Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Wererabbit won all ten Annie Awards for which it was nominated, the kind of sweeping victory that indicates that the cheese-loving inventor and his indomitable canine companion will likely take home the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.  Hayao Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle was nominated for Annies in three categories, but was shut out in the thirty-third event sponsored by International Animation Film Society of Hollywood.  Back when Spirited Away won the Oscar for 'Best Animated Feature' of 2002, it also took home four Annie Awards including 'Best Animated Feature.'  While there might not be as much suspense as there has been in previous years, a Wallace & Gromit win should allow pop culture retailers to profit from the increased public awareness that an Oscar for 'Best Animated Feature' brings (see 'Howl's Moving Castle Earns Academy Nod').

In other Annie News of interest to pop culture retailers, the Cartoon Network's Star Wars: Clone Wars won top honors as 'Best Animated Television Production' (don't forget Dark Horse's Clone Wars graphic novels, which have sold extremely well to younger readers), and Activision's Ultimate Spider-Man was named 'Best Animated Video Game.'