April 16, 2021. The 48th ceremony of the Annie Awards was held in Los Angeles, California, to honor the best achievements in the world of animation in 2020. Due to the pandemic, the ceremony was held as a virtual event. Apple had one major contender this year, the movie Wolfwalkers, which collected a total of 10 nominations and actually won big, earning Apple its first Annie Awards ever!
Wolfwalkers is an adventure film directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, who also wrote the story on which Will Collins’ screenplay was based on. The film premiered during the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival and has since received critical acclaim, becoming one of the best-reviewed animated movies of 2020. It won numerous awards and has received even more nominations, including a nomination for an Academy Award.
At the 48th Annies, the film has received a total of ten nominations:
Best Animated Feature — Independent, Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in an Animated Production, Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in an Animated Feature Production, Outstanding Achievement for Character Design in an Animated Feature Production, Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production, Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature Production, Outstanding Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Feature Production, Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production, Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production, and Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production.
With a total of ten nominations, Wolfwalkers was tied with Disney’s Soul, who was also the record-winner of the night with seven awards. But, Wolfwalkers also won big, winning a total of five Annie Awards! The movie won in the following categories:
- Best Animated Feature — Independent
- Outstanding Achievement for Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
- Outstanding Achievement for Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
- Outstanding Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
- Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production.
There is no doubt that this is a major success for Apple, which is slowly becoming a major player in the film industry!