Pixar’s latest triumph “Up” took home the award for best feature and best director at the recently awarded Annie Awards for animation. The awards were given out Saturday evening in Los Angeles.
Other award winners included “Coraline” and “The Princess and the Frog” with three wins each.
Nominated for five Academy Awards, “Up” is the odds-on favorite to win the Oscar for animated feature, and is only the second animated film to earn a nomination in the best picture category. It is also nominated for best screenplay, music and sound editing Oscars.
“We always look at these as films; we take them as seriously as anyone else does in this industry,” Docter — wearing an Ellie badge on his lapel — said of the best picture nod. “The fact that our peers are looking at this film in the same way is just fantastic.”
To win the top Annie prize, “Up” led fellow nominees “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” from Sony Pictures Animation, “Coraline,” 20th Century Fox’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “The Princess and the Frog” and “The Secret of Kells” from Cartoon Saloon.
Also in features, “Coraline” won the categories for character design, music and production design. “The Princess and the Frog” was recognized for animated effects, character animation and voice acting.
Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach won the writing category for “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” DreamWorks Animation’s “Monsters vs. Aliens” collected the award for storyboarding.
Disney’s “Prep and Landing” won three trophies in the television category, including best animated TV program.
In all, awards were presented in 23 Annie categories in features, TV and commercials.