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GKIDS Sweeps New Annie Awards Independent Feature Category

Indie animation distributor garners a total of 11 nominations for ‘Boy and the World,’ ‘Extraordinary Tales,’ ‘Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet’ and ‘When Marnie Was There.’

NEW YORK -- GKIDS continues its awards streak with a total of 11 Annie Award nominations for four of its titles -- Boy and the World, Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, When Marnie Was There and Extraordinary Tales. The independent animation distributor swept the inaugural year of the Annie’s “Best Animated Feature – Independent” category, taking three out of four nomination spots for Boy And The World, Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, and When Marnie Was There. Additionally, Extraordinary Tales garnered two nominations.

See below for a comprehensive list of all of GKIDS’ 2015 Annie Award nominations:

Boy and the World (Qualified for Academy Awards)

  • “Best Animated Feature – Independent”
  • Outstanding Achievement, Music in an Animated Feature Production”
  • “Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated Feature Production”

Brazilian artist Alê Abreu’s multiple award-winning masterpiece is a riotous explosion of music and color, a breathtakingly original and vibrant cinematic experience that depicts the wonders and struggles of the modern world as seen through the eyes of a young boy.

Cuca’s cozy rural life is shattered when his father leaves for the city, prompting him to embark on a quest to reunite his family. The young boy’s journey unfolds like a tapestry, the animation taking on greater complexity as his small world expands. Entering civilization, industrial landscapes are inhabited by animal-machines, with barrios of decoupage streets and shop windows, and flashing neon advertisements that illuminate the night. The story depicts a clash between village and city, hand crafted and mechanized, rich and poor – and throughout the tumult, the heart and soul of the people beats on as a song. The film’s music is on equal footing with the stunning visuals, a soundscape of pan-flute, samba, and Brazilian hip-hop mixing with the whirling carnival colors and exploding fireworks.

Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet (Qualified for Academy Awards)

  • “Best Animated Feature – Independent”
  • “Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated Feature Production”
  • “Outstanding Achievement, Editorial in an Animated Feature Production”

The Prophet, by celebrated Lebanese author Kahlil Gibran, is among the most popular volumes of poetry ever written, selling over 100 million copies in forty languages since its publication in 1923. Gibran’s timeless verses have been given enchanting new form in this painterly cinematic adventure about freedom and the power of human expression.

This breathtaking animated feature, produced and spearheaded by Salma Hayek, was an official selection at Cannes and made its North American premiere at Toronto International Film Festival. Written and directed by Roger Allers (The Lion King), the film intersperses Gibran’s elegant poetry within stunning animated sequences by filmmakers Tomm Moore (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea), Nina Paley (Sita Sings the Blues), Bill Plympton (Guide Dog), and a host of award-winning animators from around the world. Set in a Mediterranean sea-side village, Kamila (Salma Hayek) cleans house for exiled artist and poet Mustafa (Liam Neeson), but the more difficult job is keeping her free-spirited young daughter, Almitra, (Quvenzhané Wallis) out of trouble. The three embark on a journey meant to end with Mustafa’s return home -- but first they must evade the authorities who fear that the truth in his words will incite rebellion. Featuring music from Damien Rice, Glen Hansard, Lisa Hannigan and Yo-Yo Ma.

When Marnie Was There (Qualified for Academy Awards)

  • “Best Animated Feature – Independent”
  • “Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated Feature Production”
  • “Outstanding Achievement, Writing in an Animated Feature Production”

Sent from her foster home in the city one summer to a sleepy town by the sea in Hokkaido, Anna dreams her days away among the marshes. She believes she’s outside the invisible magic circle to which most people belong -- and shuts herself off from everyone around her, wearing her “ordinary face.” Anna never expected to meet a friend like Marnie, who does not judge Anna for being just what she is. But no sooner has Anna learned the loveliness of friendship than she begins to wonder about her newfound friend…

Based on the novel by Joan G. Robinson, When Marnie Was There is the newest film from Studio Ghibli, and the second feature film by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, the director of The Secret World of Arrietty.

Extraordinary Tales

  • “Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated Feature Production”
  • “Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production”

Five of Edgar Allan Poe’s best-known stories are brought to vivid life in this visually stunning, heart-pounding animated anthology featuring Sir Christopher Lee, Bela Lugosi, Julian Sands, Roger Corman and Guillermo del Toro. Murderous madmen, sinister villains and cloaked ghouls stalk the darkened corridors of Poe’s imagination, as his haunting tales are given a terrifying new twist by some of the most beloved figures in horror film history.

GKIDS is a distributor of award-winning feature animation for both adult and family audiences. Since 2009, the company has scored six Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations -- second only to Disney -- with The Secret of Kells in 2010, A Cat in Paris and Chico & Rita in 2012, Ernest & Celestine in 2014, and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya and Song of the Sea in 2015. GKIDS also handles North American theatrical distribution for the famed Studio Ghibli library of films, one of the world’s most coveted animation collections with titles Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and others.

Source: GKIDS

Jennifer Wolfe's picture

Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.