Annie Awards 2026: 'KPop Demon Hunters' and 'Elio' Lead the Nominations (2026)

Hold on to your hats, animation fans! The Annie Awards nominations are out, and it looks like we're in for a wild ride! Netflix's 'KPop Demon Hunters' and Pixar's 'Elio' are leading the pack with a whopping 10 nominations each! This is huge news, suggesting both studios have delivered some seriously impressive work this year. But what makes these films so special, and why are they dominating the nominations? Let's dive in.

Both 'KPop Demon Hunters' and 'Elio' are vying for the coveted Best Feature award. They're up against some stiff competition, including 'Little Amélie or the Character of Rain,' 'The Bad Guys 2,' and 'Zootopia 2.' Notably, all of these films also received nominations in the Best Character Animation – Feature category, proving that captivating characters are key to animation success.

But here's where it gets controversial... While these films are celebrated for their animation, some critics argue that strong character animation alone doesn't guarantee a compelling story. Does technical brilliance outweigh narrative depth? It's a debate that often surfaces during awards season.

The writing teams behind 'Elio,' 'KPop Demon Hunters,' 'Little Amélie or the Character of Rain,' 'Scarlet,' and 'Zootopia 2' are also being recognized for their contributions. After all, even the most beautiful animation falls flat without a solid story and engaging dialogue.

Moving to the small screen, Pixar's 'Win or Lose' is making waves with six nominations, including Best TV/Media – Limited Series. Nickelodeon's 'Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' isn't far behind, snagging three nominations. It's great to see both well-established franchises and newer shows getting the recognition they deserve.

Let's take a closer look at some of these nominated projects. 'KPop Demon Hunters' has become a global phenomenon on Netflix. Co-director Maggie Kang emphasized the importance of authenticity in the story, striving to present Korean culture in a bold and fresh way. Creating strong Korean female lead characters was particularly meaningful for Kang, who wanted to make them "both appealing and aspirational and unique, but most importantly, Korean." This commitment to representation is something audiences are increasingly demanding, and it's fantastic to see it reflected in the nominations.

And this is the part most people miss... The impact of authentic representation extends far beyond simply ticking a box. It creates opportunities for diverse story telling, fosters a sense of belonging for underrepresented communities, and enriches the animation landscape for everyone.

Disney Pixar's 'Elio,' on the other hand, tells the story of a young orphan boy who wants to be abducted by aliens. Directors Domee Shi ('Turning Red') and Madeline Sharafian ('Burrow') drew inspiration from classic sci-fi movies like 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.' "We reference that movie a lot because it’s also about a guy who’s in love with space," says Shi. The film taps into that universal feeling of wanting to escape and find something bigger than yourself.

DreamWorks Animation's 'The Bad Guys 2' scored five nominations, with director Pierre Perifel aiming to amplify the heist genre in the sequel. He crafted a globetrotting adventure with plenty of action and comedy. Perifel cited James Bond and 'Mission Impossible' films as inspiration for the cold open, telling Variety, "It also sets up that we are an international movie now, and it’s a big adventure that ends up in space. It was really about playing with the tropes as much as we could, exploiting them, and giving it our own little twist." Sometimes, the best way to innovate is to embrace familiar tropes and give them a fresh spin.

Now, for the big question: Do the Annie Awards predict the Oscars? Well, last year's Best Independent Feature winner, 'Flow,' went on to win Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. This suggests that the Annies can be a good indicator of what's to come, but it's certainly not a guarantee.

The 53rd Annual Annie Awards are scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 21st. Here's a complete list of nominations:

BEST FEATURE

'Elio' (Pixar Animation Studios / Pixar Animation Studios)
'In Your Dreams' (Netflix, Kuku Studios / Sony Pictures Imageworks)
'KPop Demon Hunters' (Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix / Sony Pictures Imageworks)
'The Bad Guys 2' (DreamWorks Animation / DreamWorks Animation)
'Zootopia 2' (Walt Disney Animation Studios / Walt Disney Animation Studios)

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – TV/MEDIA

'Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight' Episode 3 (Netflix/Banijay Productions France/Légende Films)
'Forevergreen' – Special Production (Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears)
'Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical' – Special Production (WildBrain Studios in association with Apple)
'The Simpsons' – Various Episodes (A Gracie Films Production in Association with 20th Television Animation)
'Win Or Lose' – Various Episodes (Pixar Animation Studios)

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – FEATURE

'Elio' – Pixar Animation Studios
'KPop Demon Hunters' – Sony Pictures Animation, Netflix
'Little Amélie or the Character of Rain' – Maybe Movies, Ikki Films, Distributed by GKIDS
'The Bad Guys 2' – DreamWorks Animation
'Zootopia 2' – Walt Disney Animation Studios

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – LIVE ACTION

'A Minecraft Movie' (Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Mojang Studios, Vertigo Entertainment, On the Roam / WetaFX)
'Captain America: Brave New World' (Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Pictures / WetaFX)
'How To Train Your Dragon' (DreamWorks Animation / Framestore)
'Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age' (BBC Studios Natural History Unit / Framestore)
'Superman' (DC Studios / Framestore)

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – VIDEO GAME

'Bye Sweet Carole' (Little Sewing Machine)
'Death Stranding 2: On the Beach' (Kojima Productions)
'Ghost of Yōtei' (Sucker Punch Productions)
'Keeper' (Double Fine Productions)
'South of Midnight' (Compulsion Games)

BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – TV/MEDIA

'Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight' Episode 5 (Netflix/Banijay Productions France/Légende Films)
'Bat-Fam' Episode: 'A Knight at the Movies' (Amazon MGM Studios, Warner Bros. Animation, DC Entertainment)
'Love, Death + Robots' Episode: '400 Boys' (Blur Studio for Netflix)
'Wednesdays with Gramps' Short Film (DreamWorks Animation)
'Win Or Lose' Episode: 'Episode 8, Home' (Pixar Animation Studios)

BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – FEATURE

'Elio' (Pixar Animation Studios)
'Fixed' (Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix)
'KPop Demon Hunters' (Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix)
'The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants' (Paramount Animation/Nickelodeon Movies)
'The Twits' (Netflix Presents/The Roald Dahl Story Company)

BEST DIRECTION – TV/MEDIA

'Common Side Effects' Episode: 'Cliff’s Edge' (Green Street Pictures, Bandera Entertainment and Williams Street Productions)
'DanDaDan' Episode: 'Clash! Space Kaiju vs. Giant Robot!' (Science SARU, Mainichi Broadcasting System, Distributed by GKIDS)
'Nota Box' Episode: 'Itsa Boat' (Silver Creek Falls Entertainment/Passion Pictures in association with Apple)
'Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Episode: 'Rise of the Night Ninja' (Nickelodeon Animation Studios and Point Grey Pictures)
'The Quinta’s Ghost' Short Film (Martirio Films & Illusorium films)

BEST DIRECTION – FEATURE

'Arco' (Remembers, Mountain A France, France 3 Cinéma)
'Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc' (MAPPA Studios)
'KPop Demon Hunters' (Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix)
'Little Amélie or the Character of Rain' (Maybe Movies, Ikki Films, Distributed by GKIDS)
'Scarlet' (Studio CHIZU)

BEST MUSIC – TV/MEDIA

'Common Side Effects' Episode: 'Lakeshore Limited' (Green Street Pictures, Bandera Entertainment, and Williams Street Productions)
'Devil May Cry' Episode: 'The First Circle' (A Netflix Series/Studio Mir/Adi Shankar Animation/Capcom)
'Éiru' Short Film (Cartoon Saloon)
'Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical' Special Production (WildBrain Studios in association with Apple)
'Win Or Lose' Episode: 'Episode 6, Mixed Signals' (Pixar Animation Studios)

BEST MUSIC – FEATURE

'Arco' (Remembers, Mountain A France, France 3 Cinéma)
'Elio' (Pixar Animation Studios)
'KPop Demon Hunters' (Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix)
'Little Amélie or the Character of Rain' (Maybe Movies, Ikki Films, Distributed by GKIDS)
'Zootopia 2' – Walt Disney Animation Studios

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – TV/MEDIA

'Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight' Episode: 'Episode II' (Netflix/Banijay Productions France/Légende Films)
'Forevergreen' Special Production (Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears)
'Love, Death + Robots' Episode: 'How Zeke Got Religion' (Blur Studio for Netflix)
'ParaNorman: The Thrifting' Special Production (LAIKA)
'Wednesdays with Gramps' Special Production (DreamWorks Animation)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – FEATURE

'Elio' (Pixar Animation Studios)
'KPop Demon Hunters' (Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix)
'The Bad Guys 2' (DreamWorks Animation)
'The Twits' (Netflix Presents/The Roald Dahl Story Company)
'Zootopia 2' (Walt Disney Animation Studios)

BEST STORYBOARDING – TV/MEDIA

'Love, Death + Robots' Episode: 'How Zeke Got Religion' (Blur Studio for Netflix)
'ParaNorman: The Thrifting' Special Production (LAIKA)
'Snow Bear' Short Film (The Art of Aaron Blaise, LLC.)
'Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Episode: 'Rise of the Night Ninja' (Nickelodeon Animation Studios and Point Grey Pictures)
'Win Or Lose' Episode: 'Episode 8, Home' (Pixar Animation Studios)

BEST STORYBOARDING – FEATURE

'Arco' (Remembers, Mountain A France, France 3 Cinéma)
'Elio' (Pixar Animation Studios)
'Little Amélie or the Character of Rain' (Maybe Movies, Ikki Films, Distributed by GKIDS)
'The Bad Guys 2' (DreamWorks Animation)
'Zootopia 2' (Walt Disney Animation Studios)

BEST VOICE ACTING – TV/MEDIA

'Bob’s Burgers' Episode: 'Don’t Worry Be Hoopy' (20th TV)
'Hazbin Hotel' Episode: 'Behind Closed Doors' (Amazon MGM Studios, A24, Bento Box Entertainment)
'Long Story Short' Episode: 'Shira Can’t Cook' (Tornante Television and ShadowMachine for Netflix)
'Smiling Friends' Episode: 'Shmaloogles' (Williams Street)
'The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball' Episode: 'The Amadain' (Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe)

BEST VOICE ACTING – FEATURE

'DogMan' (DreamWorks Animation)
'Elio' (Pixar Animation Studios)
'In Your Dreams' (Netflix Presents a Kuku Studios Production/Sony Pictures Imageworks)
'KPop Demon Hunters' (Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix)
'The Twits' (Netflix Presents/The Roald Dahl Story Company)

BEST WRITING – TV/MEDIA

'#1 Happy Family USA' Episode: 'NINETEN' (Amazon MGM Studios, A24, Cairo Cowboy)
'The Elephant' Special Production (Adult Swim/Titmouse and Williams Street)
'Common Side Effects' Episode: 'Pilot' (Green Street Pictures, Bandera Entertainment, and Williams Street Productions)
'Lulu is a Rhinoceros' Special Production (Bento Box and Propagate in association with Apple)
'Win Or Lose' Episode: 'Pickle' (Pixar Animation Studios)

BEST WRITING – FEATURE

'Elio' (Pixar Animation Studios)
'KPop Demon Hunters' (KPop Demon Hunters Editorial Team)
'Little Amélie or the Character of Rain' (Maybe Movies, Ikki Films, Distributed by GKIDS)
'Scarlet' (Studio CHIZU)
'Zootopia 2' (Walt Disney Animation Studios)

BEST EDITORIAL – TV/MEDIA

'Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight' Episode 3 (Netflix/Banijay Productions France/Légende Films)
'Common Side Effects' Episode: 'Raid' (Green Street Pictures, Bandera Entertainment, and Williams Street Productions)
'Haunted Hotel' Episode: 'The Acolytes of Abaddon' (Titmouse for Netflix)
'Invincible' S3 Episode: 'I Thought You’d Never Shut Up' (Amazon MGM Studios, Skybound Animation)
'Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Deathwatch' Episode: 'Up From the Grave' (Ubisoft Film & Television)

BEST EDITORIAL – FEATURE

'Arco' (Remembers, Mountain A France, France 3 Cinéma)
'Elio' (Pixar Animation Studios)
'KPop Demon Hunters' (Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix)
'Little Amélie or the Character of Rain' (Maybe Movies, Ikki Films, Distributed by GKIDS)
'Olivia & las Nubes' (Cine Chani, Historias de Bibi & Guasábara Cine)

What do you think about these nominations? Are there any snubs that you feel strongly about? And who are you rooting for to take home the top prizes? Share your thoughts in the comments below! I'm personally curious to see if 'KPop Demon Hunters' can maintain its momentum and potentially upset Pixar's 'Elio' for Best Feature. It's going to be an exciting awards season!

Annie Awards 2026: 'KPop Demon Hunters' and 'Elio' Lead the Nominations (2026)

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