‘Coco’, Pixar’s colorful journey through the Land of the Dead, swept the 45th Annie Awards on Saturday, winning in every category in which it was nominated, picking up 11 trophies overall, including best animated feature. The animation also won prizes for direction (Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina), voice acting (Anthony Gonzalez), animated effects, character animation, character design, music, production design, storyboarding, writing and editorial, Variety reported. Coming on the heels its Golden Globe win for animated feature, the Annies victory cements Coco’s position as the frontrunner in the category for the Oscars. The Annie Award is an American award for accomplishments in animation. The Annies have been presented by the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972. Cartoon Saloon’s ‘The Breadwinner’ was named best animated feature - independent, and will go up against ‘Coco’ for the Academy prize on March 4. Lakers star Kobe Bryant and veteran animator Glen Keane’s ‘Dear Basketball’ won the Annie for short subject, giving it an edge as well on Oscar night in the animated short category. ‘Revolting Rhymes’, Magic Light Pictures’ adaptation of Roald Dahl’s reimagining of classic fairy tales, picked up the prize for best animated special production. The short film will go up against ‘Dear Basketball’ in the animated short category at the Oscars.
