For many consumers, the name Disney is synonymous with animation.
And for good reason.
Disney animators set the bar absurdly high over the decades, delivering memorable character designs and stunning vistas. The company’s acquisition of Pixar only enhanced that reputation.
None of that mattered to the folks behind the Annie Awards.
‘Nimona’ has the most nominations at the 2024 Annie Awards. (9) pic.twitter.com/9an5PGTk9c
— ToonHive (@ToonHive) January 11, 2024
The group honors the best animation in a given year, akin to the Oscars in the field. And, for the first time in its history, no Disney film is in the running for Best Feature.
The Wrap reports on the shocking development.
In the 31 years that the category has been in existence, Disney/Pixar have landed 53 nominations and won 18 times.
Not this time. And it can’t be blamed on a lack of product.
In 2023 Disney released “Elemental,” a Pixar feature that under-performed at the box office and “Wish,” an unabashed flop. Neither film earned raves from film critics.
Disney competitors fared far better in the Annie Awards nominations, including “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “The Boy and the Heron” and “Suzume.”
The body blow comes after a brutal year for the Mouse House. Disney endured a humiliating string of box office defeats, including “Wish,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” “The Marvels” and “Haunted Mansion.”
The company also gave 7,000 employees a pink slip last year, part of a belt-tightening effort to balance out its stock woes and streaming service losses.
Disney’s aggressive posturing in the current Culture War debates hardly helped its bottom line.
CEO Bob Iger has vowed to “quiet the noise” on that front following Disney’s attacks on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. It also comes on the heels of Disney’s adding sexually suggestive content to children’s entertainment, likefeaturing a tampon scene to its “Baymax” streaming series.
Yet Disney yanked its advertising from X, the freer speech platform run by Elon Musk, a move with clear political implications.