2012 Annie Awards: "Rango" a Big Winner

The 39th annual Annie Awards were held earlier this evening in Los Angeles, and though it did not lead the pack in total nominations, "Rango" pulled down the top prize for Best Animated Feature against little competition. Produced by Paramount Pictures, "Rango" beat out other top films such as "Kung Fu Panda 2" and "Puss in Boots" - two movies that actually garnered more total nominations than "Rango". This was also the fourth time in the past nine years that Pixar Studios was unable to nab the top prize. Their entry with "Cars 2" was officially the worst reviewed film from the studio to date and is only the second time in the past decade they didn't even factor into the race (2005 being the other when Pixar did not release a feature film).

Along with Best Feature, "Rango" also took home three other awards, including wins for Character Design - Feature Production, Writing - Feature Production and Editing - Feature Production. Otherwise, amongst all of its nominations, "Kung Fu Panda 2" did get wins for Best Director, as well as trophies in two other categories. The other top nominated film of the night, "Puss in Boots", left empty-handed.


The win for "Rango" all but solidifies it as the Oscar winner later this month, if there was ever much question to begin with. The three above-mentioned films are all nominated for Best Animated Feature by the AMPAS this year, along with two other lower-profile films (both of which were nominated for Best Pic from the Annie's as well) in "A Cat in Paris" and "Chico and Rita".


For those of you haven't yet checked on the outcomes of your Annie Award predictions, you can see the entire lineup of nominees and winners at the Annie Awards official site.