VES Awards: ‘Kubo’ Leads Animation Pack With Six Nominations
Nominations were announced today for the 15th annual VES Awards, recognizing outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation in film, animation, television, commercials, and games.
Kubo and the Two Strings is the top animated film contender with six nominations, followed by four apiece for Moana and Finding Dory. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story received the most feature film nominations with seven; Doctor Strange and The Jungle Book follow with six each. Game of Thrones leads the broadcast field with 11 nods.
The VES Awards, despite leaning toward computer animation, couldn’t ignore the masterful technical finesse of Kubo, a hybrid production that employs stop motion for its character performances. Kubo picked up a nomination for overall visual effects, as well as multiple character animation noms for both its title character and Monkey. The film earned two more nods in the ‘created environment’ category, and one for its effects simulation of water.
Before getting too excited though, remember that the most nominations received by any animated film last year was The Peanuts Movie, yet the Walt Disney Company swept the animation awards. Incredibly, no animation producer besides Disney has won an award in any VES animation category for the last four years running.
The nominees in the 24 categories were selected by Visual Effects Society members in ten different regions, including Australia, Bay Area, London, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York, Toronto, and Vancouver.
The VES Awards will be presented on February 7 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. In addition to the competitive awards, a lifetime achievement honor will be presented to vfx veteran Ken Ralston, and the Visionary Award will be given to Marvel Studios executive vice president of physical production Victoria Alonso, who was profiled on the Brew a few months ago.
The nominees for the 15th Annual VES Awards in 24 categories are as follows:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Doctor Strange
Stephane Ceretti
Susan Pickett
Richard Bluff
Vincent Cirelli
Paul Corbould
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Christian Manz
Olly Young
Tim Burke
Pablo Grillo
David Watkins
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children
Frazer Churchill
Hal Couzens
Andrew Lockley
Jelmer Boskma
Hayley Williams
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
John Knoll
Erin Dusseault
Hal Hickel
Nigel Sumner
Neil Corbould
The Jungle Book
Robert Legato
Joyce Cox
Andrew R. Jones
Adam Valdez
JD Schwalm
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Allied
Kevin Baillie
Sandra Scott
Brennan Doyle
Viktor Muller
Richard Van Den Bergh
Deepwater Horizon
Craig Hammack
Petra Holtorf-Stratton
Jason Snell
John Galloway
Burt Dalton
Jason Bourne
Charlie Noble
Dan Barrow
Julian Gnass
Huw Evans
Steve Warner
Silence
Pablo Helman
Brian Barlettani
Ivan Busquets
Juan Garcia
R. Bruce Steinheimer
Sully
Michael Owens
Tyler Kehl
Mark Curtis
Bryan Litson
Steven Riley
Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature
Finding Dory
Angus MacLane
Lindsey Collins- p.g.a.
John Halstead
Chris J. Chapman
Kubo and the Two Strings
Travis Knight
Arianne Sutner
Steve Emerson
Brad Schiff
Moana
Kyle Odermatt
Nicole P. Hearon
Hank Driskill
Ian Gooding
The Little Prince
Mark Osborne
Jinko Gotoh
Pascal Bertrand
Jamie Caliri
Zootopia
Scott Kersavage
Bradford S. Simonsen
David Goetz
Ernest J. Petti
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
Black Mirror; Playtest
Justin Hutchinson-Chatburn
Russell McLean
Grant Walker
Christopher Gray
Game of Thrones; Battle of the Bastards
Joe Bauer
Steve Kullback
Glenn Melenhorst
Matthew Rouleau
Sam Conway
Stranger Things; Demogorgon
Marc Kolbe
Aaron Sims
Olcun Tan
The Expanse; Salvage
Robert Munroe
Clint Green
Kyle Menzies
Tom Turnbull
Westworld; The Bicameral Mind
Jay Worth
Elizabeth Castro
Bobo Skipper
Gustav Ahrén
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
Black Sails; XX
Erik Henry
Terron Pratt
Aladino Debert
Yafei Wu
Paul Stephenson
Penny Dreadful; The Day Tennyson Died
James Cooper
Bill Halliday
Sarah McMurdo
Mai-Ling Lee
Roots; Night One
Simon Hansen
Paul Kalil
Theo le Roux Preist
Wicus Labuschagne
Max Poolman
The Man in the High Castle; Volkshalle
Lawson Deming
Cory Jamieson
Casi Blume
Nick Chamberlain
Vikings; The Last Ship
Dominic Remane
Mike Borrett
Ovidiu Cinazan
Paul Wishart
Paul Byrne
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Brian Horton
Keith Pope
David Johnson
Tobias Stromvall
Dishonored 2; Crack in the Slab
Sebastien Mitton
Guillaume Curt
Damien Laurent
Jean-Luc Monnet
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; Virtual Reality
Andy Rowans-Robinson
Karen Czukerberg
John Montefusco
Corrina Wilson
Resh Sidhu
Gears of War 4
Kirk Gibbons
Zoe Curnoe
Aryan Hanbeck
Colin Penty
Quantum Break
Janne Pulkkinen
Elmeri Raitanen
Matti Hamalainen
Ville Assinen
Uncharted 4
Bruce Straley
Eben Cook
Iki Ikram
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial
Coke Mini; A Mini Marvel
Vincent Cirelli
Michael Perdew
Brendan Seals
Jared Simeth
For Honor
Maxime Luere
Leon Berelle
Dominique Boidin
Remi Kozyra
John Lewis; Buster the Boxer
Diarmid Harrison-Murray
Hannah Ruddleston
Fabian Frank
William Laban
Titanfall 2; Become One
Dan Akers
Tiffany Webber
Chris Bedrosian
Waitrose; Coming Home
Jonathan Westley -Wes-
Alex Fitzgerald
Jorge Montiel
Adam Droy
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
Dream of Anhui
Chris Morley
Lee Hahn
Alex Hessler
Kent Matheson
Pirates of the Caribbean; Battle for the Sunken Treasure
Bill George
Amy Jupiter
Hayden Landis
David Lester
Soarin’ Over the Horizon
Marianne McLean
Bill George
Hayden Landis
Dorne Huebler
Thomas Tait
Skull Island: Reign of Kong
John Gibson
Arish Fyzee
Sachin Shrestha
Anshul Mathuria
Voyage of Time: The IMAX Experience
Dan Glass
Brett Harding
Tom Debenham
Brian Delmonico
Matt Pulliam
Outstanding Animated Performance in a Photoreal Feature
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; Niffler
Laurent Laban
Gabriel Beauvais-Tremblay
Luc Girard
Romain Rico
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story; Grand Moff Tarkin
Sven Jensen
Jee Young Park
Steve Walton
Cyrus Jam
The Jungle Book; King Louie
Paul Story
Dennis Yoo
Jack Tema
Andrei Coval
The Jungle Book; Shere Khan
Benjamin Jones
Julio Del Rio Hernandez
Jake Harrell
James Hood
Warcraft; Durotan
Sunny Wei
Brian Cantwell
Brian Paik
Jee Young Park
Outstanding Animated Performance in an Animated Feature
Finding Dory; Hank
Jonathan Hoffman
Steven Clay Hunter
Mark Piretti
Audrey Wong
Kubo and the Two Strings; Kubo
Jeff Riley
Ian Whitlock
Adam Lawthers
Jeremy Spake
Kubo and the Two Strings; Monkey
Andy Bailey
Dobrin Yanev
Kim Slate
Jessica Lynn
Moana; The Mighty Maui
Mack Kablan
Nikki Mull
Matthew Schiller
Marc Thyng
Outstanding Animated Performance in an Episode or Real-Time Project
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare; Omar
Bernardo Antoniazzi
Aaron Beck
Jason Greenberg
Chris Barnes
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
John Montefusco
Michael Cable
Shayne Ryan
Andy Rowan-Robinson
Game of Thrones; Battle of the Bastards; Drogon
James Kinnings
Michael Holzl
Matt Derksen
Joeseph Hoback
Game of Thrones; Home; Emaciated Dragon
Sebastian Lauer
Jonathan Symmonds
Thomas Kutschera
Anthony Sieben
Outstanding Animated Performance in a Commercial
John Lewis; Buster the Boxer
Tim van Hussen
David Bryan
Chloe Dawe
Maximillian Mallman
Opel Motorsport; Racing Faces; Lion
Jorge Montiel
Jacob Gonzales
Sauce Vilas
Alberto Lara
SSE; Neon House; Baby Pixel
Jorge Montiel
Daniel Kmet
Sauce Vilas
Peter Agg
Waitrose; Coming Home
Jorge Montiel
Nick Smalley
Andreas Graichen
Alberto Lara
Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature
Deadpool; Freeway Assault
Seth Hill
Jedediah Smith
Laurent Taillefer
Marc-Antoine Paquin
Doctor Strange; London
Brendan Seals
Raphael A. Pimentel
Andrew Zink
Gregory Ng
Doctor Strange; New York City
Adam Watkins
Martijn van Herk
Tim Belsher
Jon Mitchell
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story; Scarif Complex
Enrico Damm
Kevin George
Olivier Vernay-Kim
Yanick Dusseault
Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature
Finding Dory; Open Ocean Exhibit
Stephen Gustafson
Jack Hattori
Jesse Hollander
Michael Rutter
Kubo and the Two Strings; Hanzo’s Fortress
Phil Brotherton
Nick Mariana
Emily Greene
Joe Strasser
Kubo and the Two Strings; Waves
David Horsley
Eric Wachtman
Daniel Leatherdale
Takashi Kuboto
Moana; Motonui Island
Rob Dressel
Andy Harkness
Brien Hindman
Larry Wu
Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project
Black Sails; XXVIII; Maroon Island
Thomas Montminy-Brodeur
Deak Ferrand
Pierre Rousseau
Mathieu Lapierre
Dishonored 2; Clockwork Mansion
Sebastien Mitton
Guillaume Curt
Damien Laurent
Jean-Luc Monnet
Game of Thrones; Battle of the Bastards; Meereen City
Deak Ferrand
Dominic Daigle
François Croteau
Alexandru Banuta
Game of Thrones; The Winds of Winter; Citadel
Edmond Engelbrecht
Tomoka Matsumura
Edwin Holdsworth
Cheri Fojtik
The Man in the High Castle; Volkshalle
Casi Blume
David Andrade
Nick Chamberlain
Lawson Deming
Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Photoreal Project
Doctor Strange; New York Mirror Dimension
Landis Fields
Mathew Cowie
Frederic Medioni
Faraz Hameed
Game of Thrones; Battle of the Bastards
Patrick Tiberius Gehlen
Michelle Blok
Christopher Baird
Drew Wood-Davies
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story; Space Battle
John Levin
Euisung Lee
Steve Ellis
Barry Howell
The Jungle Book
Bill Pope
Robert Legato
Gary Roberts
John Brennan
Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project
Deepwater Horizon; Deepwater Horizon Rig
Kelvin Lau
Jean Bolte
Kevin Sprout
Kim Vongbunyong
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story; Princess Leia
Paul Giacoppo
Gareth Jensen
Todd Vaziri
James Tooley
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story; Star Destroyer
Jay Machado
Marko Chulev
Akira Orikasa
Steven Knipping
Star Trek Beyond; Enterprise
Daniel Nicholson
Rhys Salcombe
Chris Elmer
Andreas Maaninka
Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature
Alice Through the Looking Glass; Rust
Klaus Seitschek
Joseph Pepper
Jacob Clark
Cosku Turhan
Doctor Strange; Hong Kong Reverse Destruction
Florian Witzel
Georges Nakhle
Azhul Mohamed
David Kirchner
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story; Jedha Destruction
Miguel Perez Senent
Matt Puchala
Ciaran Moloney
Luca Mignardi
The Jungle Book; Nature Effects
Oliver Winwood
Fabian Nowak
David Schneider
Ludovic Ramisandraina
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature
Finding Dory
Stephen Gustafson
Allen Hemberger
Joshua Jenny
Matthew Kiyoshi Wong
Kubo and the Two Strings; Water
David Horsley
Peter Stuart
Timur Khodzhaev
Terrance Tornberg
Moana
Marc Henry Bryant
David Hutchins
John M. Kosnik
Dale Mayeda
Zootopia
Nicholas Burkard
Moe El-Ali
Claudia Chung Sanii
Thom Wickes
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project
Game of Thrones; Battle of the Bastards
Kevin Blom
Sasmit Ranadive
Wanghua Huang
Ben Andersen
Game of Thrones; Battle of the Bastards; Meereen City
Thomas Hullin
Dominik Kirouac
James Dong
Xavier Fourmond
John Lewis; Buster the Boxer
Diarmid Harrison-Murray
Tushar Kewlani
Radu Ciubotariu
Ben Thomas
Sky; Q
Michael Hunault
Gareth Bell
Paul Donnellan
Joshua Curtis
Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Feature
Doctor Strange; New York City
Matthew Lane
Jose Fernandez
Ziad Shureih
Amy Shepard
Independence Day: Resurgence; Under The Mothership
Mathew Giampa
Adrian Sutherland
Daniel Lee
Ed Wilkie
The Jungle Book
Christoph Salzmann
Masaki Mitchell
Matthew Adams
Max Stummer
X-Men: Apocalypse; Quicksilver Rescue
Jess Burnheim
Alana Newell
Andy Peel
Matthew Shaw
Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Episode
Black Sails; XX; Sailing Ships
Michael Melchiorre
Kevin Bouchez
Heather Hoyland
John Brennick
Game of Thrones; Battle of the Bastards; Meereen City
Thomas Montminy-Brodeur
Patrick David
Michael Crane
Joe Salazar
Game of Thrones; Battle of the Bastards; Retaking Winterfell
Dominic Hellier
Morgan Jones
Thijs Noij
Caleb Thompson
Game of Thrones; The Door; Land of Always Winter
Eduardo Díaz
Aníbal Del Busto
Angel Rico
Sonsoles López-Aranguren
Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Commercial
Canal; Kitchen
Dominique Boidin
Leon Berelle
Maxime Luere
Remi Kozyra
John Lewis; Buster the Boxer
Tom Harding
Alex Snookes
David Filipe
Andreas Feix
Kenzo; Kenzo World
Evan Langley
Benjamin Nowak
Rob Fitzsimmons
Phylicia Feldman
LG; World of Play
Jay Bandlish
Udesh Chetty
Carl Norton
Waitrose; Coming Home
Jonathan Westley -Wes-
Gary Driver
Milo Paterson
Nina Mosand
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project
Breaking Point
Johannes Franz
Nicole Rothermel
Thomas Sali
Alexander Richter
Elemental
Adrian Meyer
Lena-Carolin Lohfink
Denis Krez
David Bellenbaum
Garden Party
Victor Caire
Gabriel Grapperon
Théophile Dufresne
Lucas Navarro
Shine
Mareike Keller
Dennis Mueller
Meike Mueller
