August 25, 2010

DISNEY DUMPS ANNIE AWARDS SUPPORT (VAR)

By Hollywood Wiretap staff

The Mouse House is turning its back on the Annie Awards, Peter Debruge reports in Variety. Hollywood's longest-running cartoon kudofest, which Disney has sponsored since its first year in 1972, will have to go on without submissions or support from Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios. At issue is that anyone can buy a membership to ASIFA, not unlike Film Independent, which gives the Spirit 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." While some at Disney suggested the move could cripple ASIFA-Hollywood, Variety quotes org chief Antran Manoogian as saying releases such as Pixar's "Toy Story 3" and Disney Animation's "Tangled" can still compete. Some, including those in the Disney camp, have charged that the distribution is tilted in favor of DreamWorks Animation, which gives each new employee an ASIFA membership upon joining the company, Debruge notes.