Nominations for the 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced on July 15, 2004 and FOX won the most primetime Emmy nominations for animated shows with five, narrowly edging out Cartoon Network, UPN and Sci Fi Channel with three each. SOUTH PARK is back in the running along with THE SIMPSONS and FUTURAMA, which again nominated for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour) along with Cartoon Network’s SAMURAI JACK and Nick’s SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS. THE SIMPSONS also received a nomination for Outstanding Music Composition For A Series, as did UPN’s STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE. THE SIMPSONS will also compete for Outstanding Music And Lyrics along with FUTURAMA and Nick's THE FAIRLY ODDPARENTS.

UPN's STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE, from Paramount Pictures, received two noms for Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series, with the other three slots going to DEAD LIKE ME on Showtime, STARGATE SG-1 on Sci Fi and STEPHEN KING’S KINDOM HOSPITAL on ABC.

Competing for Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Miniseries, Movie or a Special are ANGELS IN AMERICA (HBO), BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (Sci Fi), DREAMKEEPER (ABC), 10.5 (NBC) and THE WINNING SEASON (TNT).

Nominated for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour Or More) are Cartoon Network’s THE POWERPUFF GIRLS and its STAR WARS; CLONE WARS.

Traditionally animated commercial INTERVIEW (United Airlines), produced by ACME Filmworks and the Fallon ad agency is in the running for Outstanding Commercial.

The awards presentation telecast awarding Emmys in 28 categories before a black-tie audience will air on the ABC Television Network Sunday, September 19, from the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium. The Academy's Governors Ball will follow the telecast at the Shrine Exhibition Hall, adjacent to the auditorium. This year's Emmy telecast will be hosted by Garry Shandling, exec produced by Don Mischer and produced by Michael Seligman. Danette Herman is the coordinating producer.

Awards for the majority of animation and visual effects categories will be presented on Sunday, September 12, 2004 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, in a non-televised ceremony, co-chaired by Michael Hoey and John Moffitt and produced by Spike Jones Jr. The main program categories and honors for acting and writing will be handed out during the telecast at the Shrine September 19 on ABC.

Additional awards may also be given for the "juried areas" (nominations) of Voice Over Performance and Individual Achievement in Animation, which will be released in August. Additional awards may also be given for Engineering Development, Interactive Television Programming and the Governors Award. These awards, if any, will be announced later in July.

A list of animation, commercial and visual effects related nominees follows (for the full list of the teams nominated in the program categories):

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED PROGRAM (For Programming Less Than One Hour)

FUTURAMA "The Sting" * FOX Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television

SAMURAI JACK * “The Birth of Evil” * Cartoon Network * Cartoon Network Studios

THE SIMPSONS * “The Way We Weren’t” * FOX * Gracie Films in association with 20th Century Fox Television, animation by Film Roman

SOUTH PARK * “Christmas In Canada” * Comedy Central * A Comedy Central production

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS * “SpongeBob BC” * Nickelodeon * Nickelodeon Animation Studios


OUTSTANDING ANIMATED PROGRAM (FOR PROGRAMMING ONE HOUR OR MORE)

THE POWERPUFF GIRLS: TWAS THE FIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS * Cartoon Network * Cartoon Network Studios

STAR WARS: CLONE WARS * Cartoon Network * Cartoon Network Studios in association with Lucasfilm Ltd.


OUTSTANDING SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS FOR A SERIES

DEAD LIKE ME * “Pilot” * Showtime * Showtime Presents; MGM

STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE * “Countdown” * UPN * Paramount Studios

STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE * “The Council” * UPN * Paramount Studios

STARGATE SG-1 * “Lost City Part 2” * SCI FI * MGM Television in association with Double Secret Productions and Gekko Film Corp.