# Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Animated Character in an Episode or Real-Time Project

The Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Animated Character in an Episode or Real-Time Project is one of the annual awards given by the Visual Effects Society, starting from 2002. Since its inception, the award's title has gone through several title changes, and one major category shift. First awarded in 2002, the award was titled "Best Character Animation in a Live Action Televised Program, Music Video or Commercial" and given to the best character animation in a televised program, with no specific character cited. This would change in 2004, when the category was re-titled "Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character in a Live Action Broadcast Program", and given to visual effects artists for work on a specified character. The category was again re-titled the following year, this time to "Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character in a Live Action Broadcast Program, Commercial, or Music Video". In 2008, it was titled "Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Broadcast Program or Commercial", but changed in 2014 to "Outstanding Performance of an Animated Character in a Commercial, Broadcast Program, or Video Game" and once again the next year to "Outstanding Animated Performance in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project". In the title changed to "Outstanding Animated Performance in an Episode or Real-Time Project" and, finally, in 2017 to "Outstanding Animated Character in an Episode or Real-Time Project"

## Winners and nominees
### 2000s

Best Character Animation in a Live Action Televised Program, Music Video, or Commercial
| Year | Program/Video/Commercial | Nominee(s) | Network |
| 2002 | Dinotopia | Mike Eames, Quentin Miles, Dadi Einarsson, Ben White | ABC |
| 2002 | Blockbuster Entertainment: Kung Fu | Scott Souter, Frank Petzold, Eric Reynolds, Todd Labonte | Scott Souter, Frank Petzold, Eric Reynolds, Todd Labonte |
| 2002 | Stargate SG-1: "Revelations" | James Tichenor, Craig Van Den Beggelaar, Kevin Little, Adam De Bosch Kemper | Showtime |
Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character in a Live Action Broadcast Program
| Year | Program | Character | Nominees | Network |
| 2004 | Kingdom Hospital | Antubis | Adam de Bosch Kemper, Brian Harder, Patrick Kalyn, Scott Paquin | ABC |
| 2004 | Battlestar Galactica: "33" | Cylon | Dustin Adair, Mark Shimer, Jesse Toves, Sean M. Jackson | Sci Fi |
Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character in a Live Action Broadcast Program, Commercial, or Music Video
| Year | Program | Character | Nominees | Network |
| 2005 | Battlestar Galactica: "Fragged" | Cylon Centurion | Andrew Karr, Louie Hinayo, Gary Hughes, Allan Henderson | Sci Fi |
| 2005 | Battlestar Galactica: "Valley of Darkness" | Cylon | Dustin Adair, Mark Shimer, Lane Jolly, Steve Graves | Sci Fi |
| 2005 | Surface: "Episode 2" | Nimrod | Eric Hance, Rob Bonchune, John Teska, Sean M. Jackson | NBC |
| 2006 | GEICO: Chat | The GEICO Gecko | David Hulin, Seth Gollub, Andy Walker, Jenny Bichsel | David Hulin, Seth Gollub, Andy Walker, Jenny Bichsel |
| 2006 | Battlestar Galactica: "Downloaded" | Cylon | Ryan Cronin, Louie Hinayo, Andy Asperin, Trevor Adams | Sci Fi |
| 2006 | Doctor Who: "Tooth and Claw" | Werewolf | Nicolas Hernandez, Jean-Claude Deguara, Neil Roche, Jean-Yves Audouard | BBC One |
| 2007 | The Chemical Brothers: The Salmon Dance | Fatlip Shots | Mike Mellor | Mike Mellor |
| 2007 | AMP | Paper | Ryan Cronin, Louie Hinayo, Andy Asperin, Trevor Adams | Ryan Cronin, Louie Hinayo, Andy Asperin, Trevor Adams |
| 2007 | Ben 10: Race Against Time | Grey Matter Sequence | Brent Young | Cartoon Network |
| 2007 | Doctor Who: "Last of the Time Lords" | Ancient Time Lord | Nicolas Hernandez, Adam Burnett, Neil Roche, Jean-Claude Deguara | BBC One |
| 2007 | Primeval: "Episode 6" | Predator Animation | Mathieu Vig, Antoine Birot, Simon Thistlethwaite, Kevin O'Sullivan | ITV |
| 2007 | Propel: Stress Monster | Stress Monster | Jeff Willette, Sean Andrew Faden, Matthew Hackett, Denis Gauthier | Jeff Willette, Sean Andrew Faden, Matthew Hackett, Denis Gauthier |
Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Broadcast Program or Commercial
| Year | Program | Character | Nominees | Network |
| 2008 | Britvic: Drench | Brains Dance | Thomas Tannenberger, Olcun Tan | Thomas Tannenberger, Olcun Tan |
| 2008 | Bacardi | Sundance | James J. Atkinson, John Cooper, Phillip Prahl | James J. Atkinson, John Cooper, Phillip Prahl |
| 2008 | Coke: Parade | Stewie Griffin | Ben Smith, Andrew Proctor | Ben Smith, Andrew Proctor |
Outstanding Animated Character in a Broadcast Program or Commercial
| Year | Program | Character | Nominees | Network |
| 2009 | AMF: Caterpillar | The Caterpillar | Steve Beck, Jamie O'Hara, Becky Porter, Robert Sethi | Steve Beck, Jamie O'Hara, Becky Porter, Robert Sethi |
| 2009 | Évian: Roller Babies | Skating Babies | Jorge Meurer, Jordi Oñate Isal, Emanuele Pavarotti, Wayne Simmons | Jorge Meurer, Jordi Oñate Isal, Emanuele Pavarotti, Wayne Simmons |
| 2009 | Pepsi: The Flight of the Penguin | Penguin | James Dick, Seth Gollub, R. Spencer Lueders, Andy Walker | James Dick, Seth Gollub, R. Spencer Lueders, Andy Walker |
| 2009 | Prep & Landing | Wayne | Dave Foley, Mark Mitchell, Hidetaka Yosumi, Leo Sanchez Barbosa | ABC |

### 2010s

| Year | Program | Character | Nominees | Network |
| 2010 | Citroën C3: The Spacebox | Citro | Michael Nauzin, Anne Chatelian, Gregory Mougne, Cedric Nicolas | Michael Nauzin, Anne Chatelian, Gregory Mougne, Cedric Nicolas |
| 2010 | Cadbury | Freida Steer | Raphael Pimentel, Thana Siripopungul | Raphael Pimentel, Thana Siripopungul |
| 2010 | Logitech: Robot | Robot | Robert Ramsdell, Darnell Isom, James Springham, Shelly Dutcher | Robert Ramsdell, Darnell Isom, James Springham, Shelly Dutcher |
| 2010 | Operation: Secret Santa — A Prep & Landing Stocking Stuffer | Lanny | Tony Smeed, Chad Sellers, Patrick Osborne, John Wong | ABC |
| 2011 | Canal+: The Bear | The Bear | Guillaume Ho Tsong Fang, Olivier Mitonneau, Michael Nauzin, Laurent Creusot | Guillaume Ho Tsong Fang, Olivier Mitonneau, Michael Nauzin, Laurent Creusot |
| 2011 | Audi A6 Avant: Hummingbird | The Hummingbird | Tom Bussell, Jorge Meurer | Tom Bussell, Jorge Meurer |
| 2011 | Carl's Jr.: Robot | Robot | Matt Heimlich, Robert Ramsdell, Frederic Hopp, Philip Ineno | Matt Heimlich, Robert Ramsdell, Frederic Hopp, Philip Ineno |
| 2011 | Game of Thrones: "Fire and Blood" | Game of Thrones: "Fire and Blood" | Henry Badgett, Mark A. Brown, Rafael Morant, James Sutton | HBO |
| 2012 | Game of Thrones | Training the Dragons | Irfan Celik, Florian Friedmann, Ingo Schachner, Chris Stenner | HBO |
| 2012 | Hallmark: Motherbrid | Motherbird | Vincent Baertsoen, Kevin Ives, Laurent Makowski, Joshua Merck | Vincent Baertsoen, Kevin Ives, Laurent Makowski, Joshua Merck |
| 2012 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Ted | James W. Brown, Brad Fox, Ross Nakamura, Jeffrey Woo | ABC |
| 2012 | Sinbad: "Pilot" | Sinbad: "Pilot" | Andrew Guest, James Moxon, James Reid, Greg Spencer | Sky One |
| 2013 | PETA: 98% Human | Apes | Vincent Baertsoen, Alexandre Allain, Henning Koczy | Vincent Baertsoen, Alexandre Allain, Henning Koczy |
| 2013 | Three: #DancePonyDance | The Pony | Carsten Keller, Jake Mengers, Tim van Hussen | Carsten Keller, Jake Mengers, Tim van Hussen |
| 2013 | Game of Thrones | Raising the Dragons | Philip Meyer, Ingo Schachner, Travis Nobles, Florian Friedmann | HBO |
| 2013 | Smithwick's: Squirrel | Squirrel | Tom Bussell, Jorge Meurer, Tom Raynor, Leonardo Costa | Tom Bussell, Jorge Meurer, Tom Raynor, Leonardo Costa |
| 2013 | Toy Story of Terror! | Toy Story of Terror! | Paul Aichele, Kiki Mei Kee Poh, Andrew Coats | ABC |
Outstanding Performance of an Animated Character in a Commercial, Broadcast Program, or Video Game
| Year | Program | Character | Nominees | Network |
| 2014 | SSE: Maya | Maya | Jorge Meurer, Alex Hammond, Daniel Kmet, Philippe Moine | Jorge Meurer, Alex Hammond, Daniel Kmet, Philippe Moine |
| 2014 | Freetime by Freesat | Sheldon | Russell Dodgson, Grant S.L. Walker, Juan Sebastian Niño Florez, Amar Chundavadra | Russell Dodgson, Grant S.L. Walker, Juan Sebastian Niño Florez, Amar Chundavadra |
| 2014 | Game of Thrones | Drogon | Philip Meyer, Thomas Kutschera, Igor Majdandzic, Mark Spindler | HBO |
| 2014 | John Lewis Christmas Advert: Monty the Penguin | Monty the Penguin | Diarmid Harrison-Murray, Tim van Hussen, Amir Bazazi, George Kyparissous | Diarmid Harrison-Murray, Tim van Hussen, Amir Bazazi, George Kyparissous |
Outstanding Animated Performance in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project
| Year | Program | Character | Nominees | Network |
| 2015 | SSE: Pier | Orangatan | Jorge Meurer, Sauce Vilas, Daniel Kmet, Sam Driscoll | Jorge Meurer, Sauce Vilas, Daniel Kmet, Sam Driscoll |
| 2015 | Game of Thrones: "The Dance of Dragons" | Drogon Arena Rescue | James Kinnings, Michael Holzl, Joseph Hoback, Matt Derksen | HBO |
| 2015 | Game of Thrones: "Mother's Mercy" | Wounded Drogon | Florian Friedmann, Jonathan Symmonds, Sven Schwarz, Sebastian Lauer | HBO |
| 2015 | Sainsbury's: Christmas Advert | Mogs | Juan Sebastian Niño Florez, Chris Hurtt, Joseph Henson, Gez Wright | Juan Sebastian Niño Florez, Chris Hurtt, Joseph Henson, Gez Wright |
Outstanding Animated Performance in an Episode or Real-Time Project
| Year | Program | Character | Nominees | Network |
| 2016 | Game of Thrones: "Battle of the Bastards" | Drogon | James Kinnings, Michael Holzi, Matt Derksen, Joeseph Hoback | HBO |
| 2016 | Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare | Staff Sergeant Usef Omar | James Kinnings, Michael Holzl, Joseph Hoback, Matt Derksen | James Kinnings, Michael Holzl, Joseph Hoback, Matt Derksen |
| 2016 | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them VR | Graphorn | John Montefusco, Michael Cable, Shayne Ryan, Andrew Rowan-Robinson | John Montefusco, Michael Cable, Shayne Ryan, Andrew Rowan-Robinson |
| 2016 | Game of Thrones: "Home" | Emaciated Dragon | Sebastian Lauer, Jonathan Symmonds, Thomas Kutschera, Anthony Sieben | HBO |
Outstanding Animated Character in an Episode or Real-Time Project
| Year | Program | Character | Nominees | Network |
| 2017 | Game of Thrones: "The Spoils of War" | Drogon Loot Train Attack | Murray Stevenson, Jason Snyman, Jenn Taylor, Florian Friedmann | HBO |
| 2017 | Black Mirror: "Metalhead" | Dog | Steven Godfrey, Stafford Lawrence, Andrew Robertson, Iestyn Roberts | Netflix |
| 2017 | Game of Thrones: "Beyond the Wall" | Zombie Polar Bear | Paul Story, Todd Labonte, Matthew Muntean, Nicholas Wilson | HBO |
| 2017 | Game of Thrones: "Eastwatch" | Drogon Meets Jon | Jonathan Symmonds, Thomas Kutschera, Philipp Winterstein, Andreas Krieg | HBO |
| 2018 | Lost in Space | Robot | Chad Shattuck, Paul Zeke, Julia Flanagan, Andrew McCartney | Netflix |
| 2018 | Cycles | Rae | Jose Luis Gomez Diaz, Edward Robbins, Jorge Ruiz, Jose Luis 'Weecho' Velasquez | Jose Luis Gomez Diaz, Edward Robbins, Jorge Ruiz, Jose Luis 'Weecho' Velasquez |
| 2018 | Nightflyers: "All That We Have Found" | Eris | Peter Giliberti, James Chretien, Ryan Cromie, Cesar Dacol Jr. | Syfy |
| 2018 | Spider-Man | Doc Ock | Brian Wyser, Henrique Naspolini, Sophie Brennan, William Salyers | Brian Wyser, Henrique Naspolini, Sophie Brennan, William Salyers |
| 2019 | Stranger Things | Tom/Bruce Monster | Joseph Dubé-Arsenault, Antoine Barthod, Frederick Gagnon, Xavier Lafarge | Netflix |
| 2019 | Lady and the Tramp | Tramp | Thiago Lima Martins, Arslan Elver, Stanislas Paillereau, Martine Chartrand | Disney+ |
| 2019 | The Mandalorian: "Chapter 2: The Child" | Mud Horn | Terence Bannon, Rudy Massar, Hugo Leygnac | Disney+ |
| 2019 | The Umbrella Academy: "We Only See Each Other at Weddings and Funerals" | Pogo | Aidan Martin, Craig Young, Olivier Beierlein, Laurent Herveic | Netflix |

### 2020s

| Year | Program | Character | Nominees | Network |
| 2020 | The Mandalorian: "Chapter 13: The Jedi" | The Child | John Rosengrant, Peter Clarke, Scott Patton, Hal Hickel | Disney+ |
| 2020 | The Crown: "The Balmoral Test" | Imperial Stag | Ahmed Gharraph, Ross Burgess, Gabriela Ruch Salmeron, Joel Best | Netflix |
| 2020 | The Mandalorian: "Chapter 9: The Marshal" | Krayt Dragon | Paul Kavanagh, Zaini Mohamed Jalani, Michal Kriukow, Nihal Friedel | Disney+ |
| 2020 | Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made | Total | Maxime Masse, Hennadii Prykhodko, Luc Girard, Sophie Burie | Disney+ |
| 2021 | The Witcher: "A Grain of Truth | Nivellen the Cursed Man | Marko Chulev, Rasely Ma, Mike Beaulieu, Robin Witzsche | Netflix |
| 2021 | Lisey's Story: "Lisey's Story" | The Long Boy | Mohsen Mousavi, Salauddin "Sallu" Kazi, Mattias Brunosson, Pablovsky Ramos-Nieves | Apple TV+ |
| 2021 | Love, Death & Robots: "Snow in the Desert" | Hirald | Maxime Luere, Zoé Pelegrin-Bomel, Laura Guerreiro, Florent Duport | Netflix |
| 2021 | The Witcher: "What Is Lost" | Leshy Eskel | Hannes Faupel, Stéphane Paccolat, Ivan Cadena Ayala, Laurent Fortin | Netflix |
| 2021 | Y: The Last Man | Ampersand | Mike Beaulieu, Michael Dharney, Peter Pi, Aidana Sakhvaliyeva | FX on Hulu |
| 2022 | The Umbrella Academy | Pogo | Aidan Martin, Hannah Dockerty, Olivier Beierlein, Miae Kang | Netflix |
| 2022 | She-Hulk: Attorney at Law | She-Hulk | Elizabeth Bernard, Jan Philip Cramer, Edwina Ting, Andrew Park | Disney+ |
| 2022 | Skull & Bones | Sam | Jonas Skoog, Jonas Törnqvist, Goran Milic, Jonas Vikström | Jonas Skoog, Jonas Törnqvist, Goran Milic, Jonas Vikström |
| 2022 | The Callisto Protocol | Jacob Lee | Martin Contel, Glauco Longhi, Jorge Jimenez, Atsushi Seo | Martin Contel, Glauco Longhi, Jorge Jimenez, Atsushi Seo |