hollywood, giving due recognition to the best production and people behind the animation entertainment.
Brad Bird, Eric Goldberg and Matt Groening received the Winsor McCay Award in recognition of their contributions to the art of animation.
The voice behind "SpongeBob Square Pants," Tom Kenny, hosted the awarding ceremony.
While no there were no reports of punches being thrown or other drunken cartoon behavior, Spongebob was reportedly seen kanoodling backstage with Bart Simpson. Squarepants' publicist would neither confirm nor deny the report.