Kidscreen Awards 2021: ‘Bluey,’ ‘Lamp Life’ Lead Animation Winners
In the midst of the first-ever virtual Kidscreen Summit, the annual Kidscreen Awards were announced last week — also virtually. The awards, now in their 12th year, honor the best work produced in children’s tv and digital media.
In terms of animation, the big winners of the night were Ludo Studio’s series Bluey and Pixar’s short film Lamp Life. Both took home four prizes, including best animated series (preschool) and best in class (kids) respectively. Bluey, which follows the adventures of a young anthropomorphic dog, premiered in the U.S. on Disney Junior and now streams on Disney+. Lamp Life, a Toy Story spin-off, is exclusive to Disney+.
Two awards apiece were given to Adventure Time: Distant Lands and Central Park. The former is a series of hour-long HBO Max specials based on the wildly popular Cartoon Network series; the latter is Apple TV+’s flagship animated series for older viewers. Another notable winner was Molly of Denali, a series produced by Atomic Cartoons and WGBH Kids for PBS Kids. The first nationally distributed children’s show to star an Alaska Native character, it won one of Kidscreen’s inaugural “best inclusivity” awards.
Across the whole ceremony, PBS Kids took home the most prizes of any producer: eight in all. Among the animation winners, however, Disney came out top with seven (including two for its subsidiary 20th Television).
The awards are selected by two panels of industry judges (bar the broadcasting category, which is determined by a public vote). They are exclusively sponsored by the Canada Media Fund.
Below is a list of animated winners in the programming categories. For the full list of winners, head to Kidscreen’s website.
Programming: Preschool Category
Best New Series
Madagascar: A Little Wild
Dreamworks Animation
Best Animated Series
Bluey
Ludo Studio, BBC Studios, ABC Australia, Screen Queensland, Screen Australia
Best Short Film
Love is Love
Hopster Studios, Picnic Animation Studio
Programming: Kids Category
Best New Series
Tales of Arcadia: Wizards
Dreamworks Animation, Netflix
Best Animated Series
Forky Asks a Question
Pixar Animation Studios, Disney+
Best One-Off, Special or TV Movie
Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth
Apple, Studio AKA
Best Short Film
Lamp Life
Pixar Animation Studios, Disney+
Best Inclusivity
Molly of Denali
WGBH, Atomic Cartoons, PBS KIDS
Best in Class
Lamp Life
Pixar Animation Studios, Disney+
Programming: Tweens/Teens Category
Best Animated Series
Central Park
Apple, 20th Television
Best One-Off, Special or TV Movie
Adventure Time: Distant Lands
HBO Max, Cartoon Network Studios
Best in Class
Central Park
Apple, 20th Television
Creative Talent Category
Best Directing
Bluey
Ludo Studio, BBC Studios, ABC Australia, Screen Queensland, Screen Australia
Best Writing
Bluey
Ludo Studio, BBC Studios, ABC Australia, Screen Queensland, Screen Australia
Best Music
Bluey
Ludo Studio, BBC Studios, ABC Australia, Screen Queensland, Screen Australia
Best Animation
Lamp Life
Pixar Animation Studios, Disney+
Best Voice Talent
Lamp Life
Pixar Animation Studios, Disney+
Best Design
Adventure Time: Distant Lands
HBO Max, Cartoon Network Studios
