The Annie Awards are the industry’s highest animation honors and their selections are typically good bellwethers for the Oscar race. That said, the top nominee of the year isn’t the Oscar frontrunner, so it might end up being one of those years where DreamWorks dominates and is ignored by the Academy.

ANNIE AWARDS

Best Animated Feature

Frozen II (RU:Thomas)
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (Thomas, RU:Wesley, RU:Peter)
Klaus
Missing Link (RU:Tripp)
Toy Story 4 (Wesley, Peter, Tripp)

Wesley Lovell: I’m going with the Oscar frontrunner, but I would not be at all surprised to see nomination leaders Frozen II or Missing Link win, but my money would be on How to Train Your Dragon to upset. Both of the prior entries in the series won at the Annies even though they both lost at the Oscars.
Peter J. Patrick: Toy Story 4 should win easily.
Tripp Burton: Toy Story 4 seems like the safest choice here, but I still have a hunch that Missing Link is coming on strong and could upset here.
Thomas LaTourette: Sequels have not always done well here, but I expect one to win. Missing Link is viewed as one of Laika’s weaker entries, so if their other films have not won this award, I do not expect it to. Klaus was seen by so few that I do not expect it to win either. Disney and Pixar have done better at the Annies lately, but I will predict How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World to win as both its predecessors did. If not, then perhaps Frozen II.

Best Animated Feature – Independent

Bunuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles (RU:Wesley)
I Lost My Body (Wesley, Peter, Tripp, Thomas)
Okko’s Inn
Promare
Weathering with You (RU:Peter, RU:Tripp, RU:Thomas)

Wesley Lovell: I Lost My Body benefits from being the only Oscar nominee, but I also wuldn’t be surprised to see either Bunuel or Weathering win.
Peter J. Patrick: This one’s a tough call, but I see I Lost My Body as a slight favorite over Weathering with You.
Tripp Burton: There is only one Oscar nominee here, so that is the safest bet.
Thomas LaTourette: I Lost My Body and Weathering with You got more total nominations than the others, so they seem most likely to win this award. I will give the edge to Body.

Best Animated Short Subject

Acid Rain (Peter, Tripp, RU:Wesley)
Don’t Know That
Je Sors Acheter des Cigarettes
Purpleboy (RU:Tripp, RU:Thomas)
Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days (Wesley, Thomas, RU:Peter)

Wesley Lovell: None of the Oscar nominees are here, so it’s going to be a challenge to predict. I’m guessing here.
Peter J. Patrick: A wild guess on my part.
Tripp Burton: I have no idea. This is a pure guess.
Thomas LaTourette: Uncle Thomas was short listed by the academy, so that is why I think it could win here. If not, then Purpleboy has the best title.

Best Animated Special Production

Guava Island – “Titles and Prologue” (Peter)
How to Train Your Dragon Homecoming (Wesley, Thomas)
Infinity Train – “The Perennial Child” (RU:Thomas)
SpongeBob SquarePants – “SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout” (RU:Wesley, RU:Peter)
Zog

Wesley Lovell: I have no idea what will win, so this is pure guesswork on my part.
Peter J. Patrick: Anyone’s guess.
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

Best Animated Effects

Abominable
Frozen II (Wesley, Thomas)
Missing Link (RU:Peter, RU:Thomas)
Toy Story 4 (RU:Wesley)
Weathering with You (Peter)

Wesley Lovell: I would guess that the lauded ice and water effects of Frozen II would win out here, but I could also see Missing Link or Toy Story win.
Peter J. Patrick: Just to shake things up.
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

Best Character Animation, Animated Feature

Frozen II – Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff, Sven (Peter, Tripp, RU:Thomas)
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – Toothless, Light Fury, Hiccup, Deathgrippers (Wesley, Thomas, RU:Peter)
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – Grimmel, Ruffnutt, Toothless, Light Fury, Hiccupy, Baby Furies
Klaus – Alva (RU:Tripp)
Missing Link – Multiple (RU:Wesley)

Wesley Lovell: The various dragons of How to Train Your Dragon would seem like good bets with this group, but don’t count out the extensive work Missing Link did in sculpting its 3D-printed figures.
Peter J. Patrick: Quite possible.
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

Best Character Animation, Live Action Feature

Alita: Battle Angel (Wesley, RU:Thomas)
Avengers: Endgame (Thomas, RU:Peter)
Game of Thrones – “The Long Night”
Pokemon Detecitve Pikachu (Peter, RU:Wesley)
Spider-Man: Far from Home

Wesley Lovell: I’m not really sure. Pokemon is the most similar to an animated movie while Alita and Avengers are more visual effects kinds of designs. I could almost see anything winning this one.
Peter J. Patrick: You never know.
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

Best Character Design

Abominable – All
The Addams Family – Multiple
Frozen II – Earth Giants, Mattias, King Runeard, Young Agnarr, Young Iduna, Gale, Ryder, Honeymaren, Soldier (Wesley, Peter, Thomas)
Klaus – All (RU:Wesley, RU:Peter, RU:Thomas)
Spies in Disguise – Killian, Katsu Kimura, Lance Pigeon

Wesley Lovell: The large number of characters designed for Frozen II look more inventive than any of the others. This category, though, is mostly guesswork.
Peter J. Patrick: The more, the merrier.
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

Best Directing

Frozen II – Chris Buck (Peter, Thomas)
I Lost My Body – Jeremy Clapin (Wesley, RU:Peter, RU:Tripp)
Klaus – Sergio Pablos
Missing link – Chris Butler (Tripp, RU:Wesley)
Weathering with You – Makoto Shinkai (RU:Thomas)

Wesley Lovell: Toy Story 4 and How to Train Your Dragon aren’t nominated, so either the creativity of I Lost My Body will win out or nominations leaders Frozen II or Missing Link will win out.
Peter J. Patrick: This one’s a tough call.
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

Best Music

Away – Gints Zilbalodis
Frozen II – Christopher Beck, Frode Fjellheim, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez (Thomas, RU:Wesley, RU:Peter)
I Lost My Body – Dan Levy (Tripp)
Spies in Disguise – Mark Ronson, Theodore Shapiro
Toy Story 4 – Randy Newman (Wesley, Peter, RU:Tripp, RU:Thomas)

Wesley Lovell: Randy Newman is Oscar-nominated albeit for a different film. So too are songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. It’s possible that either could win or could each be spoiled by I Lost My Body with a well received score.
Peter J. Patrick: Go, Randy.
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

Best Production Design

Abominable
The Addams Family (RU:Peter)
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (Wesley, Peter, Thomas, RU:Tripp)
Klaus
Missing Link (Tripp, RU:Wesley, RU:Thomas)

Wesley Lovell: There’s a lot of design work that went into How to Train Your Dragon‘s expansive design, so I suspect it could win, but never count out films like Missing Link.
Peter J. Patrick: The more intricate the better.
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

Best Storyboarding

I Lost My Body – Julien Bisaro (Peter)
I Lost My Body – Jeremy Clapin (RU:Peter)
Klaus – Sergio Pablos
Missing Link – Julian Narino (Wesley, Tripp, Thomas)
Missing Link – Olivier Thomas (RU:Wesley, RU:Tripp, RU:Thomas)

Wesley Lovell: I almost never know with this category as we most often don’t have access to the storyboards these artists did, so these are pure guesses.
Peter J. Patrick: I have no idea who storyboarded what, hopefully the voters do.
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

Best Voice Acting

Abominable – Tenzing Norgay Trainor
Frozen II – Josh Gad (Thomas, RU:Peter, RU:Tripp)
Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus – Richard Horvitz
The Secret Life of Pets 2 – Jenny Slate (Wesley)
Toy Story 4 – Tony Hale (Peter, Tripp, RU:Wesley, RU:Thomas)

Wesley Lovell: I’m going out on a limb to pick Jenny Slate because she’s been in voice acting for quite some time, which might give her an edge with this group. That said, Tony Hale and Josh Gad could also win as could Richard Horvitz.
Peter J. Patrick: Will go to the most noticeable.
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

Best Writing

Frozen II (RU:Thomas)
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (Thomas)
I Lost My Body (Tripp, RU:Wesley, RU:Peter)
Toy Story 4 (Wesley, RU:Tripp)
Weathering with You (Peter)

Wesley Lovell: Toy Story 4 is the likely Best Animated Feature winner, but I Lost My Body is the most original of all of the ideas here.
Peter J. Patrick: Will go to the most innovative.
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

Best Editing

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (Thomas, RU:Wesley)
Klaus (RU:Peter)
Missing Link (RU:Tripp)
The Secret Life of Pets 2
Toy Story 4 (Wesley, Peter, Tripp, RU:Thomas)

Wesley Lovell: When everything is said and done, go with the film leading the competition, but never count out anything else.
Peter J. Patrick: Toy Story 4 is probably unbeatable here.
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)