"Monsters University" and "Pacific Rim" take Hollywood Film Awards Honors

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Sept. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The 17th Annual Hollywood Film Awards announced today that Disney/Pixar's "Monsters University," directed by Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori Rae, will be the recipient of the Hollywood Animation Award, and Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures "Pacific Rim" visual effects supervisor John Knoll will receive the "Hollywood Visual Effects Award" at the Hollywood Film Awards Gala Ceremony.

The announcement was made today by Carlos de Abreu, founder and executive producer of the Hollywood Film Awards. He said: "John Knoll's groundbreaking work on 'Pacific Rim' sets a new standard in visual effects. The robots and monsters in the film truly come to life through the best visual effects of the year. Once again, the animation and storytelling of 'Monsters University' reflects Pixar creativity and greatness."

The award will be bestowed at the Hollywood Film Awards Gala Ceremony on Monday evening, October 21, 2013 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

The Hollywood Film Awards honors cherished stars, filmmakers and up-and-coming talent, and traditionally kicks off the film awards season with the biggest stars and top industry executives in attendance.

"We are very proud to be the first stop of the awards season. In the last ten years, a total of 96 Oscar® nominations and 34 Oscars® were given to the honorees of the Hollywood Film Awards," said de Abreu.

Last year's awards show received more than 41 million media impressions, in addition to more than 300 million online and print readers' impressions.

About Dan Scalon
Dan Scanlon made his animated feature directorial debut with Disney/Pixar's 14^th feature film, "Monsters University," which has grossed over $700 million dollars worldwide since its June 2013 release. He also co-wrote the film's story and screenplay. As a youngster in Clawson, Michigan, Scanlon possessed a love for Warner Bros. cartoons, animated Disney films and, as fate would have it, Pixar short films. His passion inspired him to study film and animation in high school and in college where he focused on illustration at Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD). Upon graduating from CCAD, Scanlon began working as an animator and story artist for Character Builders, a 2D animation company that produced feature and commercial work in Columbus, Ohio. Scanlon joined Pixar Animation Studios in September 2001 as a storyboard artist on  Disney/Pixar's award-winning features "Cars" and "Toy Story 3." During the initial production stages for both films, he worked to translate the director's story ideas into the film's first visual format: storyboards.

With John Lasseter, Scanlon also co-directed the original short film "Mater and the Ghostlight," which is included as one of the bonus features on the "Cars" DVD.  In addition to his work at Pixar, Scanlon simultaneously wrote and directed the live action film "Tracy," released in 2009. 

About John Knoll
John Knoll is Chief Creative Officer and Senior Visual Effects Supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). Over the course of his career, Knoll has been honored with three Academy Award nominations for his work on "Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones," "Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace," which earned him a BAFTA nomination, and "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," in which he was also honored with a BAFTA nomination. Knoll's resume also includes "Mission to Mars," "Deep Blue Sea," "Star Trek: First Contact" and "Mission: Impossible" among others. In 2006 Knoll completed work on "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" for which he received both a BAFTA and an Academy Award(r). Most recently Knoll worked as Visual Effects Supervisor on Guillermo del Toro's science fiction epic "Pacific Rim".

ABOUT DICK CLARK PRODUCTIONS
Founded in 1957, dick clark productions, Inc (DCP) is a leading independent producer of television programming. DCP produces perennial hits such as the "American Music Awards," "Golden Globe Awards," "Academy of Country Music Awards," and "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest." DCP also produces popular weekly television programming, including "So You Think You Can Dance," and owns and maintains one of the world's most unique and extensive entertainment libraries, which includes more than 30 years of "American Bandstand" footage. For additional information, visit www.dickclark.com.

ABOUT THE HOLLYWOOD FILM AWARDS®
The Hollywood Film Awards® founded in 1997 were created to celebrate Hollywood and launch the awards season. The recipients of the awards are selected for their body of work and/or a film(s) that is to be released during the calendar year. In the last ten years, a total of 96 Oscar® nominations and 34 Oscars® were given to the honorees of the Hollywood Film Awards. For additional information, visit: www.hollywoodawards.com.

SOURCE Hollywood Film Awards