The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, has announced the nominees for the 53rd Annual Annie Awards, with several Japanese anime productions and creators receiving prominent recognition across feature film, television, and video game categories.
Among the most notable nominees is Scarlet, the latest feature from director Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu. The film, known in Japan as Hateshi naki Scarlet, was nominated for Best Feature – Independent. In addition, Scarlet earned nominations for Best Direction – Feature and Best Writing – Feature, marking a strong showing for Hosoda’s latest work.
Another major contender is KPop Demon Hunters, directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans. The film was nominated for Best Feature and secured a broad range of additional nominations, including Best FX – Feature, Best Character Animation – Feature, Best Character Design – Feature, Best Direction – Feature, Best Music – Feature, Best Production Design – Feature, Best Voice Acting – Feature, Best Writing – Feature, and Best Editorial – Feature.
Anime titles also appeared in several other high-profile categories. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc received a nomination for Best Direction – Feature, while the television series Dan Da Dan was recognised in the Best Direction – TV/Media category for its episode “Clash! Space Kaiju vs. Giant Robot!”
The stop-motion series My Melody & Kuromi earned a nomination for Best TV/Media – Children for the episode “All For Our Best Friend.” Meanwhile, Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 received nominations in the Best TV/Media – Limited Series category for David Production’s short “BLACK,” as well as Best FX – TV/Media for Polygon Pictures’ “The Bird of Paradise.”
Anime-inspired projects tied to video games were also acknowledged. The animated series based on Devil May Cry earned a nomination for Best Music – TV/Media, while the animation project for Sonic Racing CrossWorlds was nominated in the Best Sponsored category.
In the gaming field, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, directed by Hideo Kojima, received a nomination for Best Character Animation – Video Game.
The 53rd Annual Annie Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on February 21. The awards are widely regarded as one of the animation industry’s highest honours, recognising excellence across film, television, and interactive media.
ASIFA-Hollywood introduced the Best Animated Independent Feature category in 2016 to spotlight international and independent productions that may not receive wide commercial exposure. Hosoda previously won the category in 2019 for Mirai.
In recent years, anime creators have also received individual honours, including awards for The Boy and the Heron in 2024 and the posthumous Winsor McCay Award presented to director Satoshi Kon in 2020.
While anime has not taken home Annie Awards in several recent years, the breadth of nominations in 2026 signals renewed recognition for the medium’s growing influence within global animation.
