ASIFA-Hollywood has announced the recipients of the juried awards for the 48th annual Annie Awards™. The Winsor McCay, June Foray, Ub Iwerks and Special Achievement Awards each recognize a different influence on the art and industry of animation.
Honored for career contributions, this year’s Winsor McCay recipients include Willie Ito, whose storied career spanned Disney, Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera. Bruce W. Smith will also receive a Winsor McKay for his influential work on projects such as the Oscar award-winning short film Hair Love and the television series The Proud Family. A posthumous Winsor McCay will go to Sue Nichols, whose groundbreaking work in visual development at Disney influenced classics including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and Mulan.
For his fundraising, Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi will receive the June Foray Award for significant benevolent or charitable impact. Tsutsumi’s efforts have included the initiation of the Totoro Forest Project to raise money for preservation of Sayama “Totoro” Forest outside Tokyo, where the concept for My Neighbor Totoro was born. In addition, the Ub Iwerks Award for technological advancement will to go Epic Games for Unreal Engine, and the Special Achievement Award recognizing unique and significant impact will be presented to the documentary Howard, about the late Howard Ashman who co-penned lyrics for Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast.
The 48th Annual Annie Awards™ will be held virtually on April 16, 2021. For more information, go to the Annie Awards™ website.
