# Annie Award for Best Animated Feature – Independent

The Annie Award for Best Animated Feature – Independent is an Annie Award introduced in 2015, awarded annually.

## Recognition

The category was created to recognize full-length films that did not get a wide release in the United States, such as the work of independent animators and international studios.

## Statistics

Cartoon Saloon, the Irish animation studio responsible for The Breadwinner and Wolfwalkers, have the most wins in this category with two. The French animation studio Folivari have the most nominations with four (winning for co-producing the aforementioned Wolfwalkers). GKIDS is the distributor with the most wins in this category with four.
Every winner in this category since its inception has gone on to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Flow became the first winner in this category to later go on to win Best Animated Feature.

## Winners and nominees
### 2010s

| Year | Film | Studios |
| 2015 (43rd) |
| 2015 (43rd) | Boy and the World | Filme de Papel, GKIDS |
| 2015 (43rd) | Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet | Ventanarosa |
| 2015 (43rd) | The Boy and the Beast | Studio Chizu |
| 2015 (43rd) | When Marnie Was There | Studio Ghibli |
| 2016 (44th) |
| 2016 (44th) | The Red Turtle | Studio Ghibli, Prima Linea Productions, Why Not Productions |
| 2016 (44th) | Long Way North | Sacrebleu Productions, Maybe Movies, France 3 Cinéma |
| 2016 (44th) | Miss Hokusai | Production I.G |
| 2016 (44th) | My Life as a Zucchini | Rita Productions, Blue Spirit Productions, Gebeka Films |
| 2016 (44th) | Your Name | CoMix Wave Films |
| 2017 (45th) |
| 2017 (45th) | The Breadwinner | Cartoon Saloon, Aircraft Pictures, Melusine Productions,GKIDS |
| 2017 (45th) | The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales | Folivari, Panique!, StudioCanal, GKIDS |
| 2017 (45th) | In This Corner of the World | MAPPA |
| 2017 (45th) | Loving Vincent | BreakThru Films |
| 2017 (45th) | Napping Princess | Nippon TV, Production I.G, GKIDS |
| 2018 (46th) |
| 2018 (46th) | Mirai | Studio Chizu, GKIDS |
| 2018 (46th) | MFKZ | Ankama, Studio 4°C, GKIDS |
| 2018 (46th) | Ruben Brandt, Collector | Hungarian National Film Fund |
| 2018 (46th) | This Magnificent Cake! | Beast Animation, Vivement Lundi!, Pedri Animation |
| 2018 (46th) | Tito and the Birds | Bits Productions, Split Studio |
| 2019 (47th) |
| 2019 (47th) | I Lost My Body | Xilam |
| 2019 (47th) | Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles | Hampa Animation Studio |
| 2019 (47th) | Okko's Inn | Madhouse Studios |
| 2019 (47th) | Promare | Studio Trigger, XFLAG |
| 2019 (47th) | Weathering with You | CoMix Wave Films |

### 2020s

| Year | Film | Studios |
| 2020 (48th) |
| 2020 (48th) | Wolfwalkers | Apple TV+, GKIDS, Folivari, Cartoon Saloon |
| 2020 (48th) | A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon | StudioCanal, Aardman Animations, Anton Capital Entertainment, Netflix |
| 2020 (48th) | Calamity Jane | Maybe Movies |
| 2020 (48th) | On-Gaku: Our Sound | Rock'n Roll Mountain, Tip Top |
| 2020 (48th) | Ride Your Wave | Science SARU |
| 2021 (49th) |
| 2021 (49th) | Flee | Final Cut for Real, Sun Creature, Vivement Lundi, MostFilm, Mer Film, VICE, Left HandFilms, Participant, NEON |
| 2021 (49th) | Belle | Studio Chizu, GKIDS |
| 2021 (49th) | Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko | Studio 4°C, GKIDS |
| 2021 (49th) | Pompo the Cinephile | CLAP Animation Studio, GKIDS |
| 2021 (49th) | The Summit of the Gods | Julianne Films, Folivari, Mélusine Productions, France 3 Cinéma, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, Wild Bunch, Palatine Etoile 17, Cinémage 14, Indéfilms 8, Netflix |
| 2022 (50th) |
| 2022 (50th) | Marcel the Shell with Shoes On | Marcel the Movie LLC, A24 |
| 2022 (50th) | Charlotte | January Films, Ltd., Balthazar Productions, Walking the Dog |
| 2022 (50th) | Inu-Oh | Science SARU, GKIDS |
| 2022 (50th) | Little Nicholas: Happy As Can Be | On Classics (Mediawan), Bidibul Productions |
| 2022 (50th) | My Father's Dragon | Cartoon Saloon, Netflix |
| 2023 (51st) |
| 2023 (51st) | Robot Dreams | Arcadia Motion Pictures, Wild Bunch, NEON |
| 2023 (51st) | Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia | Folivari, Mélusine Productions, StudioCanal, GKIDS |
| 2023 (51st) | Four Souls of Coyote | Cinemon Entertainment |
| 2023 (51st) | The Inventor | Curiosity Studios |
| 2023 (51st) | White Plastic Sky | SALTO Films & Artichoke |
| 2024 (52nd) |
| 2024 (52nd) | Flow | Sacrebleu Productions, Take Five, Dream Well Studio, Janus Films |
| 2024 (52nd) | Chicken for Linda! | Dolce Vita Films, Miyu Productions, Palosanto Films, France 3 Cinéma |
| 2024 (52nd) | Kensuke’s Kingdom | Mélusine Productions |
| 2024 (52nd) | Look Back | Studio Durian |
| 2024 (52nd) | Mars Express | Everybody on Deck, Je Suis Bien Content |
| 2024 (52nd) | Memoir of a Snail | Snails Pace Films / Arenamedia, IFC Films |

## Multiple wins and nominations by studio

Wins by studio :
| Wins | Studio |
| 2 | Cartoon Saloon |
Nominations by studio :
| Nominations | Studio |
| 4 | Folivari |
| 4 | Mélusine Productions |
| 3 | Studio Chizu |
| 3 | Cartoon Saloon |
| 3 | StudioCanal |
| 2 | Studio Ghibli |
| 2 | CoMix Wave Films |
| 2 | Maybe Movies |
| 2 | Production I.G |
| 2 | Studio 4°C |
| 2 | Science SARU |
| 2 | Wild Bunch |
| 2 | Sacrebleu Productions |