2007 Annie Awards

The folks at the Annie Awards just announced this year's recipients of the Winsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement which is "Animation's Highest Honor."

I am so excited by this year's recipients! The 2007 honors go to John Canemaker, Glen Keane, and John Kricfalusi.

Glen Keane has been the lead animator for many of Disney's best characters: Ariel, the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Tarzan, John Silver. Personally, he is my favorite artist of all time. He's been my hero since I first saw his Beast sketches 15 years ago.

John Canemaker is an Oscar winning animator and the author of many animation history books including the definitive Winsor McCay biography. Local reporter Terry Judd has been speaking to him in recent days about our Spring Lake McCay memorial plans and Canemaker's thoughts have been recorded in the Muskegon Chronicle. Congrats on the honor John!

Here's what the International Animated Film Society's page says about the Winsor McCay Award:

Since 1972, ASIFA-Hollywood has bestowed a very special award to individuals in recognition of lifetime or career contributions to the art of animation in producing, directing, animating, design, writing, voice acting, sound and sound effects, technical work, music, professional teaching, and for other endeavors which exhibit outstanding contributions to excellence in animation. The Winsor McCay Award stands as one of the highest honors given to an individual in the animation industry.

The list of recipients reads like a who's who in animation. From Max Fleischer to Daws Butler, and from Walt Disney to Gene Deitch, the honor's legacy to the history and craft of animation will continue to be a tribute to animation's finest.

You can read more about this year's recipients, and see a list of 35 years of winners here: Winsor McCay Award