Annie Awards Nominations

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
Cheatin'
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The LEGO Movie
Song of the Sea 
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

BEST DIRECTOR
Don Hall, Chris Williams, Big Hero 6
Bill Plympton, Cheatin'
Dean DeBlois, How to Train Your Dragon 2
Tomm Moore, Song of the Sea
Jorge R. Gutierrez, The Book of Life
Anthony Stacchi, Graham Annable, The Boxtrolls
Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Chris McKay, The LEGO Movie
Isao Takahata, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya 

BEST VOICE ACTING
Dee Bradley Baker, The Boxtrolls
Andy Garcia, Rio 2
Ben Kingsley, The Boxtrolls
Cyndi Lauper, Henry & Me 

BEST WRITING
Big Hero 6- Robert L. Baird, Daniel Gerson, Jordan Roberts
The Boxtrolls- Irena Brignull, Adam Pava
How to Train Your Dragon 2- Dean DeBlois
The LEGO Movie- Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Song of the Sea- Will Collins

Best Animated Feature

Twenty features have been submitted to vie for the 2014 Best Animated Feature Academy Award.  With no clear frontrunner and no Pixar this year, this has a fair chance of being a fairly competitive category this year, despite my personal indifference to the slate.  What are you rooting for this year?

• Big Hero 6
• The Book of Life
• The Boxtrolls
• Cheatin
• Giovanni's Island
• Henry & Me
• The Hero of Color City
• How to Train Your Dragon 2
• Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart
• Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
• The Lego Movie
• Minuscule -- Valley of the Lost Ants
• Mr. Peabody & Sherman
• Penguins of Madagascar
• The Pirate Fairy
• Planes: Fire & Rescue
• Rio 2
• Rocks in My Pockets
• Song of the Sea
• The Tale of Princess Kaguya

The Boxtrolls Teaser

Stop motion animation may never be everyone's cup of tea, or break box office records, but the magicians at Laika are on a steady streak following the artistic and Academy Award nominated success stories of Coraline and ParaNorman.  Here comes the teaser to their next hopeful pleasure, The Boxtrolls.  Set for release in the fall of 2014, The Boxtrolls is about a young orphan boy raised by underground cave-dwelling trash collectors.  Directed by Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable and featuring the voice talent of Elle Fanning, Simon Pegg, Toni Collette, Nick Frost, Ben Kingsley and Tracy Morgan.

On an even more upbeat note, especially on the heels of the overwhelmingly gay friendly ParaNorman, this teaser makes a nice little inclusive bid to the Supreme Court's recent decisions.  This offbeat teaser is a winner.