Disney withdraws from the Annie Awards

Citing concerns over the voting process, Disney/Pixar is removing itself from official participation at the Annie Awards.

“After more than a year of discussions with the ASIFA board, we have regretfully decided to withdraw from the organization and no longer participate in the annual Annie Awards,” said Disney-Pixar prexy Ed Catmull.

“We believe there is an issue with the way the Annies are judged, and have been seeking a mutually agreeable solution with the board. Although some initial steps have been taken, the board informed us that no further changes would be made to address our concerns.”

What’s at issue? Variety says a major bone of contention for Disney is that anyone can buy membership to the ASIFA (while most other awards bodies are comprised of members chosen by their peers). And it seems that Dreamworks animation gives every one of its employees membership to the ASIFA as a hiring bonus. This process can yield unusual results — as when Kung Fu Panda shut out WALL-E a couple of years ago. Results that look fishy to Disney. (Pixar films have still managed to win the top prize 6 out of the past 10 years.)

In response to Disney pressures, ASIFA tightened its rules somewhat last year, limiting the voting on individual achievement categories to animation pros (students and non-professionals were still permitted to vote in production categories, such as best animated feature). Manoogian refers to those changes as a “midstep” toward this year’s dramatic overhaul, which requires all members wishing to vote in the Annie awards to be approved by a qualifying committee. Non-pros will not be able to vote in any category.

Reminiscent of the year the USA declined to participate in the Olympics in a political squabble with the USSR. (1980, in typical America do-as-I-say, don’t-do-as-I-do fashion, the US was protesting the Soviets war in… Afghanistan.) That year American athletes were punished because of an executive decision. The question is whether now Disney/Pixar artists will be denied the honor of competing among year’s most prestigious animators.

Perhaps not, since individual members — from any studio — can still submit their own work for nomination, and ASIFA chief Antran Manoogian says it makes no difference whether Disney makes an official submission or not.

“The Annies are about honoring the best in animation, and we will continue to do so,” he said. “The awards are set up in such a way that the nominating committee can put a nominee on the ballot even though it hasn’t been formally submitted.”

(thanks to A. J. Roscoe for the tip to this story.)