Celebrating the 23rd VES annual awards

Sofia Villajos

Feb 13, 2025

5 min read

The 23rd Annual Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards brought together the industry’s finest to celebrate outstanding artistry and innovation in visual effects across film, television, animation, commercials, and beyond. Held at The Beverly Hilton, the event recognised top creative and technical achievements in 25 categories.

Among the big winners of the night, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes took home the top photoreal feature award, while Dune: Part Two led with four wins. The Wild Robot was named best animated feature, while Shōgun and The Penguin each earned three awards for their stunning visual storytelling. In the commercial category, Coca-Cola: The Heroes claimed the top prize.

The evening also honoured industry pioneers, with Keanu Reeves presenting Hiroyuki Sanada with the VES Award for Creative Excellence, Paul Debevec awarding Dr Jacquelyn Ford Morie the Georges Méliès Award for her contributions to immersive technology, and Michael Dougherty recognising Takashi Yamazaki with the Visionary Award for his outstanding work in filmmaking and VFX.

At Sohonet, we are proud to work with so many of the talented individuals and teams who were honoured at this year’s VES Awards. Their creativity and technical expertise continue to push the boundaries of visual storytelling, and we are thrilled to see their hard work recognised on such a prestigious stage.

Huge congratulations to all the winners and nominees!

The winners of the 23rd Annual VES Awards in 25 categories are as follows:

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Erik Winquist Julia Neighly Paul Story Danielle Immerman Rodney Burke

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

Civil War David Simpson Michelle Rose Freddy Salazar Chris Zeh J.D. Schwalm

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

The Wild Robot Chris Sanders Jeff Hermann Jeff Budsberg Jakob Hjort Jensen

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE

Shōgun; Anjin Michael Cliett Melody Mead Philip Engström Ed Bruce Cameron Waldbauer

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE

The Penguin; Bliss Johnny Han Michelle Rose Goran Pavles Ed Bruce Devin Maggio

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A REAL-TIME PROJECT

Star Wars Outlaws Stephen Hawes Lionel Le Dain Benedikt Podlesnigg Andi-Bogdan Draghici

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A COMMERCIAL

Coca-Cola; The Heroes Greg McKneally Antonia Vlasto Ryan Knowles Fabrice Fiteni

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SPECIAL VENUE PROJECT

D23; Real-Time Rocket Evan Goldberg Alyssa Finley Jason Breneman Alice Taylor

OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

Better Man; Robbie Williams Milton Ramirez Andrea Merlo Seoungseok Charlie Kim Eteuati Tema

OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

The Wild Robot; Roz Fabio Lignini Yukinori Inagaki Owen Demers Hyun Huh

OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT

Ronja the Robber’s Daughter; Vildvittran the Queen Harpy Nicklas Andersson David Allan Gustav Åhren Niklas Wallén

OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

Dune: Part Two; The Arrakeen Basin Daniel Rhein Daniel Anton Fernandez Marc James Austin Christopher Anciaume

OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

The Wild Robot; The Forest John Wake He Jung Park Woojin Choi Shane Glading

OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT

Shōgun; Osaka Manuel Martinez Phil Hannigan Keith Malone Francesco Corvino

OUTSTANDING CG CINEMATOGRAPHY

Dune: Part Two; Arrakis Greig Fraser Xin Steve Guo Sandra Murta Ben Wiggs

OUTSTANDING MODEL IN A PHOTOREAL OR ANIMATED PROJECT

Alien: Romulus; Renaissance Space Station Waldemar Bartkowiak Trevor Wide Matt Middleton Ben Shearman

OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

Dune: Part Two; Atomic Explosions and Wormriding Nicholas Papworth Sandy la Tourelle Lisa Nolan Christopher Phillips

OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

The Wild Robot Derek Cheung Michael Losure David Chow Nyoung Kim

OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT

Shōgun; Broken to the Fist; Landslide Dominic Tiedeken Heinrich Löwe Charles Guerton Timmy Lundin

OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A FEATURE

Dune: Part Two; Wormriding, Geidi Prime, and the Final Battle Christopher Rickard Francesco Dell’Anna Paul Chapman Ryan Wing

OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN AN EPISODE

The Penguin; After Hours Jonas Stuckenbrock Karen Cheng Eugene Bondar Miky Girón

OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A COMMERCIAL

Coca-Cola; The Heroes Ryan Knowles Alex Gabucci Jack Powell Dan Yargici

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL (PRACTICAL) EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL PROJECT

The Penguin; Safe Guns Devin Maggio Johnny Han Cory Candrilli Alexandre Prod’homme

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AWARD

Here; Neural Performance Toolset Jo Plaete Oriel Frigo Tomas Koutsky Matteo Olivieri-Dancey

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A STUDENT PROJECT

Pittura (entry from ARTFX – Schools of Digital Arts, France) Adam Lauriol Titouan Lassère Rémi Vivenza Helloïs Marre