‘Coco,’ ‘War for the Planet of the Apes,’ ‘Game of Thrones’ Dominate VES Awards
Winners were announced tonight for the 16th annual VES Awards during a ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. The awards are highly craft-specific, honoring specific components of visual effects artistry rather than the overall films themselves.
Disney-Pixar’s Coco won all four of the event’s awards that are presented to feature animation: an overall prize for visual effects, as well as honors for animated character, created environment, and effects simulation.
The most-nominated animation film, Despicable Me 3, with five nods, was shut out completely, as was The Lego Ninjago Movie, which had four nominations. That’s hardly a surprise. In the last six years, the Walt Disney Company’s animated films have won 23 out of 24 possible VES animation awards; the sole exception was last year when Laika’s Kubo and the Two Strings slipped away with the overall visual effects award.
On the photoreal film side, War for the Planet of the Apes dominated with four wins – visual effects, animated character, effects simulation, and compositing. The animated character award was for Andy Serkis’ Caesar. Serkis may be able to convince the public that he does it all, but there’s no fooling the VES voters who recognize the incredible artistry and effort required by animators and visual effects artists to make Serkis’ performances believable and whole.
The strong showing for Apes tonight sets up the film as the odds-on favorite to win the visual effects Academy Award. Other photoreal winners at the VES included Blade Runner 2049, with two awards for outstanding model and created environment, and Dunkirk and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 with a single award each.
Game of Thrones, which is as unstoppable in the VES broadcast categories as the Walt Disney Company is in the feature animation ones, picked up five awards, the same number as it did last year. On the advertising side, this MPC-produced Samsung commercial “Do What You Can’t” picked up three honors:
Additionally, a lifetime achievement honor was presented to producer-writer-director Jon Favreau, and the VES Georges Méliès Award was presented to visual effects artist and supervisor Joe Letteri.
Here is the complete list of winners:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
War for the Planet of the Apes
Joe Letteri
Ryan Stafford
Daniel Barrett
Dan Lemmon
Joel Whist
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Dunkirk
Andrew Jackson
Mike Chambers
Andrew Lockley
Alison Wortman
Scott Fisher
Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature
Coco
Lee Unkrich
Darla K. Anderson
David Ryu
Michael K. O’Brien
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
Game of Thrones; Beyond the Wall
Joe Bauer
Steve Kullback
Chris Baird
David Ramos
Sam Conway
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
Black Sails; XXIX
Erik Henry
Terron Pratt
Yafei Wu
David Wahlberg
Paul Dimmer
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project
Assassin’s Creed Origins
Raphael Lacoste
Patrick Limoges
Jean-Sebastien Guay
Ulrich Haar
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial
Samsung; Do What You Can’t; Ostrich
Diarmid Harrison-Murray
Tomek Zietkiewicz
Amir Bazazi
Martino Madeddu
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
Avatar: Flight of Passage
Richard Baneham
Amy Jupiter
David Lester
Thrain Shadbolt
Outstanding Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature
War for the Planet of the Apes; Caesar
Dennis Yoo
Ludovic Chailloleau
Douglas McHale
Tim Forbes
Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature
Coco; Hèctor
Emron Grover
Jonathan Hoffman
Michael Honsel
Guilherme Sauerbronn Jacinto
Outstanding Animated Character in an Episode or Real-Time Project
Game of Thrones; The Spoils of War; Drogon Loot Train Attack
Murray Stevenson
Jason Snyman
Jenn Taylor
Florian Friedmann
Outstanding Animated Character in a Commercial
Samsung; Do What You Can’t; Ostrich
David Bryan
Maximilian Mallmann
Tim Van Hussen
Brendan Fagan
Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature
Blade Runner 2049; Los Angeles
Chris McLaughlin
Rhys Salcombe
Seungjin Woo
Francesco Dell’Anna
Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature
Coco; City of the Dead
Michael Frederickson
Jamie Hecker
Jonathan Pytko
Dave Strick
Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project
Game of Thrones; Beyond the Wall; Frozen Lake
Daniel Villalba
Antonio Lado
José Luis Barreiro
Isaac de la Pompa
Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Photoreal Project
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2; Groot Dance/Opening Fight
James Baker
Steven Lo
Alvise Avati
Robert Stipp
Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project
Blade Runner 2049; LAPD Headquarters
Alex Funke
Steven Saunders
Joaquin Loyzaga
Chris Menges
Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature
War for the Planet of the Apes
David Caeiro Cebrián
Johnathan Nixon
Chet Leavai
Gary Boyle
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature
Coco
Kristopher Campbell
Stephen Gustafson
Dave Hale
Keith Klohn
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project
Game of Thrones; The Dragon and the Wolf; Wall Destruction
Thomas Hullin
Dominik Kirouac
Sylvain Nouveau
Nathan Arbuckle
Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Feature
War for the Planet of the Apes
Christoph Salzmann
Robin Hollander
Ben Morgan
Ben Warner
Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Episode
Game of Thrones; The Spoils of War; Loot Train Attack
Dom Hellier
Thijs Noij
Edwin Holdsworth
Giacomo Matteucci
Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Commercial
Samsung; Do What You Can’t; Ostrich
Michael Gregory
Andrew Roberts
Gustavo Bellon
Rashabh Ramesh Butani
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project
Hybrids
Florian Brauch
Romain Thirion
Matthieu Pujol
Kim Tailhades
