'Were-Rabbit' draws 15 Annie noms

Kudos to be presented Feb. 4 in Glendale

By MARESSA BROWN

'Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit'

"Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" garnered 15 noms at the 33rd annual Annie Awards, announced Monday by the Hollywood arm of the Intl. Animated Film Society (ASIFA-Hollywood). The Annies, which will be presented Feb. 4 in Glendale, honor animation in film, television, short subjects and gaming.

In addition to its nom for animated feature, "Wallace & Gromit" earned voice acting noms for Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Peter Sallis and Nicholas Smith.

DreamWorks' "Madagascar" gathered nine nominations, including animated feature, effects and storyboarding.

"Chicken Little," "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride" and "Howl's Moving Castle" round out the animated feature category's contenders.

Nominations for animated television production went to "Avatar: The Last Airbender," "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends," "My Life as a Teenage Robot," "Star Wars: Clone Wars II" and "The Batman."

This year's presenters include Brad Bird, Seth MacFarlane, Jason Alexander and Dick Cook. Tom Kenny, best known for his award-winning voicework on "SpongeBob SquarePants," will host.