​Annie Awards pick "How to Train Your Dragon 2"

NEW YORK - The DreamWorks sequel "How to Train Your Dragon 2" topped the 42nd Annie Awards, taking Best Animated Feature at the annual honors for animation.

In the Saturday night ceremony hosted at the Royce Hall on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, "How to Train Your Dragon 2" won five awards in all. It also took Best Director for Dean DeBlois, as well as prizes for feature character design, storyboarding and music.

"Dragon" bested Disney's top contender, the superhero tale "Big Hero 6." But the Disney short film that preceded "Hero" in theaters, "Feast," won Best Short Subject.

Warner Bros.' acclaimed but Oscar-snubbed "The Lego Movie" won the Annie for best feature writing.

"How to Train Your Dragon 2" will head to the Feb. 22 Oscars as the best-animation favorite.

In television categories, "The Simpsons" won for best general audience production. Amazon's "Tumble Leaf" picked up the award for preschool children's television, while Disney's "Gravity Falls" won for children's audience.

Ubisoft's "Valiant hearts: The Great War" won for Best Animated Video Game.

Jason Rayner, who produced the animated short "My Big Brother" while attending Savannah College of Art and Design, won the Annie for Best Student Film. (You can watch it by clicking on the video embed below.)

Complete list of winners:

Best Animated Feature: "How to Train Your Dragon 2"

Best Animated Special Production: "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey"

Best Animated Short Subject: "Feast"

Best Animated TV/Broadcast Commercial: "Flight of the Stories"

Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Preschool Children: "Tumble Leaf"

Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Children's Audience: "Gravity Falls"

Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production: "The Simpsons"

Best Animated Video Game: "Valiant Hearts: The Great War"

Best Student Film: "My Big Brother" by Jason Rayner

Outstanding Achievement, Animated Effects in an Animated Production: Michael Kaschalk, Peter DeMund, David Hutchins, Henrik Falt, John Kosnik for "Big Hero 6"

Outstanding Achievement, Animated Effects in a Live Action Production: Steve Avoujageli, Atsushi Ikarashi, Pawel Grochola, Paul Waggoner, Viktor Lundqvist for "Edge of Tomorrow"

Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production: Justin Nichols for "Wander Over Yonder"

Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Feature Production: Fabio Lignini for "How to Train Your Dragon 2"

Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Live Action Production: Daniel Barrett, Paul Story, Eteuati Tema, Alessandro Bonora, Dejan Momcilovic for "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"

Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Video Game: Mike Mennillo for "Assassin's Creed Unity"

Outstanding Achievement, Character Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production: Benjamin Balistreri for "Wander Over Yonder"

Outstanding Achievement, Character Design in an Animated Feature Production: Paul Sullivan, Sandra Equihua, Jorge R. Gutierrez for "The Book of Life"

Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production: Aaron Springer for "Disney Mickey Mouse"

Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated Feature Production: Dean DeBlois for "How to Train Your Dragon 2"

Outstanding Achievement, Music in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production: Christopher Willis for "Disney Mickey Mouse"

Outstanding Achievement, Music in an Animated Feature Production: John Powell, Jónsi for "How to Train Your Dragon 2"

Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production: Narina Sokolova for "Mickey Shorts"

Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated Feature Production: Paul Lasaine, Tom McClure & August Hall for "The Boxtrolls"

Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production: Joaquim Dos Santos for "Legend of Korra"

Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production: Truong "Tron" Son Mai for "How to Train Your Dragon 2"

Outstanding Achievement, Voice Acting in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production: Bill Farmer as the voices of Goofy and Grandma in "Disney Mickey Mouse"

Outstanding Achievement, Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production: Sir Ben Kingsley as the voice of Archibald Snatcher in "The Boxtrolls"

Outstanding Achievement, Writing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production: Darrick Bachman for "Disney Mickey Mouse"

Outstanding Achievement, Writing in an Animated Feature Production: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller for "The Lego Movie"

Outstanding Achievement, Editorial in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production: Illya Owens for "Disney Mickey Mouse"

Outstanding Achievement, Editorial in an Animated Feature Production: John K. Carr for "How to Train Your Dragon 2"

Juried Awards:

Winsor McCay Award: Didier Brunner, Don Lusk and Lee Mendelson for their career contributions to the art of animation.

June Foray Award: Charles Solomon for his significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation.

Ub Iwerks: DreamWorks Animation's Apollo Software for technical advancement that has made a significant impact on the art or industry of animation.

Special Achievement Award: The Walt Disney Family Museum recognizing the unique and significant impact on the art and industry of animation.