On February 8, 2025, the 52nd Annual Annie Awards will shine a spotlight on four Ringling College of Art and Design alumni, celebrating their groundbreaking work in animation at Royce Hall in Los Angeles. A total of 32 categories and four juried awards will also be presented. Three Computer Animation alumni and one Illustration alum will be honored with nominations and a career recognition award.
Aviv Mano ’18, Computer Animation, has been nominated for Best Character Animation – Feature Film for Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2.
Kal Athannassov ’17, Computer Animation, received a nomination for Best Character Design – TV/Media for the Netflix Series Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld.
Josh West ’01, Computer Animation, was nominated for Best Production Design – Feature Film for Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2.
Aaron Blaise ’89, Illustration, will be honored with the Winsor McCay Award, which recognizes lifetime or career contributions to the art of animation in producing, directing, animating, design, writing, voice acting, sound and sound effects, technical work, music, and professional teaching.
Blaise shared about his experiences over a long career, “For the last 36 years, animation has been my passion. I remember my first day as an intern in 1988 sitting with Glen Keane in his office. Back then I had no idea what animation was, but within minutes of listening to Glen show me the possibilities of this art, I knew I wanted to do it for the rest of my life.”
The Annie Awards is the International Animated Film Association ASIFA-Hollywood’s annual gala, recognizing excellence in animation. The event was first established in 1972 by June Foray, who gave voice to animated characters like Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha Fatale, Cindy Lou Who, and Jokey Smurf, and was an early member of ASIFA-Hollywood.
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