Annie Awards Winners – Updated in Real Time
Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters leads the nominations at this year’s Annie Awards with a total of ten, tying with Pixar’s Elio. Disney Animation Studios’ Zootopia 2 and Gkids’ Little Amélie or the Character of Rain follow closely behind with five nominations each.
The evening kicked off with KPop Demon Hunters securing the award for Best Production Design – Feature. Netflix’s Love, Death + Robots received the first honor for television, marking its ninth Annie and adding to its impressive collection of 17 Emmys.
Since the inception of the Best Animated Feature Oscar category in 2002, 14 out of the 23 recipients of the Annie Awards’ Best Feature prize, including seven of the last 13, have gone on to win the Oscar. However, last year marked a departure from this pattern, as the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was awarded to Flow, which overshadowed The Wild Robot, a seven-time Annie nominee. Notably, Flow did win the Annie for Best Independent Feature in February, alongside Best Writing.
This year’s first Juried Award, the June Foray Award, was presented to Sandy Rabins, a notable producer in both animation and live-action, as well as the founder of AnimAID, an initiative providing assistance to those in the animation sector impacted by the L.A. Wildfires. The effort has raised over $600,000 to date. This award, named after the founder of the Annie Awards, honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the animation community.
LightBox Expo received ASIFA-Hollywood’s Special Achievement Award, recognizing its role in connecting filmmakers with animation students and fans at its annual event.
Earlier this year, ASIFA-Hollywood also announced the Animation Educators’ Forum Hall of Fame Class of 2026, which includes renowned figures such as Elmer Plummer, Doug Crane, Harry Love, Harold Whitaker, and Nancy Beiman.
Founded in 1972 by veteran voice actor June Foray, the Annie Awards celebrate the top talent in the animation industry. Below are the winners from the 2026 Annie Awards thus far, along with the nominees:
Winners
BEST SPONSORED
Olipop Yeti
Screen Novelties & Passion Pictures
BEST SPECIAL PRODUCTION
Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical
WildBrain Studios in association with Apple
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – FEATURE
KPop Demon Hunters
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Helen Chen, Dave Bleich, Wendell Dalit, Scott Watanabe, Celine Kim
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – TV/MEDIA
Love, Death + Robots
Episode: How Zeke Got Religion
Blur Studio for Netflix
BEST SHORT SUBJECT
Snow Bear
The Art of Aaron Blaise
BEST STUDENT FILM
A Sparrow’s Song
Student director: Tobias Eckerlin
Student producer: Tobias Eckerlin
School: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH
JURIED AWARDS
Winsor McCay Award
Michaël Dudok de Wit
Christopher Miller and Phil Lord
Chris Sanders
June Foray Award
Sandy Rabins
Ub Iwerks Award
Wacom
Special Achievement Award
LightBox Expo
ASIFA-Hollywood Merit Award
Jeffrey New
Haley Mirren Douthit
Nominees
BEST FEATURE
Elio
Pixar Animation Studios
KPop Demon Hunters
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Maybe Movies, Ikki Films, Distributed by Gkids
The Bad Guys 2
DreamWorks Animation
Zootopia 2
Walt Disney Animation Studios
BEST FEATURE – INDEPENDENT
A Magnificent Life
Mediawan, What the Prod and Bidibul productions
Arco
Remembers, MountainA France, France 3 Cinéma
I’m Frankelda
Cinema Fantasma, Warner Bros. Discovery, Woo Films, Cine Vendaval
Lost In Starlight
Netflix / Climax Studio
Scarlet
Studio CHIZU
BEST TV/MEDIA – PRESCHOOL
Eva The Owlet
Episode: Welcome to Treetopington
Brown Bag Films / Scholastic Entertainment in association with Apple
Kindergarten: The Musical!
Episode: Gotta Go!
Oddbot Entertainment, Disney Branded Television
The Tiny Chef Show
Episode: Tiny Chef’s Spooky Stump Spectacular
Imagine Entertainment, Tiny Chef Productions and Nickelodeon Productions
Wow Lisa
Episode: Rainy Day
Punkrobot
Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum
Episode: I am Jackie Robinson
9 Story Media Group, Brown Bag Films
BEST TV/MEDIA – CHILDREN
My Melody & Kuromi
Episode: All For Our Best Friend
Sanrio Company for Netflix
Spice Frontier: Escape From Veltegar
Episode: 1
Steamroller Animation
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Episode: Rise of the Night Ninja
Nickelodeon Animation Studios and PointGrey Pictures
The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball
Episode: The Rewrite
Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe
Wylde Pak
Episode: Sungandeul
Nickelodeon Animation Studios / Jam Filled Entertainment
BEST TV/MEDIA – MATURE
Bob’s Burgers
Episode: Grand Pre-Pre-Pre Opening
20th TV
Common Side Effects
Episode: Pilot
Green Street Pictures, Bandera Entertainment and Williams Street Productions
Haha, You Clowns
Episode: 107 – Duncan Holds a Baby
Williams Street
Il Baracchino
Episode: Claudia entra in un caffè
Luckyred, Megadrago
South Park
Episode: Sermon on the ‘Mount
Comedy Central LLC
BEST TV/MEDIA – LIMITED SERIES
Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight
Episode: Episode III
Netflix / Banijay Productions France / Légende Films
Eyes of Wakanda
Episode: Into The Lion’s Den
Marvel Studios
Marvel Zombies
Episode: 2
Marvel Studios
Star Wars: Visions – Volume 3
Episode: BLACK
david production
Win Or Lose
Episode: Episode 8: Home
Pixar Animation Studios
BEST FX – TV/MEDIA
Marvel Zombies
Episode: Episode 4
Production Company: Marvel Animation
FX Production Company: Stellar Creative Lab, Inc.
Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age
Episode: The Big Freeze
Production Company: BBC Studios Natural History Unit
FX Production Company: Framestore
Spice Frontier
Episode: 1
Production Company: Steamroller Animation
Star Wars: Visions – Volume 3
Episode: The Bird of Paradise
Production Company: Polygon Pictures
WONDLA
Episode: Lost
Production Company: Skydance Animation
BEST FX – FEATURE
Elio
Production Company: Pixar Animation Studios
KPop Demon Hunters
Production Company: Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
The Bad Guys 2
Production Company: DreamWorks Animation
Zootopia 2
Production Company: Walt Disney Animation Studios
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – TV/MEDIA
Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight
Episode: Episode III
Forevergreen Special Production
Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical
Special Production
The Simpsons
Various Episodes
Win Or Lose
Various Episodes
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – FEATURE
Elio
Pixar Animation Studios
KPop Demon Hunters
Sony Pictures Animation, Netflix
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Maybe Movies, Ikki Films, Distributed by Gkids
The Bad Guys 2
DreamWorks Animation
Zootopia 2
Walt Disney Animation Studios
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – LIVE ACTION
A Minecraft Movie
Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Mojang Studios, Vertigo Entertainment, On the Roam
How To Train Your Dragon
Production Company: DreamWorks Animation
Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age
Production Company: BBC Studios Natural History Unit
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – VIDEO GAME
Bye Sweet Carole
Little Sewing Machine
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Kojima Productions
Ghost of Yōtei
Sucker Punch Productions
Keeper
Double Fine Productions
South of Midnight
Compulsion Games
BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – TV/MEDIA
Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight
Episode: Episode IV
Bat-Fam
Episode: A Knight at the Movies
Love, Death + Robots
Episode: 400 Boys
Wednesdays with Gramps
Short Film
Win Or Lose
Episode: Episode 8, Home
BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – FEATURE
Elio
Fixed
KPop Demon Hunters
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants
The Twits
BEST DIRECTION – TV/MEDIA
Common Side Effects
DAN DA DAN
Not a Box
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Quinta’s Ghost
BEST DIRECTION – FEATURE
Arco
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Scarlet
BEST MUSIC – TV/MEDIA
Common Side Effects
Devil May Cry
Éiru
Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical
Win Or Lose
BEST MUSIC – FEATURE
Arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2
BEST STORYBOARDING – TV/MEDIA
Love, Death + Robots
ParaNorman: The Thrifting Special Production
Snow Bear
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Win Or Lose
BEST STORYBOARDING – FEATURE
Arco
Elio
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
The Bad Guys 2
Zootopia 2
BEST VOICE ACTING – TV/MEDIA
Bob’s Burgers
Hazbin Hotel
Long Story Short
Smiling Friends
The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball
BEST VOICE ACTING – FEATURE
Dog Man
Elio
In Your Dreams
KPop Demon Hunters
The Twits
BEST WRITING – TV/MEDIA
#1 Happy Family USA
Adult Swim’s The Elephant
Common Side Effects
Lulu is a Rhinoceros
Win Or Lose
BEST WRITING – FEATURE
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Scarlet
Zootopia 2
BEST EDITORIAL – TV/MEDIA
Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight
Common Side Effects
Haunted Hotel
Invincible S3
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Deathwatch
BEST EDITORIAL – FEATURE
Arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Olivia & las Nubes
