Animated Standouts ‘Nimona’ & “Moon Girl’ Awarded Humanitas Prizes

The 2024 Humanitas Prizes were presented Thursday, September 12 in Hollywood, toasting the “professional film and television writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful way.” This year, 56 writers were nominated. At the ceremony at Avalon, winners were each awarded a trophy (as well as a $10,000 cash prize).

This year, two animation projects were honored:

Annapurna/Netflix’s Oscar-nominated Nimona was awarded the Humanitas Prize for Family Feature Film. Based on the webcomic by non-binary & transmasculine creator ND Stevenson, the 2023 movie was lauded by critics and audiences as for its emotional story about two social outcasts (one, a shapeshifting “monster” and the other a disgraced knight) fighting for their place in the world; its powerful themes of acceptance, othering, transformation and found family; and its matter-of-fact treatment of queer romance — as well as its beautiful, inventive animation produced by DNEG. The award was bestowed on writers Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor.

Family Feature Nominees

• Elemental (Disney/Pixar) – John Hoberg, Kat Likkel, Brenda Hsueh
• Frybread Face and Me – Billy Luther
• A Million Miles Away – Bettina Gilois, Hernán Jiménez, Alejandra Márquez Abella

Based on the 2015 comics which introduced a new “Blerd” heroine (created by Brandon Montclare, Amy Reeder and Natacha Bustos) Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (Disney Television Animation/Marvel Studios/Cinema Gypsy Prod.) blasted onto the television scene on Disney Channel last year, earning rave reviews from critics and viewers alike. “Moon Girl” is 13-year-old Lunella Lafayette, a brilliant Black girl whose experiments accidentally bring Devil Dinosaur to present-day New York, kicking off a second life as a superhero protecting the city with her wits and bravery. The 2D-animated series is developed, showrun and executive produced by Steve Lotner, with voice star Laurence Fishburne and Helen Sugland executive producing for Cinema Gypsy.

The Humanitas Prize for Children’s Teleplay was awarded to Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur writer Halima Lucas for the episode “Ride or Die,” which sees Moon Girl make an unlikely team up with Quickwhip, who, she learns, is a girl much like her who came to the big city with much different dreams but was recruited by a supervillain while in desperate straits. The episode resolves with this former foe entering an outreach program that gives her a chance to pursue her former dream, instead of being locked up by S.H.I.E.L.D.

Children’s Teleplay Nominees

• Heartstopper “Perfect” – Alice Oseman
• Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin – Robb Armstrong, Craig Schulz, Bryan Schulz, Cornelius Uliano
• What If…? “Hela Found the Ten Rings?” – Matthew Chauncey

See the full list of nominees at humanitasprizes.org.