40th Annie Awards Wait What ? Hosts

In seems Natalie and I are too busy this week to do the podcast going over the animation for the Annie's, but we will be covering the award show Saturday. What are the Annie Awards? Well, if you've been following the site for the few years you would know they're animation awards. This is an award show for the field of cartoon makers for television, film and even video games. Since we won't be doing a podcast I'll be going over some of the nominees that gain my interests or maybe shoot some factoids or opinions on who was chosen.

First off, unlike the last few years the Annie's will have four hosts: movie reviewer Leonard Maltin, voice actors Rob Paulsen (Yakko, Animaniacs) & Maurice Lamarche (Brain, Pinky and the Brain) and Robot Chicken's Seth Green. Taking place  Saturday, February 2 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

Categories and nominees

 Best Animated Video Game

• Borderlands 2 – Gearbox Software
• Family Guy – Back to the Multiverse – Heavy Iron Studios
• Journey – Sony Computer Entertainment America
• Skullgirls – Lab Zero Games/Reverge Labs

Wow, it should be between Skullgirls and Journey. There were so many more nominees last year, it's kind of sad so few are in it this year. Family Guy has no right to be on this list other than being based on a cartoon. The reviews of this game have been so negative and just the way it looks compared to the others. Journey is simple beautiful, while Skullgirls strange animations and designs set it apart than a dog shooting a gun at cripples, which does haven in Family Guy. I do like sick humore, but that does compensate for the same old third person gameplay.

I will give that Borderlands 2 has it's own set style and created it's own story universe, but I can't say I could pick it apart from all the other titles happening in a post-apocalyptic world in video games.

Best Animated Feature 

I hope Wreck-It Ralph wins, it's my favorite of the nominees of 2012. A meta fun look at video games for a bad guy. I would hope Disney would make Sugar Rush a real game series, but with the layoffs there having in Disney Games I doubt it. There are some fairly bad films such as The Pirates! Band of Misfits up for this. It was such a poorly paced and thin story. The titles in Europe show the lack of story "The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!". Sad, because Ardman animation has done such great titles in the past.

Best Animated Short Subject

Paperman from Pixar should win. I don't know how Bill Plympton's Couch Gag can even be considered or any couch gag counts as a separate piece of animation from The Simpsons. Bill Plympton is a great animator, but not for this.

Best Animated Television Commercial

None? That's a bit sad, were there no new animated commercials?


 Best Animated Television Production For Children 

Adventure Time's Princess Cookie should win. This was such a different episode of Adventure Time as it became a story of a police stand off and Jake having Stockholm syndrome for a crazy cookie who is male, but wished to become Princess. I doubt, think it'll win just because Adventure Time has been nominated multiple times in different categories, but has never one once at the Annies

Outstanding Achievement, Animated Effects in a Live Action Production

Well, there was the Avengers and then...uhh Battleship

Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated Television or other Broadcast Venue Production

• Cole Sanchez, Rebecca Sugar ‘Adventure Time: Lady & Peebles’ – Cartoon Network Studios
• Irineo Maramba, Ciro Nieli ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: I Think His Name is Baxter Stockman’’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios
• Tom Herpich, Skyler Page ‘Adventure Time: Goliad’ – Cartoon Network Studios

I'd like it if anyone from Adventure Time won, but Goliad was a much stronger episode. Teenage Mutant Turtles is surprisingly well done for CGI.

 Outstanding Achievement, Voice Acting in an Animated Television or other Broadcast Venue Production

• James Patrick Stuart as Private ‘Penguins of Madagascar: High Moltage’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios
• Kristen Schaal as Mabel Pines ‘Gravity Falls: Tourist Trapped’ – Disney TV Animation

Patrick Stuart is coming to the show, so I think he's winning just for that reason. Kristen Schaal is my top pick for perfect annoying sister vibe in Gravity Falls

Outstanding Achievement, Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production

• Adam Sandler as Dracula ‘Hotel Transylvania’ – Sony Pictures Animation
• Alan Tudyk as King Candy ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ – Walt Disney Animation Studios

I just hope Adam Sandler doesn't win, really just a veteran voice actor should have voiced Dracula, but he funded the thing. Alan Tudyk did a great job and shows he can play quite different roles, did you know he was the voice of Sonny the robot in I, Robot?