The 2025 class of Variety‘s 10 Animators to Watch, presented by Nickelodeon, and “Smurfs” director Chris Miller gathered at Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Los Angeles on July 9 for a “Smurfs”-themed awards reception.

Ramsey Naito, president of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, kicked off the remarks. “This event is truly one of my favorite events, because we as a community can come together and celebrate animation and celebrate the artists, the artists behind the brush, the pencil, the cintiq, and it’s because of you that we’re here,” she said.

The 2025 Animators to Watch honorees included Brooke Shay Bradford (“The Bad Guys 2″), Tom Brass (“Wolf King”), Todd Harris (“Eyes of Wakanda”), Meg Park (“Zootopia 2”), Christina Sotta (“Batman: Caped Crusader”), C.J. Sarachene (“Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie”), Alon Winterstein (“Hoppers”), Margaret Wuller and Kasey Fagerquist (“Smurfs”), Daniel Lim Ti Yan (“Cat in the Hat”) and Kirill Yeretsky (“Hoops, Hopes & Dreams”).

Before introducing the honorees, Variety‘s Clayton Davis highlighted the importance of animation. He recounted how he once said in his job interview that “I will be alive the day the first animated movie wins best picture at the Oscars…since we’re in Emmy season and nominations are right around the corner, I’d also like to witness the first animated show win drama series, comedy series, limited or anthology series.” He added, “So when that happens, I’ll be right there cheering the loudest with all of you, and there’s a very good chance that someone, or someones from this year’s 10 Animators to Watch will be one of those future masterpieces.”

After the class received their awards, Chris Prynoski, founder of the animation company Titmouse, introduced Miller to present him with the Variety Creative Impact in Animation award. “Beyond the credits and the characters and the big box office numbers, Chris Miller is just one of the best damn people to work with,” Prynoski said.

Miller, whose credits include “Shrek” and “Madagascar,” congratulated the Animators to Watch honorees in his speech. “You’re free thinkers in the best possible way as well. It’s an entire room of free thinkers,” Miller said.

Miller also thanked Naito for her support of the upcoming “Smurfs,” starring Rihanna. He said Naito had “the deep desire with the ‘Smurfs’ movie to make it like it’s the first one that’s ever been made, and something that could stand on its own.”

He then gave a shoutout to producer Ryan Harris. “Ryan and I gather incredible, incredible crew, talented, crazy talented. And to me, that’s the most important part of making movies, it’s collaborating with people that you love, that you trust, that inspire one another, and that kind of environment — that’s the creative impact for me,” Miller said.

“Finding projects you connect with and that you can become obsessed with is vital, but it really doesn’t mean anything if you’re not collaborating with artists who share your vision with a story,” he added.

Naito then took the stage once again to address the Animators to Watch class. “You are the future,” she said. “You’re gonna raise the stakes for us all.”