2021 Daytime Emmys: ‘Paddington,’ ‘Hilda,’ ‘Animaniacs’ Win Big

The winners of the 48th annual Daytime Emmy Awards in children’s and animation programming, presented by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), were announced on Saturday in a live-streamed ceremony. Read on for our analysis of the animation categories.

Hilda was named best children’s animated series, an award for which it had previously been nominated in 2019; it (jointly) won a second award for editing.

Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Paddington, featuring the perennially popular bear, won best preschool children’s animated series and a second award for its writing.

But the biggest winner of the night was Hulu’s Animaniacs reboot, which took home four prizes.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we can say that Netflix and Disney dominate the list. Of the 25 winners, eight were Netflix shows, eight on platforms owned by Disney (four for Hulu, two for Disney Channel, two for Disney+). Netflix won for five different productions, Disney for four.

When the nominations were announced, we pointed out that streaming platforms had received marginally more than linear broadcasters. That skew is more pronounced among the winners: streamers won 17 awards, networks only six. (Two went to the vr project and film Baba Yaga, from prolific Emmy winners Baobab Studios.)

Here are the animation winners:

Preschool Children’s Animated Series

The Adventures of Paddington — Nickelodeon

Children’s Animated Series

Hilda — Netflix

Special Class Daytime Animated Program

Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth — Apple TV+

Performer in a Preschool Animated Program

Mark Hamill, as Vuli — Elena of Avalor — Disney Channel

Performer in a Daytime Animated Program

Parker Simmons, as Mao Mao, King Snugglemagne, Slim Pigguns, Guard — Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart — Cartoon Network

Writing Team for a Preschool Animated Program

The Adventures of Paddington — Nickelodeon

Writing Team for a Daytime Animated Program

Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe — Disney+

Directing Team for a Preschool Animated Program

Go! Go! Cory Carson — Netflix

Directing Team for a Daytime Animated Program

Baba Yaga — Baobab Studios

Voice Directing Team for a Daytime Animated Program

Animaniacs — Hulu

Music Direction & Composition for a Preschool, Children’s, or Animated Program

The Tom & Jerry Show — Boomerang

Original Song for a Preschool, Children’s or Animated Program

Animaniacs — Hulu

Casting for a Daytime Animated Program

Elena of Avalor — Disney Channel

Main Title for a Daytime Animated Program

Tales of Arcadia: Wizards — Netflix

Editing for a Preschool Animated Program

Stillwater — Apple TV+

Editing for a Daytime Animated Program

Animaniacs — Hulu
Hilda — Netflix
(joint winners)

Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for a Preschool Animated Program

Dragons Rescue Riders: Secrets of the Songwing — Netflix

Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for a Daytime Animated Program

Star Wars: The Clone Wars — Disney+

Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation

• Kal Athannassov, art director — Baba Yaga — Baobab Studios
• Anne Moth, 3d animator — Here We Are: Notes For Living on Planet Earth — Apple TV+
• Mike Dutton, set designer — Go! Go! Cory Carson — Netflix
• Chris Sasaki, production designer — Go! Go! Cory Carson — Netflix
• Zesung Kang, director — Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous — Netflix
• Karl Hadrika, storyboard artist — Animaniacs — Hulu