Kang's 'KPop Demon Hunters' leads long list of Sheridan grads receiving Annie Award nominations

A pair of Sheridan alumni lead the way in the recent list of nominees for the 53rd Annual Annie Awards, including recent Golden Globe Award winner Maggie Kang.

Kang (Animation ’04) co-created and co-directed the smash hit KPop Demon Hunters, which has been nominated in several movie categories, including for Best Feature, Best Direction, and Best Writing. 

Fellow Sheridan alum Domee Shi (Bachelor of Animation, ’11) co-directed Elio, which is also up for Best Feature, as well as several other honours.  

How To Train Your Dragon, which was directed by Dean DeBlois (Animation ’90), has been nominated in the category of Best Character Animation - Live Action. The Annies, which are the top distinction in the animation industry, will take place on Saturday, February 21 at a black-tie ceremony in Los Angeles. 

Graduates from the College are littered amongst the credits for many of the nominees, with dozens involved in the creation of How To Train Your Dragon, Zootopia 2, The Bad Guys 2, and Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum, in roles spanning from director and storyboard artist, to animator, effects artist, and writer. 

“Our alumni continue to stand tall amongst their peers in creative industries peers,” says Mark Jones, Dean of the Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design. “We are always proud to see the many names of our graduates listed in the credits of the incredible productions nominated, because it is both a testament to their hard work and creativity, as well as proof of where a Sheridan education can take you.” 

In addition, LightBox Expo — co-founded by Sheridan alumnus Bobby Chiu (Animation, ’02) — will be receiving a special achievement award at the event. LightBox Expo is a gathering of artists who work in the entertainment industry in films, animation, games, TV, and illustrations. 

Alumni from the Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design are no strangers to success at the Annies, as well as at other top creative awards competitions, including the Oscars, Emmys, and the Canadian Screen Awards. The Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design is the top animation school in Canada and continues to find new ways to respond to needs of creative industries, helping students unlock innovation and success. Last year, Sheridan was named as an Apple Distinguished School, launched the Honours Bachelor of 3D Animation and Emerging Technologies (3DAET), and unveiled Nova, an interdisciplinary initiative designed to explore changes in creative industries.