Los Angeles, CA – The 53rd Annual Annie Awards unfolded on the evening of February 21, 2026, at UCLA’s Royce Hall, celebrating the finest achievements in animation across film, television, and emerging media. Hosted by the International Animated Film Society (ASIFA-Hollywood), the ceremony recognized excellence in 32 categories, with Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters emerging as an early frontrunner by securing multiple high-profile wins. The Sony Pictures Animation production for Netflix entered the night with 10 nominations, tying with Pixar’s Elio for the most, and wasted no time in claiming the first prize of the evening for Production Design.
According to Deadline’s live updates from the event, KPop Demon Hunters also took home the award for Best Music in Feature, a category where its soundtrack has reportedly been streamed 11 billion times worldwide. "The film’s soundtrack has been streamed 11 billion times (with a capital B)," noted the coverage, underscoring the project’s massive cultural impact in the K-pop infused animated landscape. Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the film beat out stiff competition from Pixar’s Elio and Disney’s Zootopia 2, both of which were heavily nominated but had yet to secure wins as the ceremony progressed.
The Annie Awards, created in 1972 by veteran voice actor June Foray, have long served as a bellwether for the animation industry, honoring artists, storytellers, and innovators. Historically, the Best Feature winner has aligned closely with the Academy Awards; since the Best Animated Feature Oscar category debuted in 2002, 14 of the 23 Annie recipients in that category went on to claim the golden statuette. However, last year’s trend bucked when Flow won the Oscar over The Wild Robot, which had dominated the 2025 Annies with seven nominations. Flow did, however, secure the Annie for Best Independent Feature and Best Writing in February 2025.
Early television honors went to Netflix’s anthology series Love, Death + Robots, which picked up its ninth and tenth Annie Awards overall, adding to its impressive haul of 17 Emmys. The series won for Best Character Design in TV/Media for the episode “400 Boys,” produced by Blur Studio, and Best Production Design in TV/Media for “How Zeke Got Religion.” These victories highlight the series’ continued dominance in mature animated content, blending sci-fi narratives with cutting-edge visuals.
In the juried awards, which were pre-announced, the June Foray Award – named for the Annie Awards founder – went to Sandy Rabins, an animation and live-action producer and founder of the AnimAID effort. AnimAID has raised more than $600,000 to support animation industry professionals affected by the recent L.A. Wildfires. “The group has raised more than $600,000 so far,” reported event organizers, emphasizing Rabins’ positive impact on the community during a challenging time.
ASIFA-Hollywood’s Special Achievement Award was presented to LightBox Expo, the annual event that connects animation filmmakers, students, and fans. Additionally, the Winsor McCay Award, recognizing lifetime achievement, was bestowed upon Michaël Dudok de Wit, Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, and Chris Sanders. The Ub Iwerks Award for technical advancements went to Wacom, while the ASIFA-Hollywood Merit Award honored Jeffrey New and Haley Mirren Douthit. The Animation Educators’ Forum Hall of Fame Class of 2026 includes Elmer Plummer, Doug Crane, Harry Love, Harold Whitaker, and Nancy Beiman.
Moving into feature categories, KPop Demon Hunters continued its strong showing with the win for Best Character Design in Feature, credited to Scott Watanabe and Ami Thompson from Sony Pictures Animation. Pixar’s Elio later claimed Best Feature, a marquee prize that positions it as a potential Oscar contender given the awards’ predictive history. The film, from Pixar Animation Studios, bested nominees including KPop Demon Hunters, Gkids’ Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, DreamWorks’ The Bad Guys 2, and Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Zootopia 2.
For Best Feature – Independent, A Magnificent Life from Mediawan, What the Prod, and Bidibul productions took the honor, edging out Arco from Remembers, MountainA France, and France 3 Cinéma; I’m Frankelda from Cinema Fantasma, Warner Bros. Discovery, Woo Films, and Cine Vendaval; Netflix/Climax Studio’s Lost In Starlight; and Studio CHIZU’s Scarlet. In the short subject realm, Snow Bear by The Art of Aaron Blaise won Best Short Subject, while the student film category went to A Sparrow’s Song, directed and produced by Tobias Eckerlin from Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH.
Television and media categories showcased a diverse range of winners. In Best TV/Media – Preschool, Eva The Owlet’s episode “Welcome to Treetopington” from Brown Bag Films and Scholastic Entertainment, in association with Apple, prevailed over nominees like Kindergarten: The Musical! from Oddbot Entertainment and Disney Branded Television. For children’s programming, Sanrio Company’s My Melody & Kuromi episode “All For Our Best Friend” for Netflix secured the win, beating entries from Steamroller Animation’s Spice Frontier, Nickelodeon’s Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe’s The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball, and Nickelodeon/Jam Filled Entertainment’s Wylde Pak.
The mature TV/media category saw Bob’s Burgers from 20th TV win for the episode “Grand Pre-Pre-Pre Opening,” surpassing Common Side Effects from Green Street Pictures, Bandera Entertainment, and Williams Street; Williams Street’s Haha, You Clowns; Luckyred and Megadrago’s Il Baracchino; and Comedy Central’s South Park episode “Sermon on the ‘Mount.” In limited series, Pixar’s Win Or Lose episode “Episode 8: Home” claimed victory over Netflix/Banijay’s Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight, Marvel Studios’ Eyes of Wakanda and Marvel Zombies, and david production’s Star Wars: Visions – Volume 3 episode “BLACK.”
Effects and animation technical awards highlighted innovative work. For Best FX in TV/Media, Marvel Animation’s Marvel Zombies episode 4, with FX by Stellar Creative Lab, won, credited to Emma Badia, Tristan Fairclough, Jimmy Dumont, Sheng Hung, and Arth Vasavada. Other nominees included BBC Studios’ Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age with Framestore, Steamroller Animation’s Spice Frontier, Polygon Pictures’ Star Wars: Visions, and Skydance Animation’s WONDLA with ICON Creative Studio.
In Best FX for Feature, Pixar’s Elio took the prize, with Ferdi Scheepers, Shaun Galinak, Alyssa Lee, Nate Skeen, and Gary Bruins from Pixar Animation Studios receiving credit. Nominees encompassed Netflix/Kuku Studios’ In Your Dreams with Sony Pictures Imageworks, KPop Demon Hunters also with Sony Pictures Imageworks, DreamWorks’ The Bad Guys 2, and Disney’s Zootopia 2. Character animation honors in TV/Media went to Netflix/Banijay’s Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight episode III, with Floriane Caseiro noted for her work.
For Best Character Animation in Feature, Elio again shone, with Jonah Sidhom from Pixar earning the award over competitors from KPop Demon Hunters, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, The Bad Guys 2, and Zootopia 2. Live-action character animation recognized Weta FX’s work on Warner Bros.’ A Minecraft Movie, with Kevin Estey, Anthony McIndoe, Jade Lorier, Caroline Ting, and Luisma Lavin Peredo. Video game animation saw Little Sewing Machine’s Bye Sweet Carole by Chris Darril win, alongside nods to Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Yōtei, Double Fine’s Keeper, and Compulsion Games’ South of Midnight.
Directorial achievements included Vincent Tsui for Common Side Effects episode “Cliff’s Edge” in TV/Media, and for features, Mamoru Hosoda for Studio CHIZU’s Scarlet. Storyboarding wins featured Blur Studio’s Love, Death + Robots episode “How Zeke Got Religion” by Edgar Martins in TV/Media, and Pixar’s Elio by Tony Rosenast in features. Voice acting categories celebrated Dan Mintz as Tina Belcher in Bob’s Burgers for TV/Media, and Arden Cho as Rumi in KPop Demon Hunters for features.
Writing awards went to Pixar’s Win Or Lose episode “Episode 4, Pickle” by Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates in TV/Media, and to Julia Cho, Mark Hammer, and Mike Jones for Elio in features. Editorial honors were claimed by Netflix/Banijay’s Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight episode III, edited by David Boyadjian, with additional wins for Common Side Effects and Titmouse’s Haunted Hotel. Other categories like Best Sponsored went to Screen Novelties & Passion Pictures’ Olipop Yeti, and Best Special Production to WildBrain Studios’ Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical for Apple.
Disney Animation Studios’ Zootopia 2 and Gkids’ Little Amélie or the Character of Rain each entered with five nominations, reflecting the competitive field. As the ceremony concluded, the wins underscored a blend of studio blockbusters and independent voices, with Netflix and Pixar leading the pack. Looking ahead, the Annie results often foreshadow the Oscars, scheduled later in the awards season, potentially boosting Elio’s prospects. The 2026 calendar also includes key dates for the Guilds, Tonys, and more, keeping the animation community buzzing into the spring.
With over $600,000 raised by initiatives like AnimAID amid wildfires, the evening also highlighted the industry’s resilience. ASIFA-Hollywood’s recognition of educators and lifetime achievers reinforces the awards’ role in fostering talent. As animation continues to evolve with streaming and global influences, events like the Annies remain vital in spotlighting innovation and storytelling that captivate audiences worldwide.