Anime is on the menu for this year’s Annie Awards, with a mix of series and features getting nods across various categories. Nominees include the likes of DAN DA DAN , Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc and Scarlet , with winners to be announced when the 53rd Annual Annie Awards are held on February 21, 2026. Mamoru Hosoda and Studio CHIZU’s Scarlet film leads the anime noms with three categories, including nominations for Best Feature – Independent, Best Writing – Feature and Best Direction – Feature. Both DAN DA DAN and Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc were recognized for their direction. Reze Arc ’s Tatsuya Yoshihara helped land the film in the Best Direction – Feature category, while DAN DA DAN ’s team of Fuga Yamashiro and Abel Góngora earned a nomination in Best Direction – TV/Media for the “Clash! Space Kaiju vs. Giant Robot!” episode. RELATED: Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc Surpasses 10 Billion Yen at the Japanese Box Office In related nominations, My Melody & Kuromi is up for Best TV/Media – Children, Star Wars: Visions – Volume 3 is up for Best TV/Media – Limited Series with david production’s “BLACK” episode and for Best FX – TV/Media with Polygon Pictures’ “The Bird of Paradise” episode. In video games and adjacent media, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds – The Animation has been nominated for Best Sponsored, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is up for Best Character Animation – Video Game and the Devil May Cry animated series is in the mix for Best Music – TV/Media with the episode “The First Circle.” The 53rd Annual Annie Awards will be held on February 21, 2026 at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles, CA. Source: Annie Awards
