The Annie Awards were last night and as seems to have become an annual tradition, the whining and tit for tat that follow have again come to the fore. The nature of this post is thinking on a plane much higher than those noises when it asks:
3 thoughts on “Thought of the Day: Should the Annie Awards be Scrapped?”
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This is a rather thorny issue and a complex one. I’m writing my own piece about it, which should be up on Wednesday. But to answer your question, no, I don’t think the Annies should end. I think there are issues about the voting process, some of which have been addressed and some of which may still need work. I think the Annies have needed a clearer definition of what they are and restricting voting to industry professionals is a step towards that. Right now, I just don’t feel like there’s anything ready and able to take the place of the Annies, should they cease to be. I think it’s important to have awards dedicated to recognizing achievement in animation and I don’t think we would have that if the Annies were scrapped. Create more animation awards, by all means, and if they eventually eclipse the Annies in popularity or importance. But right now, the Annies are what we have and I think its better to try to fix the problems than to start over from scratch.
I agree, the Annies are not without their faults, although no award ceremony is.
My thought process was more along the lines of whether or not the very existence of the Annie Awards proliferates the idea/belief that animation is different from live-action in the movie world.
I suppose it’s a topic worthy of a proper post.
Ah, I see. Well, though I believe that a great animated film can and should compete with live-action films in any knd of award ceremony, and though I’m torn about the wisdom of having separate awards for Best Animated Feature, animation IS different. There are a lot of similarities, but the fact remains that no one has to voice Tom Hanks, nobody has to keyframe Johnny Depp and no one has to build a model of Natalie Portman. What the Annies do that the Golden Globes or the Oscars never will is honor the people who do the work that is particular to making animation.