(L-R) Teddy Newton, Kevin Reher, Tom Gately (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images North America)
The 9th Annual Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards, a show that honors achievements in visual effects and animation, took place Tuesday night at the Beverly Hilton. While Toy Story 3 had been nominated for two awards, it turned out to be a bigger night for Teddy Newton’s Day & Night.
The animated short film had been nominated in the following category:
Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Short
- Looney Tunes – Coyote Falls
- Day & Night
- Paths of Hate
- Tick Tock Tale
- Cat Shit One – The Animated Series
Director Teddy Newton, producer Kevin Reher, and supervising animator Tom Gately were on hand to accept the award. The beautifully animated film demonstrated that complexity does not necessarily rely on story alone. Rather, story along with stunning animation and effects all work together to create something special. The cleverness of the short (mixing 2D and 3D) also likely helped score Day & Night the award.
However, Toy Story 3 was shut out in its two nominated categories:
Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
- Tangled
- How To Train Your Dragon
- Toy Story 3
- Shrek Forever After
- Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole
Outstanding Effects Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
- Shrek Forever After
- How To Train Your Dragon
- Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole
- Toy Story 3
How To Train Your Dragon, easily Dreamworks Animation’s best film to date, took honors in the two aforementioned categories.
The awards season rolls on, as Toy Story 3 and Day & Night continue to receive nominations and awards. Stay tuned for full coverage of their journey down the red carpet.
(Image from Zimbio, where more pictures of Newton, Reher, and Gately can be seen)
