LOS ANGELES, Feb. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — KPOP Demon Hunters (Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix) won Best Feature honors along with nine other categories at the 53rd Annie Awards™ Saturday night on the campus of UCLA – Best FX- Feature (Filippo Macari, Nicola Finizio, Simon Corbaux, Naoki Kato, Daniel La Chappelle) Best Character Animation – Feature (Ryusuke Furuya), Best Character Design – Feature (Scott Watanabe, Ami Thompson), Best Direction – Feature (Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans), Best Music – Feature (KPop Demon Hunters Music Team), Best Production Design – Feature (Helen Chen, Dave Bleich, Wendell Dalit, Scott Watanabe, Celine Kim) Best Voice Acting – Feature (Arden Cho as Rumi) Best Writing – Feature (Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan, Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans) and Best Editorial – Feature (KPop Demon Hunters Editorial Team). A complete list of winners can be viewed at www.annieawards.org. Best Feature – Independent was presented to Arco (Remembers, MountainA France, France 3 Cinéma). Best Special Production was presented to Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical (WildBrain Studios in association with Apple), and Best Short Subject was presented to Snow Bear (The Art of Aaron Blaise).
Best Student Film was presented to A Sparrow’s Song (Tobias Eckerlin, Filmakademie Baden- Württemberg GmbH); and Best Sponsored Production – Olipop Yeti (Screen Novelties & Passion Pictures). Best TV/Media – Children – The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball, Episode: The Rewrite (Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe); Best Animated TV/Media – Preschool – Wow Lisa, Episode: Rainy Day (Punkrobot); and Best TV/Media – Limited Series – Win or Lose, Episode: Home (Pixar Animation Studios).
Best Character Animation – Live Action was presented to How to Train Your Dragon (Kayn Garcia, Jean-Denis Haas, Meena Ibrahim, Nathan McConnel, Nick Tripodi- DreamWorks Animation, FX: Framestore); and Best Character Animation – Video Game to South of Midnight (Mike Jungbluth, Sebastien Dussault, Vincent Schneider, Remi Edmond – Compulsion Games).
Presenters and other animation VIPs included Patrick Warburton, Laraine Newman, Craig Robinson, Maggie Kang & Chris Appelhans, Ugo Bienvenu & Juliano Valdi, Bruce Smith & Ralph Farquhar, Tia Carrere, Auli’i Cravalho, Joel Crawford & Januel Mercado, Liza Soberano and Jorge R. Gutierrez.
Juried Awards were also presented during the ceremony, honoring unparalleled achievement and exceptional contributions to animation. The Winsor McCay Award in recognition of lifetime or career contributions were awarded to three recipients: Internationally lauded Annie Award and Academy Award-winning animator, writer and director Michaël Dudok de Wit; prolific and influential filmmakers and Annie Award and Academy Award winners Chirstopher Miller and Phil Lord; and Annie Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated writer/director Chris Sanders.
The June Foray Award for significant and benevolent impact to the animation community was awarded to Sandy Rabins, animation and live action producer and the founding guiding light for the AnimAID effort to assist and support those in the animation industry who were affected by the L.A. Wildfires.
The Ub Iwerks Award for technical advancement affecting the animation industry was awarded to Wacom, manufacturer of the Cintiq graphics tablet and other products that have become an integral part of animation production worldwide.
The Special Achievement Award acknowledging unique and outstanding achievement not recognized within the existing award category structure was awarded to LightBox Expo, the annual event that brings the creative animation community of filmmakers together with animation students and fans.
The ASIFA-Hollywood Merit Award is given by the Board of Directors to individuals for current and on-going service to the organization and the animation industry. This year’s award was presented to Jeffrey New and Haley Mirren Douthit.
Many thanks to the generous support from this year’s Sponsors and Advertisers – Platinum – DreamWorks Animation, Netflix and Warner Bros. Animation; Gold – Disney Branded TV; Silver – Sony Pictures Animation and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation; Bronze – Amazon MGM Studios, GKIDS, Nickelodeon Animation Studios, Paper Animation, Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Skydance Animation; and Industry – Animation is Film (AIF), Animation Magazine, Backstage, Bento Box Entertainment, LightBox Expo, Motion Pictures Editors Guild, Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF), The Hollywood Reporter (THR), and Variety. Nominee Reception Sponsors – Toon Boom, Wacom and Imagine Create Media Inc.
Created in 1972 by veteran voice actor June Foray, the Annie Awards™ have long recognized the animation industry’s most talented artists and storytellers. ASIFA-Hollywood is the largest chapter of the international organization Association Internationale du Film D’Animation (ASIFA). Operating independently through member support and revenue from its events and initiatives, this nonprofit organization continues to unite the global animation community celebrating excellence, preserving history, and fostering education and innovation.
For information on ASIFA-Hollywood, please visit www.asifa-hollywood.org. Video highlights of the ceremony will be uploaded to the Annies website in the next few days.
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