‘Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio,’ ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Score Animation, VFX BAFTA Award Wins

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts annual BAFTA Awards were held over the weekend, where the three favorites for best animated film, special visual effects, and British short animation all came away winners.

ANIMATED FILM

Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio – Guillermo Del Toro, Mark Gustafson, Gary Ungar, Alex Bulkley

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

Avatar: The Way Of Water – Richard Baneham, Daniel Barrett, Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse – Peter Baynton, Charlie Mackesy, Cara Speller, Hannah Minghella

A favorite at any awards ceremony where it’s been nominated, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio came out on top once again at the BAFTAs, scooping the award for best animated film. It was also nominated for original score and production design, but those awards went to which went to All Quiet on the Western Front composer Volker Bertelmann and Babylon’s Florencia Martin and Anthony Carlino respectively.

Pinocchio was directed by del Toro and Mark Gustafson from a screenplay by del Toro and Patrick McHale. It’s a Netflix presentation of a Double Dare You! and Shadowmachine production in association with the Jim Henson Company.

This year’s BAFTA for best British short animation went to Peter Beynton and Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, produced by Cara Speller, Hannah Minghella, and Matthew Freud along with J.J. Abrams’s Bad Robot. The film is also nominated for the upcoming Oscars and looks like a strong contender, especially after the BAFTA win. It’s currently available to stream on Apple TV+.

James Cameron’s sci-fi sequel Avatar: The Way of Water won the BAFTA for best special visual effects, as it continues to steamroll its way through the award season picking up nearly every vfx honorific along the way. WetaFX was the vfx studio on the film which was produced by TSG Entertainment and Lightstorm Entertainment and distributed by 20th Century Studios.