Visual Effects Society Awards 2019: Infinity War, Into The Spider-Verse Among Winners

Superhero movies won big at the 2019 Visual Effects Society Awards, which were handed out on Tuesday, February 5. 

Marvel Studios' Avengers: Infinity War earned the top prize of the night, scooping up the VES Award for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature — the equivalent to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Best Picture Award given at the annual Oscars. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Infinity War also scored accolades for Outstanding Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature (for Josh Brolin's purple-faced Thanos), Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature, and Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Feature (both for Thanos' home planet of Titan, where a major battle sequence took place). 

Sony Pictures' dazzling animated feature Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, featuring the voice of Shameik Moore as the half-black, half-Puerto-Rican Spider-Man Miles Morales, also won four VES Awards Tuesday night. The film — directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman — nabbed prizes for Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature, Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature (for the web-slinging teen hero Miles), Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature (for the gorgeous Graphic New York City), and Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature. 

Ready Player One fared well at this year's VES Awards, grabbing the honors for Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature for the computer-generated recreation of the Overlook Hotel from The Shining and Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Photoreal Project for the New York Race sequence featured in the Steven Spielberg-directed adventure.

Somewhat of an awards season underdog, First Man, the Damien Chazelle-helmed Neil Armstrong biopic starring Ryan Gosling as the famed astronaut, scored the award for Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature to round out the film winners at the 2019 VES Awards. 

In television, Netflix experienced the same satisfaction that Marvel and Sony did when its original series Lost in Space won four awards: Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode (for "Danger, Will Robinson"), Outstanding Animated Character in an Episode or Real-Time Project (for its Humanoid), Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project (for the Impact Area from the pilot episode), and Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Episode (for the Crash Site Rescue from the episode entitled "Impact"). 

HBO felt the love, too, as the Visual Effects Society honored Westworld co-creator Jonathan Nolan with the Visionary Award and gave Game of Thrones architects David Benioff and D.B. Weiss the Award for Creative Excellence. Chris Meledandri, the founder and CEO of Illumination, took home the organization's Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Infinity War and Into the Spider-Verse's wins at the 2019 VES Awards push both films higher up in the rankings for potential winners at this year's Academy Awards. The massive Marvel movie is up for the Best Visual Effects Oscar, while the Spidey-filled feature is gunning for the Best Animated Feature Oscar. With four more trophies under their belts, both pics are shaping up to be the biggest contenders in their respective categories at the 2019 Oscars. We'll have to wait until Sunday, February 24 to see if Infinity War and Into the Spider-Verse can become Oscar-winners in addition to VES Award-winners. 

Discover the full list of winners from the 2019 Visual Effects Society below.

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Avengers: Infinity War
Daniel DeLeeuw
Jen Underdahl
Kelly Port
Matt Aitken
Daniel Sudick

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
First Man
Paul Lambert
Kevin Elam
Tristan Myles
Ian Hunter
JD Schwalm

Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Joshua Beveridge
Christian Hejnal
Danny Dimian
Bret St. Clair

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
Lost in Space – "Danger, Will Robinson"
Jabbar Raisani
Terron Pratt
Niklas Jacobson
Joao Sita

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan – Pilot
Erik Henry
Matt Robken
Bobo Skipper
Deak Ferrand
Pau Costa

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project
Age of Sail
John Kahrs
Kevin Dart
Cassidy Curtis
Theresa Latzko

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial
John Lewis – "The Boy and the Piano"
Kamen Markov
Philip Whalley
Anthony Bloor
Andy Steele

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
"Childish Gambino's Pharos"
Keith Miller
Alejandro Crawford
Thelvin Cabezas
Jeremy Thompson

Outstanding Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature
Avengers: Infinity War – Thanos
Jan Philip Cramer
Darren Hendler
Paul Story
Sidney Kombo-Kintombo

Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – Miles Morales
Marcos Kang
Chad Belteau
Humberto Rosa
Julie Bernier Gosselin

Outstanding Animated Character in an Episode or Real-Time Project
Lost in Space – Humanoid
Chad Shattuck
Paul Zeke
Julia Flanagan
Andrew McCartney

Outstanding Animated Character in a Commercial
Volkswagen – "Born Confident" – Bam
David Bryan
Chris Welsby
Fabian Frank
Chloe Dawe

Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature
Ready Player One – The Shining, Overlook Hotel
Mert Yamak
Stanley Wong
Joana Garrido
Daniel-Ștefan Gagiu

Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – Graphic New York City
Terry Park
Bret St. Clair
Kimberly Liptrap
Dave Morehead

Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project
Lost in Space – Pilot, Impact Area
Philip Engström
Kenny Vähäkari
Jason Martin
Martin Bergquist

Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Photoreal Project
Ready Player One – New York Race
Daniele Bigi
Edmund Kolloen
Mathieu Vig
Jean-Baptiste Noyau

Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project
Mortal Engines – London
Matthew Sandoval
James Ogle
Nick Keller
Sam Tack

Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature
Avengers: Infinity War – Titan
Gerardo Aguilera
Ashraf Ghoniem
Vasilis Pazionis
Hartwell Durfor

Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Ian Farnsworth
Pav Grochola
Simon Corbaux
Brian D. Casper

Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project
Altered Carbon
Philipp Kratzer
Daniel Fernandez
Xavier Lestourneaud
Andrea Rosa

Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Feature
Avengers: Infinity War – Titan
Sabine Laimer
Tim Walker
Tobias Wiesner
Massimo Pasquetti

Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Episode
Lost in Space – "Impact" – Crash Site Rescue
David Wahlberg
Douglas Roshamn
Sofie Ljunggren
Fredrik Lönn

Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Commercial
Apple – "Welcome Home"
Michael Ralla
Steve Drew
Alejandro Villabon
Peter Timberlake

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project
Terra Nova
Thomas Battistetti
Mélanie Geley
Mickael Le Mezo
Guillaume Hoarau