LOS ANGELES— Think about a big homecoming football game featuring cross-town rivals. And then only one team shows up. Kinda makes for a lopsided victory, right?
Something similar happened Saturday night as DreamWorks Animation walked away with 15 trophies at the 38th Annual Annie Awards, including best animated feature (“How to Train Your Dragon”) and best animated television production (a “Kung Fu Panda” holiday special). Walt Disney Animation Studios and its corporate sibling, Pixar Animation Studios, won just one, as Pixar’s “Day & Night” took best short.
Here’s the back story: Disney-Pixar said in August that it would no longer participate in the Annies, essentially meaning that the dominant force in animation these days wouldn’t buy tables at the ceremony anymore. (In recent years, as many as 100 Disney-Pixar folks have attended en masse.) The reason? It’s a long story, but essentially the two companies think the Annies, presented by the International Animated Film Society, are a sloppily run contest.
At the time, Antran Manoogian, the president of the guild, told Variety, “The Annies are about honoring the best in animation, and we will continue to do so.” Which is kind of hilarious considering that “Toy Story 3,” which has taken almost every animation prize possible this season, was blanked on Saturday night.
The Annies people put out a press release late Saturday declaring that their shindig is “often a predictor of the annual Academy Award for best animated feature.” With no offense to “How to Train Your Dragon” — a delightful film we’ve watched twice (and we don’t even have kids) — the money stays on “Toy Story 3.”
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