Introduction
The year 2024 has been nothing short of extraordinary for the world of animation, showcasing a dazzling array of stories, styles, and innovations that captivated audiences across the globe. From deeply personal narratives to visually groundbreaking spectacles, the animation industry reached new creative heights, earning widespread recognition from critics, festivals, and prestigious institutions alike.
Two films in particular emerged as defining forces this year: The Boy and the Heron, the long-awaited return of legendary director Hayao Miyazaki, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the ambitious and stylistically bold sequel that pushed the boundaries of what animated storytelling can achieve. While The Boy and the Heron earned top honors at the Academy Awards, BAFTAs, and Golden Globes, Across the Spider-Verse dominated the guilds, critics’ associations, and technical categories, highlighting its wide-ranging impact.
Independent and international animation also shone brightly, with Pablo Berger’s Robot Dreams capturing hearts and winning acclaim from the Annie Awards, Goya Awards, and European Film Awards, while Memoir of a Snail took top prize at Annecy. Television and streaming platforms contributed significantly to the animation landscape as well, with Blue Eye Samurai and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off standing out as critical darlings.
Together, these winners reflect a vibrant, diverse, and evolving animation industry that continues to innovate and inspire, proving that the medium is not only alive and well but leading the charge in cinematic storytelling.
Awards
- Academy Award for Best Animated Feature: The Boy and the Heron
- Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film: War Is Over!
- American Cinema Editors Award for Best Edited Animated Feature Film: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Annecy International Animated Film Festival Cristal du long métrage: Memoir of a Snail
- Annie Award for Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Annie Award for Best Animated Feature — Independent: Robot Dreams
- Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production: Blue Eye Samurai
- Astra Film Award for Best Animated Film: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film: The Boy and the Heron
- BAFTA Award for Best Short Animation: Crab Day
- Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Animated Film: The Boy and the Heron
- Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards for Best Animated Feature: Nimona
- César Award for Best Animated Film: Chicken for Linda!
- Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film: The Boy and the Heron
- Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Animated Series: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
- Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film: The Boy and the Heron
- European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film: Robot Dreams
- Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Film: The Boy and the Heron
- Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film: The Boy and the Heron
- Golden Reel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR for Animated Feature Film: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Goya Award for Best Animated Film: Robot Dreams
- Japan Academy Film Prize for Animation of the Year: The Boy and the Heron
- Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite Animated Movie: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film: The Boy and the Heron
- Mainichi Film Award for Best Animation Film: Maboroshi
- Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Award for Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse[20]
- National Board of Review Award for Best Animated Film: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Film: The Boy and the Heron
- Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Animated Film: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Producers Guild of America Award for Best Animated Motion Picture: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Animated Film: The Boy and the Heron
- San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Feature: The Boy and the Heron
- Saturn Award for Best Animated Film: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Seattle Film Critics Society Award for Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Tokyo Anime Award: The First Slam Dunk
- Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film: Robot Dreams
- Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse