(Source: www.thestar.com)

DreamWorks Animation SKG had a banner year for Annie nominations, garnering 17 nods for Flushed Away and Over the Hedge. The Annies honour the best in film, television and home animation.

In an ironic twist, Flushed Away is the top nominated draw for DreamWorks, with nine nods for directing (David Bowers and Sam Fell), writing, and a voice acting nomination for Sir Ian McKellen who portrayed the villainous Toad. Spiralling costs ($149 million) and battles between DreamWorks and co-producer Aardman Animation doomed Flushed Away at the box office.

Tied with Flushed Away for most nominations is Disney/Pixar's Cars, John Lasseter's ode to the American highway. That movie earned nods for Best Feature Film, Best Score (for composer Randy Newman) and Best Director for Lasseter (Toy Story), who became Chief Creative Officer at Disney earlier this year.