The Animated Feature Race Narrows As ‘Spider-Verse’ Tops Critics Choice Awards

Sony Pictures Animation’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Studio Ghibli’s The Boy and the Heron have been trading punches in the fight for animated feature supremacy this awards season, with the Spider-sequel scoring the latest blow at the Critics Choice Awards.

Across the Spider-Verse, directed by the trio of Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, took the top animated feature prize at the Sunday night ceremony, topping a field that included Ghilbli’s The Boy and the Heron, Pixar’s Elemental, Netflix and Annapurna’s Nimona, Paramount and Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and Disney’ Wish.

Spider-Verse composer Daniel Pemberton was nominated for best score, but that prize went to Ludwig Göransson for his work on Oppenheimer.

Science Saru’s anime adaptation Scott Pilgrim Takes Off was selected as the year’s top animated series by the Critics Awards, beating out Ludo Studio’s Bluey, 20th Television Animation’s Bob’s Burgers, Warner Bros. Animation’s Harley Quinn, CBS’s Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Sony Pictures Animation’s Young Love. Scott Pilgrim is based on the graphic novel by Bryan Lee O’Malley, who showran the series with BenDavid Grabinski.

Oppenheimer won best visual effects at the ceremony in a win for invisible vfx, a style often used in period films and adult dramas where the goal is to enhance the authenticity of the setting but not call attention to the fx work. DNEG handled vfx for the film, the eighth time the company has worked with director Christopher Nolan.

Other animation nominees included The Super Mario Bros. Movie song “Peaches” and Wish tune “This Wish,” but Barbie’s “I’m Just Ken” took home the prize.

2024 Critics Awards Winners:

Best Animated Feature

• The Boy and the Heron (Studio Ghibli)
• Elemental (Pixar)
• Nimona (Netflix)
• WINNER: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures Animation)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (Paramount)
• Wish (Disney)

Best Animated Series

• WINNER: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Netflix)
•  Bluey (Disney+)
• Bob’s Burgers (Fox)
• Harley Quinn (HBO | Max)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+)
• Young Love (HBO | Max)

Best Visual Effects

• The Creator (20th Century Studios)
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Disney)
• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (Paramount)
• WINNER: Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
•  Poor Things (Searchlight Pictures)
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)

Best Song

• “Dance the Night” – Barbie
•  WINNER: “I’m Just Ken” – Barbie
•  “Peaches” – The Super Mario Bros. Movie
•  “Road to Freedom” – Rustin
•  “This Wish” – Wish
•  “What Was I Made For” – Barbie

Best Score

• Jerskin Fendrix – Poor Things
•  Michael Giacchino – Society of the Snow
•  WINNER: Ludwig Göransson – Oppenheimer
•  Daniel Pemberton – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
•  Robbie Robertson – Killers of the Flower Moon
•  Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt – Barbie