Full Coverage: 2010 Annie Awards Ceremony

This article was originally posted 1.03.2010 and has since been revised and updated as new details have become available.

Presented by the International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, the 37th Annual Annie Awards were held on Saturday, February 6, 2010, at UCLA’s Royce Hall, in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony will also be webcast on AnnieAwards.org beginning Tuesday, Feb. 9th.

Following are the nominees and winners for the voice acting-related categories:

~ Voice Acting in a Television Production ~

Tom Kenny accepting his award. (Photo courtesy Carol Wyatt)

– Danny Jacobs, Voice of King Julien: “Merry Madagascar”: DreamWorks Animation

– Nicky Jones, Voice of Chowder: “Chowder: The Dinner Theatre'”: Cartoon Network Studios

* WINNER: Tom Kenny, Voice of SpongeBob: “SpongeBob SquarePants: Truth or Square”: Nickelodeon

– Dwight Schultz, Voice of Mung Daal: “Chowder:The Party Cruise”: Cartoon Network Studios

– Willow Smith, Voice of Abby: “Merry Madagascar”: DreamWorks Animation

~ Voice Acting in a Feature Production ~

* WINNER: Jen Cody, Voice of Charlotte: “The Princess and the Frog”: Walt Disney Animation Studios

– Dawn French, Voice of Miss Forcible: “Coraline”: Laika

– Hugh Laurie, Voice of Dr. Cockroach Ph.D.: “Monsters vs. Aliens”: DreamWorks Animation

– John Leguizamo, Voice of Sid: “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur”: Blue Sky Studios

– Jennifer Lewis, Voice of Mama Odie: “The Princess and the Frog”: Walt Disney Animation Studios

The highest honor of the night went to Pixar/Disney’s Up for “Best Animated Feature,” which won another award for “Directing in a Feature Production.”

Futurama: Into The Wild Green Yonder won for “Best Home Entertainment Production,” and Robot Chicken: Star Wars 2.5 was the winner for “Best Animated Short Subject.”

Disney’s Prep and Landing won “Best Animated Television Production” and 3 additional awards, while The Penguins of Madagascar won for the “Best Animated Television Production for Children.”

Producer/animator/artist Bruce Timm was one of three recipients of the prestigious Winsor McCay Award. Timm has also voiced incidental characters and performed background walla for the many DC Comics animated properties with which he’s been involved.

My hearty congratulations to all the winners and nominees.

William Shatner hosting (photo courtesy Carol Wyatt)

William Shatner served as host for the event (previously reported here), and presenters included June Foray, Seth Green, John Leguizamo, Sean Astin, Pete Docter, Ed Catmull and Henry Selick. Disney’s Don Hahn also introduced a special tribute to the late Roy Disney.

Please visit AnnieAwards.org for the complete list of winners.

I will be adding more photos and video from the event over the next week, but in the meantime here’s a video from the 2009 Annie Awards featuring voice actors James Hong, Brad Garrett and Pat Fraley (via ActorsReporter.com):

Update: 2.08.2010, 3:05 AM (EST) — My friend and fellow voice actor fan Matt Dunford had the privilege of attending the Annies and provided the following report:

It was great show. But I really don’t think that Shatner was anywhere near as good as Tom Kenny has been for the past 5 years. But the highlight of the evening was Shatner totally botching the pronunciation of John Leguizamo and the running gag it prompted for the rest of the evening.

[Besides the aforementioned presenters], John DiMaggio and Fred Tatasciore presented an award together. Later on Bill Farmer, Tony Anselmo, and Russi Taylor went on stage and presented an award and also gave a marvelous tribute to Wayne Allwine. It was wonderful, Russi was so thankful to everyone there as she was holding back tears, yet the trio still gave a wonderful performance.

And for VAs in the audience I ran into Dana Snyder from [Aqua Teen Hunger Force], and Michael-Leon Wooley [Princess and the Frog]. Wooley was…very smiley and laughing all the time.

Other comments on the Annie Awards ceremony via Cartoon Brew:

From Floyd Norman: “William Shatner was a terrific host. Plus, he really moved the show along nicely, making the most out of every comic opportunity. I’d gladly have him back at the helm for another awards ceremony.”

From Floyd Bishop: “I thought the show was great, even from the nosebleed seats. The Tom [Kenny]/William Shatner voice swap skit was funny, and as Floyd Norman mentioned, Mr Shatner did a great job of keeping the show moving. It didn’t feel as long as it was.”

Update: 2.09.2010, 5:00 AM (EST) — The first few minutes of AnimationArchive.org’s podcast includes an “Annies Wrap Up.”

Seth Green fan blog “Freakin’ Awesome!” has posted photos collected from around the web of Green’s appearance at the Annie Awards here and here.

I also have a full gallery of photos courtesy of artist Carol Wyatt of Carol Wyatt Illustration (Thanks again, Carol!):

And if anyone from ASIFA-Hollywood happens to be reading this, I would like to submit Richard Horvitz as host for the 38th Annual Annie Awards, provided that Tom Kenny is not available again. I’ve observed Horvitz for a few convention panel presentations and he’s naturally funny, quick-witted, great with people and presents himself professionally as well. He also has ample experience as a speaker since he teaches voice acting workshops which come highly-recommended.

While I’m sure having a celebrity guest host helped boost the Annies’ media exposure, wouldn’t you really rather have the host represent someone who genuinely works in your own industry?

Added: 2.08.2010, 3:39 AM (EST) — 2010 Annie Awards videos from the red carpet event:

– Lacey Chabert (The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Wild Thornberrys, and the original voice of Meg Griffin on Family Guy):

– John Leguizamo (Ice Age film series):

– Russi Taylor (Minnie Mouse):

– Tony Anselmo and Bill Farmer (Donald and Goofy, respectively):

– Jennifer Lewis (Princess and the Frog):

– Michael-Leon Wooley (Princess and the Frog):

– Jennifer Cody (Princess and the Frog):

…and Cody receiving her Annie Award:

– Nicky Jones (Chowder)

– Seth Green (Robot Chicken, Family Guy)

– Tom Kenny vs William Shatner: Battle for the Host!
…also includes Seth Green presenting the award for “Best Home Entertainment Production” (and a brief appearance by John Di Maggio)

A very special thanks to Matt Dunford for providing the event report, to artist Carol Wyatt of Carol Wyatt Illustration / Carol’s Couch for all the photos, and to Doreen Mulman for the heads-up on Carol’s photos.
I’d also like to thank the Academy…

Additional sources: NewsroomAmerica.com and Celebrity2Celebrity.com.

Related posts:
– 1.26.2010 — William Shatner to Host Annie Awards
– 12.17.2009 — Golden Globes Nominees Announced

Celebrity Voice Acting Round-Up 2

Because my previous report on celebrity voice acting turned out to be so popular on this blog, I may just have to do this on a regular basis.

Here’s another summary of “celebrity” voice acting news:

– Victoria Beckham, aka “Posh Spice,” will guest star as a princess in an upcoming episode of SpongeBob Squarepants. Mirror.co.uk reports:

Posh, 34, recorded the voice-over late last year in LA. She was persuaded to take the part by youngest son Cruz, four – who is a huge fan of Spongebob.

And her performance impressed Nickelodeon bosses so much, the former Spice Girl is being lined up for more voice-over work.

A source said: “Victoria was a complete pro and finished all her takes in a day.

“She isn’t interested in becoming an actress, but voice-over work is something that appealed. She joked that she could simply rock up to the studios in a trackie and no make-up and no one would ever know.

“Scriptwriters created the role of a posh British princess especially for her and were blown away by what a natural she was. Victoria enjoyed every minute and is keen to do more. Network bosses have been in touch since, offering more work – she really does have her pick of projects.”

– Variety reports that Tobin Bell will likely reprise his role as the voice of Jigsaw for an upcoming video game from Konami based on the Saw film franchise.

– Just Jared reports: “Beyoncé will make her voiceover debut in Nickelodeon’s Wow, Wow, Wubbzy, providing the voice for Shine, lead singer of a girl group.

– Just in case you missed the most recent trailer for Pixar/Disney’s Up (opening in theaters May 29th, 2009) you can view it on the official site. The voice cast includes Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, Christopher Plummer, Paul Eiding, and John Ratzenberger.

– 20th Century Fox’s Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is releasing July 4th 2009. Most of the main cast members from the previous films are reprising their roles: Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Josh Peck, Seann William Scott, and Chris Wedge. Joining the cast is Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Run Fatboy Run) and child actors Joey King and Atticus Shaffer.

– Disney’s live-action/talking animal family feature G-Force (definitely NOT to be confused with the classic anime series of the same name) opens July 24th, featuring the voices of Nicolas Cage (Speckles the mole), Penelope Cruz (Juarez the guinea pig), Sam Rockwell (Darwin), Tracy Morgan (Blaster the guinea pig), and Steve Buscemi (Bucky the hamster). Will Arnett, who does quite a bit of voice acting work, has a supporting live-action role in the film.

– 411 Mania has an op-ed on celebrity involvement in video games. Nothing new, but it’s interesting to see a gamer’s POV on the subject. (Just be advised that the article linked contains adult language.)

– Another op-ed piece on celebrity voice acting: When an Oscar talks, it sounds like these actors [TampaBay.com]

– The September 18th release of Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs features the voices of SNL alums Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, and Tracy Morgan, as well as Anna Faris (The House Bunny, Scary Movie series), James Caan (The Godfather, Las Vegas), Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead series), and Mr. T (The A-Team). [While I may not always support celebrity voice casting, having Bruce Campbell and Mr. T voicing characters in the same movie is just so unbelievably full of win.]

– The February release of THQ’s Deadly Creatures for the Nintendo Wii features the voices of Dennis Hopper and Billy Bob Thornton.

– Yahoo Movies has a new trailer for the computer-animated feature film Astro Boy, due in theaters October 23, 2009. It features the voice talents of Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage [sensing a trend here? -Ed.], Kristen Bell, Nathan Lane, Matt Lucas, Eugene Levy, Donald Sutherland, and Bill Nighy.

– From a Nickelodeon press release for Glenn Martin, DDS, this summer’s first Nick-at-Nite animated series for adults:

A star-studded voice-over cast featuring Kevin Nealon (Weeds, Anger Management), Catherine O’Hara (For Your Consideration, Chicken Little) and Judy Greer (27 Dresses, Arrested Development) has been tapped for Nick at Nite’s upcoming stop-motion animated comedy, Glenn Martin, DDS set to premiere this Summer. The first television production to come from Michael Eisner’s Tornante Animation, Glenn Martin, DDS follows a beleaguered dentist and his family trading in the suburbs for life on the road. Crisscrossing the country, the Martins are beset by an array of colorful locals and crazy situations in locations ranging from Las Vegas to Amish Country. Many of the characters they encounter are voiced by enough instantly recognizable guest stars to fill a parking lot of RVs, including: Chrissie Hynde, Betty White, Gene Simmons, Wendie Malick and more.

Each of season one’s 20 episodes follows the life of Glenn Martin (Kevin Nealon), who yearns for a change of scenery and a deeper connection with his family. Determined to bring the family closer together, Glenn takes the Martins on a road trip to protest the destruction of a beloved childhood park. As things unravel right from the get-go, the family is forced to make the dental-mobile – replete with a giant decorative toothbrush on the roof – their new home. Glenn, Jackie and Courtney (Jackie Clarke) – an 11-year-old future corporate maven who brings along her personal assistant, Wendy (Judy Greer), a 14-year-old North Korean exile – and son, Conor (Peter Oldring), the 13-year-old hormone-addled tween who’s not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed–quickly learn when hitting the road that the road can sometimes hit back in unexpected ways. The Martins are accompanied on their journey by the family dog, Canine, who’s pronounced buttocks only add to the hilarity.

– The release date for Disney’s traditional, 2D animated musical, The Princess and the Frog, has been bumped up to December 11th, 2009. It includes the voice talents talents of Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls), Broadway singer Jennifer Cody, Keith David (Gargoyles), Jenifer Lewis (The PJs), John Goodman (The Emperor’s New Groove), Bruno Campos (Nip/Tuck), Oprah Winfrey, and VA fan favorite Jim Cummings.

– While watching VH1’s “Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80’s” this past week, I was very surprised to hear that musician Billy Vera (whose heart-wrenching ballad “At This Moment” was a #1 radio hit in 1986) has also had a successful career as a voice-over artist. A quick Google search later, and I recognized him as the image voice for a recent Burger King ad campaign via his demos on SBVTalentAgency.com.

– Although it’s not due in theaters until 2011, there’s already been a lot of buzz about the computer-animated action-adventure, The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, which is being planned as a trilogy. Steven Spielberg is directing and John Williams is scoring the film. The cast appears to be made up entirely of Britains: Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot), Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead), Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), Daniel Craig (007: Quantum of Solace), Tony Curran (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings), Mackenzie Crook (Pirates of the Caribbean), and several others.

Previous reports: 3.31.2009 — Celebrity Voice Acting Round-Up (yee-hah.)
3.20.2009 — Forbes Ranks Animation’s A-List Actors