Visual Effects Society: ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ wins record 9 awards

“Avatar: The Way of Water” won a record nine awards from the Visual Effects Society on February 15. The blockbuster won every category in which it contended, including the VES equivalent of the Best Picture race — visual effects in a feature motion picture. With multiple bids in several races, it had reaped a record 14 nominations and broke the record of 11 set by the original film.

Also in competition for the top VES award were two of its rivals for the Oscar — “The Batman” (3 nominations total) and “Top Gun: Maverick” (3 nominations total) — plus “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” (2 nominations total) and “Jurassic World: Dominion” (2 nominations total). The dominance by “Avatar: The Way of the Water” meant that all of these films were shut out of the winner’s circle as was one of the other Oscar nominees, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which was limited to a single mention here. The other Oscar contender, “All Quiet on the Western Front,” was snubbed by the VES Awards.

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“Thirteen Lives” won the supporting visual effects award. Over on the animation side, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” picked up a hat trick while “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” won one.

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