VES Award: "Despicable Me 3" leads animated film, 5 nominations

Nominations were announced today for the 16th annual VES Awards, recognizing outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation in film, animation, television, commercials, and games.

Despicable Me 3 is the top animated film contender with five nominations, followed by four apiece for The Lego Ninjago Movie and Coco.

Despicable Me 3 received its five honors in the following categories: outstanding visual effects, animated character (Bratt), created environment (Hollywood destruction scene), model (Dru's car), and effects simulation. It's a strong showing for Illumination Mac Guff, the French studio that made the film. At the previous VES edition, Mac Guff's two films – The Secret Life of Pets and Sing – were both denied nominations.

On the live-action feature side, Blade Runner 2049 and War for the Planet of the Apes tied for the most nominations with seven each. In the broadcast field, Game of Thrones leads the pack with 11 nominations.

The nominees in the 24 categories were selected by Visual Effects Society members in ten different regions, including Australia, Bay Area, London, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York, New Zealand, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington.

The VES Awards will be presented on February 13 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. In addition to the competitive awards, a lifetime achievement honor will be presented to producer-writer-director Jon Favreau, and the VES Georges Méliès Award will be presented to visual effects artist and supervisor Joe Letteri

The nominees for the 16th Annual VES Awards are as follows:

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal FeatureBlade Runner 2049 John Nelson Karen Murphy Mundell Paul Lambert Richard Hoover Gerd Nefzer

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Christopher Townsend Damien Carr Guy Williams Jonathan Fawkner Dan Sudick

Kong: Skull Island Jeff White Tom Peitzman Stephen Rosenbaum Scott Benza Michael Meinardus

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Ben Morris Tim Keene Eddie Pasquarello Daniel Seddon Chris Corbould

War for the Planet of the Apes Joe Letteri Ryan Stafford Daniel Barrett Dan Lemmon Joel Whist

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature

Darkest Hour Stephane Naze Warwick Hewett Guillaume Terrien Benjamin Magana

Downsizing James E. Price Susan MacLeod Lindy De Quattro Stéphane Nazé

Dunkirk Andrew Jackson Mike Chambers Andrew Lockley Alison Wortman Scott Fisher

Mother! Dan Schrecker Colleen Bachman Ben Snow Wayne Billheimer Peter Chesney

Only the Brave Eric Barba Dione Wood Matthew Lane Georg Kaltenbrunner Michael Meinardus

Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature

Captain Underpants David Soren Mark Swift Mirielle Soria David Dulac

Cars 3 Brian Fee Kevin Reher Michael Fong Jon Reisch

Coco Lee Unkrich Darla K. Anderson David Ryu Michael K. O'Brien

Despicable Me 3 Pierre Coffin Chris Meledandri Kyle Balda Eric Guillon

The LEGO Batman Movie Rob Coleman Amber Naismith Grant Freckelton Damien Gray

The LEGO Ninjago Movie Gregory Jowle Fiona Chilton Miles Green Kim Taylor

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; Orientation Part 1 Mark Kolpack Sabrina Arnold David Rey Kevin Yuille Gary D'Amico

Game of Thrones; Beyond the Wall Joe Bauer Steve Kullback Chris Baird David Ramos Sam Conway

Legion; Chapter 1 John Ross Eddie Bonin Sebastien Bergeron Lionel Lim Paul Benjamin

Star Trek: Discovery; The Vulcan Hello Jason Michael Zimmerman Aleksandra Kochoska Ante Dekovic Mahmoud Rahnama

Stranger Things 2; The Gate Paul Graff Christina Graff Seth Hill Joel Sevilla Caius the Man

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode

Black Sails; XXIX Erik Henry Terron Pratt Yafei Wu David Wahlberg Paul Dimmer

Fear The Walking Dead; Sleigh Ride Peter Crosman Denise Gayle Philip Nussbaumer Martin Pelletier Frank Ludica

Mr. Robot; eps3.4_runtime-err0r.r00 Ariel Altman Lauren Montuori John Miller Luciano DiGeronimo

Outlander; Eye of the Storm Richard Briscoe Elicia Bessette Aladino Debert Filip Orrby Doug Hardy

Taboo; Pilot Henry Badgett Tracy McCreary Nic Birmingham Simon Rowe Colin Gorry

Vikings; On the Eve Dominic Remane Mike Borrett Ovidiu Cinazan Paul Wishart Paul Byrne

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project

Assassin's Creed Origins Raphael Lacoste Patrick Limoges Jean-Sebastien Guay Ulrich Haar

Call of Duty: WWII Joe Salud Atsushi Seo Danny Chan Jeremy Kendall

Fortnite; A Hard Day's Night Michael Clausen Gavin Moran Brian Brecht Andrew Harris

Sonaria Scot Stafford Camille Cellucci Kevin Dart Theresa Latzko

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Shaun Escayg Tate Mosesian Eben Cook

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial

Beyond Good and Evil 2 Leon Berelle Maxime Luère Dominique Boidin Remi Kozyra

Kia Niro; Hero's Journey Robert Sethi Anastasia von Rahl Tom Graham Chris Knight Dave Peterson

Mercedes Benz; King of the Jungle Simon French Josh King Alexia Paterson Leonardo Costa

Monster; Opportunity Roars Ruben Vandebroek Clairellen Wallin Kevin Ives Kyle Cody

Samsung; Do What You Can't; Ostrich Diarmid Harrison-Murray Tomek Zietkiewicz Amir Bazazi Martino Madeddu

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project

Avatar: Flight of Passage Richard Baneham Amy Jupiter David Lester Thrain Shadbolt

Corona;Paraiso Secreto Adam Grint Jarrad Vladich Roberto Costas Fernández Ed Thomas Felipe Linares

Guardians of the Galaxy; Mission: BREAKOUT! Jason Bayever Amy Jupiter Mike Bain Alexander Thomas

National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey Thilo Ewers John Owens Gioele Cresce Mariusz Wesierski

Nemo and Friends SeaRider Anthony Apodaca Kathy Janus Brandon Benepe Nick Lucas Rick Rothschild

Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire Ben Snow Judah Graham Ian Bowie Curtis Hickman David Layne

Outstanding Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature

Blade Runner 2049; Rachael Axel Akkeson Stefano Carta Wesley Chandler Ian Cooke-Grimes

Kong: Skull Island; Kong Jakub Pistecky Chris Havreberg Karin Cooper Kris Costa

War for the Planet of the Apes; Bad Ape Eteuati Tema Aidan Martin Florian Fernandez Mathias Larserud

War for the Planet of the Apes; Caesar Dennis Yoo Ludovic Chailloleau Douglas McHale Tim Forbes

Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature

Coco; Hèctor Emron Grover Jonathan Hoffman Michael Honsel Guilherme Sauerbronn Jacinto

Despicable Me 3; Bratt Eric Guillon Bruno Dequier Julien Soret Benjamin Fournet

The LEGO Ninjago Movie; Garma Mecha Man Arthur Terzis Wei He Jean-Marc Ariu Gibson Radsavanh

The Boss Baby; Boss Baby Alec Baldwin Carlos Puertolas Rani Naamani Joe Moshier

The LEGO Ninjago Movie; Garmadon Matthew Everitt Christian So Loic Miermont Fiona Darwin

Outstanding Animated Character in an Episode or Real-Time Project

Black Mirror: Metalhead Steven Godfrey Stafford Lawrence Andrew Robertson Lestyn Roberts

Game of Thrones; Beyond the Wall; Zombie Polar Bear Paul Story Todd Labonte Matthew Muntean Nicholas Wilson

Game of Thrones; Eastwatch; Drogon Meets Jon Jonathan Symmonds Thomas Kutschera Philipp Winterstein Andreas Krieg

Game of Thrones; The Spoils of War; Drogon Loot Train Attack Murray Stevenson Jason Snyman Jenn Taylor Florian Friedmann

Outstanding Animated Character in a Commercial

Beyond Good and Evil 2; Zhou Yuzhu Dominique Boidin Maxime Luère Leon Berelle Remi Kozyra

Mercedes Benz; King of the Jungle Steve Townrow Joseph Kane Greg Martin Gabriela Ruch Salmeron

Netto; The Easter Surprise; Bunny Alberto Lara Jorge Montiel Antoine Mariez Jon Wood

Samsung; Do What You Can't; Ostrich David Bryan Maximilian Mallmann Tim Van Hussen Brendan Fagan

Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature

Blade Runner 2049; Los Angeles Chris McLaughlin Rhys Salcombe Seungjin Woo Francesco Dell'Anna

Blade Runner 2049; Trash Mesa Didier Muanza Thomas Gillet Guillaume Mainville Sylvain Lorgeau

Blade Runner 2049; Vegas Eric Noel Arnaud Saibron Adam Goldstein Pascal Clement

War for the Planet of the Apes; Hidden Fortress Greg Notzelman James Shaw Jay Renner Gak Gyu Choi

War for the Planet of the Apes; Prison Camp Phillip Leonhardt Paul Harris Jeremy Fort Thomas Lo

Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature

Cars 3; Abandoned Racetrack Marlena Fecho Thidaratana Annee Jonjai Jose L. Ramos Serrano Frank Tai

Coco; City of the Dead Michael Frederickson Jamie Hecker Jonathan Pytko Dave Strick

Despicable Me 3; Hollywood Destruction Axelle De Cooman Pierre Lopes Milo Riccarand Nicolas Brack

The LEGO Ninjago Movie; Ninjago City Kim Taylor Angela Ensele Felicity Coonan Jean Pascal leBlanc

Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project

Assassin's Creed Origins; City of Memphis Patrick Limoges Jean-Sebastien Guay Mikael Guaveia Vincent Lombardo

Game of Thrones; Beyond the Wall; Frozen Lake Daniel Villalba Antonio Lado José Luis Barreiro Isaac de la Pompa

Game of Thrones; Eastwatch Patrice Poissant Deak Ferrand Dominic Daigle Gabriel Morin

Still Star-Crossed; City Rafael Solórzano Isaac de la Pompa José Luis Barreiro Óscar Perea

Stranger Things 2;The Gate Saul Galbiati Michael Maher Seth Cobb Kate McFadden

Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Photoreal Project

Beauty and the Beast; Be Our Guest Shannon Justison Casey Schatz Neil Weatherley Claire Michaud

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2; Groot Dance/Opening Fight James Baker Steven Lo Alvise Avati Robert Stipp

Star Wars: The Last Jedi; Crait Surface Battle Cameron Neilson Albert Cheng John Levin Johanes Kurnia

Thor: Ragnarok; Valkyrie's Flashback Hubert Maston Arthur Moody Adam Paschke Casey Schatz

Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project

Blade Runner 2049; LAPD Headquarters Alex Funke Steven Saunders Joaquin Loyzaga Chris Menges

Despicable Me 3; Dru's Car Eric Guillon François-Xavier Lepeintre Guillaume Boudeville Pierre Lopes

Life; The ISS Tom Edwards Chaitanya Kshirsagar Satish Kuttan Paresh Dodia

US Marines; Anthem; Monument Tom Bardwell Paul Liaw Adam Dewhirst

Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature

Kong: Skull Island Florent Andorra Alexis Hall Raul Essig Branko Grujcic

Only the Brave; Fire & Smoke Georg Kaltenbrunner Thomas Bevan Philipp Zaufel Himanshu Joshi

Star Wars: The Last Jedi; Bombing Run Peter Kyme Miguel Perez Senent Ahmed Gharraph Billy Copley

Star Wars: The Last Jedi; Mega Destroyer Destruction Mihai Cioroba Ryoji Fujita Jiyong Shin Dan Finnegan

War for the Planet of the Apes David Caeiro Cebrián Johnathan Nixon Chet Leavai Gary Boyle

Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature

Cars 3 Greg Gladstone Stephen Marshall Leon JeongWook Park Tim Speltz

Coco Kristopher Campbell Stephen Gustafson Dave Hale Keith Klohn

Despicable Me 3 Bruno Chauffard Frank Baradat Milo Riccarand Nicolas Brack

Ferdinand Yaron Canetti Allan Kadkoy Danny Speck Mark Adams

The Boss Baby Mitul Patel Gaurav Mathur Venkatesh Kongathi

Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project

Game of Thrones; Beyond the Wall; Frozen Lake Manuel Ramírez Óscar Márquez Pablo Hernández David Gacituaga

Game of Thrones; The Dragon and the Wolf; Wall Destruction Thomas Hullin Dominik Kirouac Sylvain Nouveau Nathan Arbuckle

Heineken; The Trailblazers Christian Bohm Andreu Lucio Archs Carsten Keller Steve Oakley

Outlander; Eye of the Storm; Stormy Seas Jason Mortimer Navin Pinto Greg Teegarden Steve Ong

Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Feature

Blade Runner 2049; LAPD Approach and Joy Holograms Tristan Myles Miles Lauridsen Joel Delle-Vergin Farhad Mohasseb

Kong: Skull Island Nelson Sepulveda Aaron Brown Paolo Acri Shawn Mason

Thor: Ragnarok; Bridge Battle Gavin McKenzie David Simpson Owen Carroll Mark Gostlow

War for the Planet of the Apes Christoph Salzmann Robin Hollander Ben Morgan Ben Warner

Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Episode

Game of Thrones; Beyond the Wall; Frozen Lake Óscar Perea Santiago Martos David Esteve Michael Crane

Game of Thrones; Eastwatch Thomas Montminy Brodeur Xavier Fourmond Reuben Barkataki Sébastien Raets

Game of Thrones; The Spoils of War; Loot Train Attack Dom Hellier Thijs Noij Edwin Holdsworth Giacomo Matteucci

Star Trek: Discovery Phil Prates Rex Alerta John Dinh Karen Cheng

Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Commercial

Destiny 2;New Legends Will Rise Alex Unruh Michael Ralla Helgi Laxdal Timothy Gutierrez

Nespresso; Comin' Home Matt Pascuzzi Steve Drew Martin Lazaro Karch Coon

Samsung; Do What You Can't; Ostrich Michael Gregory Andrew Roberts Gustavo Bellon Rashabh Ramesh Butani

Virgin Media; Delivering Awesome Jonathan Westley John Thornton Milo Paterson George Cressey

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project

Creature Pinup Christian Leitner Juliane Walther Kiril Mirkov Lisa Ecker

Hybrids Florian Brauch Romain Thirion Matthieu Pujol Kim TailhadesLes Pionniers de l'Univers Clementine Courbin Matthieu Guevel Jérôme Van Beneden Anthony Rege

The Endless Nicolas Lourme Corentin Gravend Edouard Calemard Romaric Vivier