Mike Fleming

The nominations are out for the 39th annual Annie Awards, which will be awarded February 4 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Here are the contenders for Best Animated Feature: A Cat In Paris, Arrugas (Wrinkles), Arthur Christmas, Cars 2, Chico & Rita, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss In Boots, Rango, Rio, and The Adventures Of Tintin. The Annies are put on by the international animated-film society ASIFA-Hollywood and span 28 categories (for the complete list of nominees, click here). “We are really excited about the expanded list of nominations this year,” said Frank Gladstone, president, ASIFA-Hollywood. “All of the major animation studios are represented, as are some of the independent productions from Europe and South America. This certainly is a testament to the wide reach and appeal of animation and the people who create it.” The group also will bestow the Winsor McCay Award to Walt Peregoy, Borge Ring and Robert Searle for career contributions; the June Foray Award to Art Leonardi for significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation; and a Special Achievement Award to tech company Depth Analysis.