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Coraline's Uesugi Wins Annie, But Not Miyazaki, Hisaishi
posted on by Egan Loo
Tadahiro Uesugi, a prolific illustrator who lives in Japan, has won the Production Design in a Feature Production category in the 37th Annual Annie Awards on Saturday. Coraline, Laika's American film based on Neil Gaiman's novel of the same name, is Uesugi's first major movie credit.
Uesugi primarily creates illustrations for women's magazines, advertising, packaging, film posters, and CD jackets. He also contributed art to the Totoro Forest Project to help preserve the Japanese forest that inspired the backdrop of Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro anime film. Uesugi travelled to America to attend the Annie Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday, and he gave his acceptance speech in both English and Japanese.
Studio Ghibli's Ponyo film had earned nods for Miyazaki in the Directing in a Feature Production category and Joe Hisaishi in the Music in a Feature Production category. However, neither creator won an award on Saturday. Similarly, IMAGI Studios' computer-animated film adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy manga garnered nominations in the Storyboarding in a Feature Production (Sharon Bridgeman) and Writing in a Feature Production (Timothy Hyde Harris, David Bowers) categories, but won neither.
Pixar's Up feature, The Curiosity Company's Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder video, ShadowMachine's Robot Chicken: Star Wars 2.5 short, Acme Filmworks' "Spanish Lottery Deportees" commercial, Walt Disney's Prep and Landing television special, and DreamWorks Animation's The Penguins of Madagascar television series won the top awards in their respective categories. Up's Pete Docter also won an Annie in the Directing in a Feature Production category.
Source: Oricon, Cinema Today, Alt Film Guide
