The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, announced the winners for its 46th Annual Annie Awards on Saturday, and Mamoru Hosoda’s Mirai anime film won the Best Animated Independent Feature category. Hosoda himself was in attendance and accepted the award. He explained how his own children inspired the story for the film in his acceptance speech.
Other films nominated in the category were Studio 4°C and Ankama’s MFKZ (Mutafukaz), Ce Magnifique Gâteau !, Ruben Brandt, Collector, and Tito and the Birds.
Mirai also received a nomination in the “Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production” category, but Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman won the award for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
ASIFA-Hollywood added the Best Animated Independent Feature award for the 2016 awards in order to “recognize not only features in wide release, but also the independent animators, international studios, anime and special productions that might not otherwise get the attention they deserve.” The Annie Awards recognize outstanding achievement in animation.