LOS ANGELES, CA — Paramount Pictures' "Rango" took top honors as the Best Animated Feature at the 39th Annual Annie Awards, Saturday, February 4, at UCLA's Royce Hall. With the expanded list of categories from 25 to 28, and the addition of two new categories — Editing and Best Animated Special Production — this year's show honored more nominees than in the past. The newly created Member's Favorite award voted on by the entire ASIFA-Hollywood community also went to "Rango."

Newcomer Minkyu Lee's "Adam and Dog" won for Best Short Subject while Psyop's Twinings "Sea" was selected Best Television Commercial. "The Simpsons" took Best Animated TV Production and Shadow Planet Production's "Insanely Twisted" was selected as Best Video Game. 



"This was a great evening, with a lot of fun and surprises," said ASIFA-Hollywood President Frank Gladstone. "Annies went to a huge variety of individuals and studios. This goes directly to ASIFA-Hollywood's vision of celebrating the best in animation across project, studio and geographic boundaries."

Actor and comedian Patton Oswalt's hosting duties kept the show moving at a lively pace. He was joined on stage by animation luminaries, celebrity presenters and comedic talent including animation legend June Foray, J.K. Simmons, Judy Greer, Zachary Levi, Peter Baynham, Mace Heufeld, Weird Al Yankovic, Bruce Boxleitner, Ahmed Best, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Jim Cummings, Phil Lamarr, Diedrich Bader, Daran Norris, Tara Strong, Kelly Stables, Dee Bradley Baker, Nika Futterman, Ariel Winter, Logan Grove, James Hong, Brian Posehn, Greg & Evan Spiridellis and Jim Meskimen (Jib Jab), Bridgit Mendler, Brittany Snow, Jason Marsden and Joe Letteri.

Honored with the Winsor McCay award were Walt Peregoy, Borge Ring and the late Ronald Searle. The Winsor McCay Award stands as one of the highest honors given to an individual in the animation industry in recognition for career contributions to the art of animation.

Art Leonardi was honored with the June Foray award which is presented to an individual who has given significant and benevolent contributions to the art and industry of animation.

Often a predictor of the annual Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, the Annie Awards honor overall excellence as well as individual achievement in a total of 28 categories ranging from best feature, production design, character animation, and effects animation to storyboarding, writing, music, editing and voice acting. Entries submitted for consideration were from productions that originally aired, were exhibited in an animation festival or commercially released between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011.

ASIFA-Hollywood is the world's first and foremost professional organization dedicated to promoting the Art of Animation and celebrating the people who create it. Today, ASIFA-Hollywood, the largest chapter of the international organization ASIFA, supports a range of animation activities and preservation efforts through its membership. Current initiatives include the Animation Archive, animation film preservation, special events, classes and screenings.

ANNIE AWARDS 2012 WINNERS

Best Animated Feature
"Rango" - Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink/GK Films Production

Best Animated Special Production
"Kung Fu Panda - Secrets of the Masters" - Nickeloden and DreamWorks Animation

Best Animated Short Subject
"Adam and Dog" - Minkyu Lee

Best Animated Television Commercial
Twinings "Sea" - Psyop

Best General Audience Animated TV Production
"The Simpsons" - Gracie Films

Best Animated Television Production - Preschool
"Disney Jake and the Never Land Pirates" - Disney Television Animation

Best Animated Television Production - Children
"The Amazing World of Gumball" - Cartoon Network in Association with Dandelion Studios, Boulder Media & Studio Soi

Best Animated Videogame
"Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet "- Shadow Planet Prods., Gagne/Fuelcell

Animated Effects in an Animated Production
Kevin Romond - "The Adventures of Tintin," Amblin Entertainment, Wingnut Films and Kennedy/Marshall

Animated Effects in a Live-Action Production
Florent Andorra - "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," Industrial Light & Magic

Character Animation in a Television Production
Tony Smeed - "Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice"

Character Animation in a Feature Production
Jeff Gabor - "Rio," Blue Sky Studios

Character Animation in a Live-Action Production
Eric Reynolds - "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," 20th Century Fox

Character Design in a Television Production
Bill Schwab - "Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice "

Character Design in a Feature Production
Mark "Crash" McCreery - "Rango"

Directing in a Television Production
Matthew Nastuk - "The Simpsons"

Directing in a Feature Production
Jennifer Yuh Nelson - "Kung Fu Panda 2," DreamWorks Animation

Music in a Television Production
Grace Potter, Michael Giacchino - "Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice"

Music in a Feature Production
John Williams - "The Adventures of Tintin"

Production Design in a Television Production
Mark Bodnar, Chris Tsirgiotis, Sue Mondt and Daniel Elson - "Secret Mountain Fort Awesome," Cartoon Network Studios

Production Design in a Feature Production
Raymond Zilbach - "Kung Fu Panda 2"

Storyboarding in a Television Production
Brian Kesinger - "Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice"

Storyboarding in a Feature Production
Jeremy Spears - "Winnie the Pooh," Walt Disney Animation Studios

Voice Acting in a Television Production
Jeff Bennett as Kowalski - "Penguins of Madagascar," Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation

Voice Acting in a Feature Production
Bill Nighy as Grandsanta - "Arthur Christmas," Sony Pictures Animation, Aardman Animations

Writing in a Television Production
Carolyn Omine - "The Simpsons - Treehouse of Horror XXII"

Writing in a Feature Production
John Logan, Gore Verbinski and James Byrkit - "Rango"

Editing in Television Production
Ted Machold, Jeff Adams, Doug Tiano, Bob Tomlin - "Penguins of Madagascar," Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation

Editing in a Feature Production
Craig Wood, A.C.E. - "Rango"


JURIED AWARDS

Winsor McCay Award
Walt Peregoy, Borge Ring, Ronald Searle

June Foray
Art Leonardi

Special Achievement
Depth Analysis