The Annie Award for Best Animated Feature – Independent is an Annie Award introduced in 2015, awarded annually.Best Independent Feature Category Added to Annie Awards
Recognition The category was created to recognize full-length films that did not get a wide release in the United States, such as the work of independent animators and international studios.
Statistics Cartoon Saloon, the Irish animation studio responsible for The Breadwinner and Wolfwalkers, have the most wins in this category with two. The French animation studio FolivariAbout|Folivari have the most nominations with four (winning for co-producing the aforementioned Wolfwalkers). GKIDS is the distributor with the most wins in this category with four.
Every winner in this category since its inception has gone on to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Flow became the first winner in this category to later go on to win said latter category.2025|Oscars.org
Winners and nominees
2010s Year Film Director(s) Studios Country 2015 (43rd) Boy and the World Alê Abreu Filme de Papel, GKIDS Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet Roger Allers Ventanarosa The Boy and the Beast Mamoru Hosoda Studio Chizu When Marnie Was There Hiromasa Yonebayashi Studio Ghibli 2016 (44th) The Red Turtle Michaël Dudok de Wit Studio Ghibli, Prima Linea Productions, Why Not Productions Long Way North Rémi Chayé Sacrebleu Productions, Maybe Movies, France 3 Cinéma Miss Hokusai Keiichi Hara Production I.G Your Name Makoto Shinkai CoMix Wave Films My Life as a Zucchini Claude Barras Rita Productions, Blue Spirit Productions, Gebeka Films 2017 (45th) The Breadwinner Nora Twomey Cartoon Saloon, Aircraft Pictures, Melusine Productions, GKIDS The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales... Benjamin Renner, Patrick Imbert Folivari, Panique!, StudioCanal, GKIDS In This Corner of the World Sunao Katabuchi MAPPA Napping Princess Kenji Kamiyama Nippon TV, Production I.G, GKIDS Loving Vincent Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman BreakThru Films 2018 (46th) Mirai Mamoru Hosoda Studio Chizu, GKIDS Ruben Brandt, Collector Milorad Krstić Hungarian National Film Fund MFKZ Shōjirō Nishimi, Guillaume "Run" Renard Ankama, Studio 4°C, GKIDS This Magnificent Cake! Marc James Roels, Emma de Swaef Beast Animation, Vivement Lundi!, Pedri Animation Tito and the Birds Gabriel Bitar, André Catoto, Gustavo Steinberg Bits Productions, Split Studio 2019 (47th) I Lost My Body Jérémy Clapin Xilam Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles Salvador Simó Hampa Animation Studio Okko's Inn Kitaro Kosaka Madhouse Studios Promare Hiroyuki Imaishi Studio Trigger, XFLAG Weathering with You Makoto Shinkai CoMix Wave Films
2020s Year Film Director(s) Studios Country 2020 (48th) Wolfwalkers Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart Apple TV+, GKIDS, Folivari, Cartoon Saloon A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon Richard Phelan, Will Becher StudioCanal, Aardman Animations, Anton Capital Entertainment, Netflix Calamity Jane Rémi Chayé Maybe Movies On-Gaku: Our Sound Kenji Iwaizawa Rock'n Roll Mountain, Tip Top Ride Your Wave Masaaki Yuasa Science Saru 2021 (49th) Flee Jonas Poher Rasmussen Final Cut for Real, Sun Creature, Vivement Lundi, MostFilm, Mer Film, VICE, Left HandFilms, Participant, NEON Belle Mamoru Hosoda Studio Chizu, GKIDS Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko Ayumu Watanabe Studio 4°C, GKIDSPompo the Cinephile Takayuki Hirao CLAP Animation Studio, GKIDS The Summit of the Gods Patrick Imbert Julianne Films, Folivari, Mélusine Productions, France 3 Cinéma, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, Wild Bunch, Palatine Etoile 17, Cinémage 14, Indéfilms 8, Netflix 2022 (50th) Marcel the Shell with Shoes On Dean Fleischer Camp Marcel the Movie LLC, A24 Charlotte Éric Warin, Tahir Rana January Films, Ltd., Balthazar Productions, Walking the Dog Inu-Oh Masaaki Yuasa Science Saru, GKIDS Little Nicholas: Happy as Can Be Amandine Fredon, Benjamin Massoubre On Classics (Mediawan), Bidibul Productions My Father's Dragon Nora Twomey Cartoon Saloon, Netflix 2023 (51st)'Nimona' Leads Annie Awards Animated Feature Competition' 'Wish' Snubbed - The Hollywood ReporterRobot Dreams Pablo Berger Arcadia Motion Pictures, Wild Bunch, NEON Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia Julien Chheng, Jean-Christophe Roger Folivari, Mélusine Productions, StudioCanal, GKIDS Four Souls of Coyote Áron Gauder Cinemon Entertainment The Inventor Jim Capobianco Curiosity Studios White Plastic Sky Tibor Bánóczki, Sarolta Szabó SALTO Films & Artichoke 2024 (52nd)Annie Awards Nominees: ‘The Wild Robot’ Leads with 10 Nods|Animation MagazineAnnie Awards 2025 Winners List: 'The Wild Robot' & 'Arcane' Dominate; 'Flow' Wins – DeadlineFlow Gints Zilbalodis Sacrebleu Productions, Take Five, Dream Well Studio, Janus Films Chicken for Linda! Chiara Malta, Sébastien Laudenbach Dolce Vita Films, Miyu Productions, Palosanto Films, France 3 Cinéma Kensuke’s Kingdom Neil Boyle, Kirk Hendry Mélusine Productions Look Back Kiyotaka Oshiyama Studio Durian Mars Express Jérémie Périn Everybody on Deck, Je Suis Bien Content Memoir of a Snail Adam Elliot Snails Pace Films / Arenamedia, IFC Films 2025 (53rd) ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ and ‘Elio’ Lead Annie Awards Nominations With 10 Nods EachArco Ugo Bienvenu Remembers, MountainA France, France 3 Cinéma, NEON I Am Frankelda Arturo and Roy Ambriz Cinema Fantasma, Warner Bros. Discovery, Woo Films, Cine Vendaval A Magnificent Life Sylvain Chomet Mediawan, What the Prod, Bidibul Productions Lost in Starlight Han Ji-won Netflix, Climax Studio Scarlet Mamoru Hosoda Studio Chizu
Multiple wins and nominations by studio
+ Wins by studioWinsStudio 2 Cartoon Saloon
+ Nominations by studioNominationsStudio 4 Folivari Mélusine Productions Studio Chizu 3 Cartoon Saloon StudioCanal 2 Studio Ghibli CoMix Wave Films Maybe Movies Production I.G Studio 4°C Science Saru Wild Bunch Sacrebleu Productions Bidibul Productions Method Animation
See also Annecy Crystal for a Feature Film Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film Annie Award for Best Animated Feature Producers Guild of America Award for Best Animated Motion Picture BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film
References
External links