The nominees for the 2021 Irish Animation Awards have been announced today (Wed 14th April) by Animation Ireland, the trade association for Irish animation studios.
The biennial awards ceremony will take place virtually for the first time on Friday 21st May. And will once again highlight the brilliance and talent of the Irish animation sector. The 2021 Irish Animation Awards feature four new categories, including Best Storyboarding, Best Editing, Best Student Film and Best New Irish IP.
Among the nominations in the 20 categories this year is Cartoon Saloon’s Oscar-nominated film ‘Wolfwalkers’, which was nominated in all seven available categories. Giant Animation’s ‘Zog and the Flying Doctors’, which aired on BBC One on Christmas Day, racked up four nominations.
For their preschool series, ‘Chico Bon Bon; Monkey with a Tool Belt’, Brown Bag Films picked up three nominations, while Vamperina, Dorg Van Dango, Ballybraddan, Bug Diaries and Pablo also picked up multiple nods.
According to Animation Ireland’s Chief Executive, Ronan McCabe, the awards this year highlight the continued growth and creativity in the sector; ‘’It has been an unprecedented year for Irish animation, but the quality of the work produced here in Ireland has once again been world class. It’s really heartening to see that the sector has continued to produce outstanding work and that the future remains bright for Irish animation. As with every other year, the 2021 Irish Animation Awards is a time to celebrate the strength and vibrancy of the sector.’’
Ronan went on to say; ‘’We have four new award categories this year, and one which I am really looking forward to is Best Student Film. Animation Ireland has been working hard over the past five years to develop education opportunities in animation and to encourage more students to get involved in a great career choice. Given the current situation, this year’s event will be virtual, but we’re still going to be putting on a great show. It will be a half-day event, with two industry panels, in partnership with Animation Skillnet, Screen Skills Ireland and Women in Animation, followed by the awards ceremony in the evening.’’
The Irish Animation Awards are sponsored this year by Screen Ireland, RTÉ, Northern Ireland Screen, BAI, Enterprise Ireland, Gorilla Post, Toon Boom Animation, Philip Lee, Brophy Gillespie and Laztech.
Winners of each category will receive a statuette designed by animator, film maker and teacher Eimhin McNamara. The statuette resembles a Phenakistoscope which was an early animation device used to create an illusion of motion.
Animation Ireland is the trade association for Ireland’s animation studios, representing 32 member studios, who employ more than 2,000 people nationwide. The sector has seen meteoric growth in recent years, with the sector now generating almost €200 million for the economy annually, as Irish animation projects are viewed in over 120 countries worldwide.
Ends.
Please note: Ronan McCabe is available for interview.
For more details on the Irish Animation Awards please visit www.irishanimationawards.ie
For more information on Animation Ireland please visit www.animationireland.com
Contact:
Rory Sweeney
Paul Allen & Associates
18 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin 2
01 676 9575/086 897 6442
And the nominees are …
Best Animated Preschool Series
| Claude – Twinkle Toes Terry | Sixteen South |
| Pins and Nettie – Season 1 | Daily Madness |
| Pablo | Paper Owl Films |
| Bug Diaries | Lighthouse Studios |
| Hungry Bear Tales | Treehouse Republic |
Best Animated Kids Series 6+
| Boy, Girl, Dog, Cat, Mouse, Cheese | Kavaleer |
| Dorg Van Dango | Cartoon Saloon |
| Sylvie Bloom – Corona Corona Corona | Dog Day Media |
| Ballybraddan | Geronimo Productions |
| Chico Bon Bon: Monkey With a Toolbelt – Gigantic Glue Ball | Brown Bag Films |
Best Animated Short Film
| Brother Ezekiel | Boulder Media; Leon Elliott |
| Her Song | Éabha Bortolozzo, Jack Kirwan |
| The Voyage | JAM Media; Jessica Patterson |
| The Dead Hands of Dublin | Pink Kong Studios; Leo Crowley |
| Greenpeace- There’s a Monster in my Kitchen | Cartoon Saloon; Tomm Moore, Fabian Erlinghauser |
Best International Short Film
| Right Now | Giant Ant |
| Santiago | Andrey Koulev |
| War Game | Blayne Fitzpatrick/ Enter Yes Studio |
| Broken Candle | Felix Kiner |
| Something Borrowed | Micky Wozny |
Best Writer for Preschool Animation
| Pablo | Paper Owl Films; Andrew Brenner |
| Jessy and Nessy | JAM Media; Shane Langan, Amy Stephenson |
| Mya Go – Slimy Zoo | Piranha Bar; PJ Moloney & Robert Carr |
| Vampirina – Vampire Chaperone | Brown Bag Films; Chelsea Beyl, Mia Resella, Jeffrey King |
| Doc McStuffins – Bedazzled | Brown Bag Films; Randi Barnes, Chris Nee, Michael Stern |
Best Writer for an Animated Series
| Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese – Neighbourhood Watchdog | Kavaleer; Baljeet Rai, Henry Gifford |
| Dorg Van Dango – Dorg Needs a Shot | Cartoon Saloon; Nick Murphy |
| Ballybraddan – Affection & Rejection | Treehouse Republic; Noel McGee, Nora King |
| Fantasy Ireland | Igloo Animations; Ciarán Morrison, Mick O’Hara |
| Dorg Van Dango – Dorg Has a Pimple | Shane Langan, Amy Stephenson |
Best Animation for Apps, Games and Interactive
| TOT COP | Mooshku |
| Empire Of Sin | Romero Games |
| Lego, Duplo, World | Touch Press |
Best Art Direction and Design
| Sunburn | Studio Meala |
| Chico Bon Bon: Monkey With a Toolbelt – Gigantic Glue Ball | Brown Bag Films |
| Zog & the Flying Doctors | Magic Light Pictures/ Giant Animation |
| GreenPeace – There’s a Monster in the Kitchen | Cartoon Saloon |
| Wolfwalkers | Cartoon Saloon |
Best Director of an Animated Series
| Dorg Van Dango | Cartoon Saloon; Fabian Erlinghauser, Matt Ferguson |
| My Little Pony – Pony Life | Boulder Media; Adrian Ignat |
| Bug Diaries | Lighthouse Studios; Gilly Fogg |
| Pins & Nettie – Season 1 | Daily Madness; Lindsey Adams |
| Pinkalicious & Peterific | Sixteen South ; Jamie Teehan |
Best Animation Sequence
| Wolfwalkers | Cartoon Saloon |
| Greenpeace – There’s a Monster in my Kitchen | Cartoon Saloon |
| Sunburn | Studio Meala |
| Zog and the Flying Doctors | Magic Light Pictures/ Giant Animation |
| Dorg Van Dango | Cartoon Saloon |
Best Music
| Dorg Van Dango | Cartoon Saloon |
| Pins & Nettie – Season 1 | Daily Madness |
| Claude – Twinkle Toes Terry | Sixteen South |
| Wolfwalkers | Cartoon Saloon |
| Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese | Kavaleer |
Best Sound Design
| Dead Hands of Dublin | Pink Kong Studios |
| Wolfwalkers | Cartoon Saloon |
| Angela’s Christmas Wish | Brown Bag Films/ Windmill Lane |
| Dorg Van Dango | Cartoon Saloon/ Gorilla Post |
| Dangermouse | Boulder Media/ Windmill Lane |
Best Irish Feature or Special
| Wolfwalkers | Cartoon Saloon; Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart |
| Angela’s Christmas Wish | Brown Bag Films; Damien O’ Connor |
| Zog and the Flying Doctors | Magic Light Pictures/ Giant Animation; Sean Mullen |
| The Christmas Letter | Dream Logic; Kealan O’ Rourke |
| Sol | Paper Owl Films; Gráinne Mc Guinness |
Best Storyboarding
| Zog and the Flying Doctors | Magic Light Pictures/ Giant Animation |
| Greenpeace – There’s a Monster in my Kitchen | Cartoon Saloon |
| Sunburn | Studio Meala |
| Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy | Boulder Media |
| Wolfwalkers | Cartoon Saloon |
Best Editing
| WolfWalkers | Cartoon Saloon |
| Greenpeace – There’s a Monster in my Kitchen | Cartoon Saloon |
| Dorg Van Dango | Cartoon Saloon |
| Vamprina – Bora and the Banshee/ A tale of Two Hollows | Brown Bag Films |
| Chico Bon Bon: Monkey With A Toolbelt – EP103 “Runaway Robot” | Brown Bag Films |
Best Student Film
| HUSKY | Darragh Scott |
| Tuna | Cliona Noonan |
| CTRL + ALT + Z | Holly Keating |
| Shergar | Cora McKenna |
| Tenant | Sarah Benson |
Best Irish IP
| TOT COP | Mooshku |
| Pins and Nettie – Season 1 | Daily Madness |
| Claude – Twinkle Toes Terry | Sixteen South |
| Critters TV – Series 1 | Turnip & Duck |
| Jessy and Nessy – Where Else Can We Find Echoes? | JAM Media |
Best Newcomer
Kids Choice Awards for Best Preschool Series (up to 6 years old)
| Pablo | Paper Owl Films |
| Sir Mouse | Salty Dog Pictures |
| Ollie | Ink & Light Films |
| Bug Diaries | Lighthouse Studio |
| Critters TV | Turnip & Duck |
Kids Choice Award for Best Animated Kids Series (over 6 years old)
| Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy | Boulder Media |
| Chico Bon Bon: Monkey With a Toolbelt | Brown Bag Films |
| Ballybraddan | Geronimo Productions |
| Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese | Kavaleer Productions |
| Dorg van Dango | Cartoon Saloon |