With the 2024 event just around the corner, the World Animation Summit has revealed this year’s Hall of Fame Awards winners — celebrating the artists and executives behind animation’s most iconic titles and enduring classics — as well as a raft of esteemed industry speakers and must-see panels. The event, presented by Animation Magazine, will be held November 3-6 at the boutique North Hollywood hotel, The Garland.
The 2024 awards honorees will be celebrated at an opening night gala on Sunday, November 3. The ceremony will be hosted by Emmy-winning actor, Eric Bauza, the voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and many other animated stars.
2024 Hall of Fame Award Winners
Pete Docter
Chief Creative Officer
Pixar
Presented by Kelsey Mann, director of Inside Out 2
Lisa Henson
CEO
The Jim Henson Company
Presented by Craig Bartlett, creator of Hey Arnold!
Nick Park
Creator-Director
Wallace & Gromit
Presented by Merlin Crossingham, co-director of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Claudia Katz
Executive Producer
Futurama
Presented by Rich Moore, director of Wreck-It Ralph
Bento Box Entertainment
Studio of the Year
Joel Kuwahara
Presented by Wendy & Lizzie Molyneux, creators of The Great North
Kay Wilson Stallings
EVP, Chief Creative Development & Production Officer
Sesame Workshop
Presented by Teri Weiss, EVP of Television Development, DreamWorks Animation
Raymond Zibach
Production Designer
The Wild Robot
Presented by Jeff Hermann, producer of The Wild Robot
Kevin Michael Richardson
Voice Actor
Invincible, The Simpsons, The Super Mario Bros. Movie and others
Presented by Tom Ruegger, creator/writer/producer, Animaniacs
All photographs of 2024 Hall of Fame winners provided by the honorees to Animation Magazine.
World Animation Summit Panels & Keynotes
- Studio Head Roundtable with Kristine Belson (Sony Pictures Animation), Margie Cohn (DreamWorks Animation) and Ramsey Naito (Paramount Animation/Nickelodeon Animation)
- Independents’ Day: Featuring the directors of Memoir of a Snail (Adam Elliot), Piece By Piece (Morgan Neville) and The Glassworker (Usman Riaz).
- Games Without Frontiers: A look at the new shows based on popular game-inspired titles including Arcane Season 2 and Secret Level, with Tim Miller, Arnaud-Loris Baudry and Curtis Lelash.
- Adult Animation: The Next Generation, with Dean Lorey (Creature Commandos), Mark Levin (Big Mouth) and Sung Jin Ahn (The Legend of Vox Machina).
- Survive in ’25: Everything you need to know to thrive in animation during an absolutely trying period.
- Closing Night’s Conversation: Directors Chris Sanders (The Wild Robot) and Joel Crawford (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) get real!
- Making Toons for Tots: How to make in-demand preschool shows in a tough climate, with Rich Magallanes (Dora), Stephanie Simpson (Mighty Monsterwheelies), Lynne Southerland (Disney Jr.’s Ariel).
- Creative Key Note: Natasha Kline, creator of Disney TV’s new hit series, Primos.
- Balancing Artistic Vision and Commercial Survival: How to make both your muse and your bank account happy, with Jorge R. Gutierrez (Maya and the Three), Mike Hollingsworth (BoJack Horseman) and others.
- Crafting Magic in the Emerald Isle: Exploring new frontiers of animation in Ireland.
- Artificial Knowledge: Learn about the latest tools, dangers and advantages of using AI in the animation pipeline.
- Secrets of Making Prize-winning, Oscar-Qualifying Animated Shorts: Class of ’24
Final schedule and speakers list to be confirmed.
The World Animation Summit is a global gathering of animation professionals, artists and enthusiasts, offering informative panels, keynotes, networking parties and more. Discounted tickets are available now through animationmagazine.net/summit.
