The recently completed DESTINO, which surrealist Spanish artist Salvador Dali and Walt Disney aborted in 1946 leaving behind unfinished fragments, storyboards, sketches and an original score, won the Grand Prize for Best Short Film at the 52nd Melbourne International Film Festival, Aug. 8, 2003. This first festival win for the five-minute animated short, which debuted out of competition at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June, now increases the chances for an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short. Rescued from the archives from Walt's nephew Roy Disney and completed largely at the Disney Studio France, DESTINO will now play at festivals in Venice (Aug. 27-Sept. 6), New York (Oct. 4-20), Chicago (Oct. 2-16) and Montreal (Oct. 9-19). David Stainton, president of Walt Disney Feature Animation and Disney Toon Studios, accepted the Grand Prix from lord mayor John So and MIFF patron Geoffrey Rush.

The jury also gave the top Australian award to HARVIE KRUMPET, Melbourne filmmaker Adam Elliot's clay-animated short that opened the 2003 MIFF. Narrated by Rush, the 22-minute film won three major awards at Annecy. HOW TO COPE WITH DEATH, a U.K. film directed by Ignacio Ferreras, won for Best Animated Short Film.