Kong, War Of The Worlds Win Big

With Visual Effects Society

By Rich Drees

     February 17, 2006- Blockbusters King Kong and War Of The Worlds both claimed three of the eight film awards handed out Wednesday evening, February 15, 2006, at the 4^th annual Visual Effects Society Awards in Los Angeles, CA.

     Director Peter Jackson’s re-imaging of the 1933 giant monster classic King Kong captured the Society’s awards for Outstanding Visual Effects In A Visual Effects Driven Movie, Outstanding Animated Character In A Live Action Motion Picture and Outstanding Created Environment In A Live Action Motion Picture.

     War Of The Worlds was awarded the Society’s Best Visual Effect Of The Year for its “Fleeing The Neighborhood” sequence. The film also was honored for Outstanding Models and Miniatures In A Motion Picture and Outstanding Compositing In A Motion Picture.

     Director Ridley Scott’s Crusades drama Kingdom Of Heaven won the Society’s Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects In A Motion Picture Award while the stop-motion animated film Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The WereRabbit took the prize for Outstanding Animated Character In An Animated Motion Picture. Pixar Studio’s John Lassetter was awarded with the Society’s Geroges Melies Award For Artistic Excellence.