Weta Productions’ debut television series, Jane and the Dragon, has been nominated for The Best Animated Television Production at the 35th Annual Annie Awards.

The Annie Awards are the industry’s oldest and most prestigious awards, and are considered an important industry benchmark and an annual predictor of the Academy Award for Animation. The winner of the most coveted and high profile Best Animated Feature Annie has gone on to claim the Oscar for animation every year but one since its inception.

Jane and the Dragon is the creation of New Zealand author and illustrator Martin Baynton, who partnered with Weta Productions and Nelvana Limited to create a television series based on his bestselling books. Weta Productions joined forces with Canadian children’s television producers Nelvana, in a co-production to deliver the show to market.

Martin says “the nomination is a testament to the passion and creativity of the whole Jane production team. I am thrilled with the nomination and hope that Jane will spearhead a slate of children’s properties for Weta that are now in development and which aim to be aspirational and life-affirming in their content as well as delivering at the cutting edge of design and technology.”

Accompanying Jane and the Dragon in the The Best Animated Television Production category are nominees “Creative Comforts America” from Aardman Animations, “Kim Possible” from Walt Disney Television Animation and “Moral Orel” and “Robot Chicken Star Wars” from ShadowMachine.

More than 1,500 entertainment industry insiders are expected to attend the annual Annie Awards, which will commence at an awards ceremony on Friday, February 8, 2008 at UCLA’s Royce Hall, in Los Angeles.