It's not surprising that Disney's latest Star Wars film was well received at the 14th Annual VES Awards, especially since the picture led the visual effects society's feature nominations; Star Wars: The Force Awakens walked away with four wins. A bit more unexpected were the three wins for The Revenant, thanks in large part to the film's Bear sequence. HBO's Game of Thrones also had a good night, as you might have guessed.
While a lot of the attention from fans regarding J.J. Abrams' Star Wars had to do with the amount of practical effects used, the VES Awards focused mainly on the Millennium Falcon/TIE Fighter sequence and everyone's new favorite roly-poly droid, BB-8. Disney/Pixar took home an additional four wins (this was basically Disney's award show to sweep), though surprisingly The Good Dinosaur out-earned Inside Out rather substantially. In the TV realm and specifically the Seven Kingdoms of HBO's Game of Thrones, awards were doled out for the show's beautiful cityscapes, magnificent dragon-wrangling, and incredible White Walkers and wights sequence. (Personally, I agree with two out of those three.)
Here's a look at the big winners from the night:
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens took home awards in the photoreal feature project categories for Outstanding Effects, Outstanding Created Environment (Falcon Chase/Graveyard), Outstanding Cinematography (Falcon Chase/Graveyard), and Outstanding Model (BB-8).
- Disney/Pixar's The Good Dinosaur won the following animated feature categories: Outstanding Visual Effects, Outstanding Created Environment, and Outstanding Effects Simulations.
- HBO's Game of Thrones won the following photoreal broadcast categories: Outstanding Visual Effects ("The Dance of Dragons"), Outstanding Created Environment (The City of Volantis), Outstanding Effects Simulation ("Hardhome")
Take a look at some of the other winners from the 14th Annual VES Awards below:
- The Revenant: Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects, Outstanding Animated Performance (The Bear), Outstanding Composition (Bear Attack)
- Vikings: Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode ("To the Gates!")
- Inside Out: Outstanding Animated Performance (Joy)
- Mad Max: Fury Road: Outstanding Effects Simulations (Toxic Storm)