Annie Awards for animation invites 9-yr-old film critic Perry Chen as youngest credentialed media

Jan. 25, 2010 - PRLog -- 9-year-old Perry S. Chen, the youngest award-winning film critic and radio talk show host on wsRadio from San Diego, California, has been invited to attend the prestigious 37th annual Annie Awards as the youngest credentialed media.  The awards will be held on Saturday, February 6, 2010 at the Royce Hall of University of California Los Angeles.

“This is the first year that we have invited a nine year old film critic to attend the prestigious Annie Awards for animation. I am delighted to welcome Perry Chen to join us in the celebration of the best in animation,” said ASIFA-Hollywood President Antran Manoogian. “This has been an unprecedented year for animation, and I hope that Perry can share his experience at the Annie Awards with our audience for animation of all ages, from a child movie critic’s perspective.”

“I am so excited to attend the Annie Awards for the first time,” said Perry Chen.  “I can’t wait to meet and interview the Who’s Who in animation!  I look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones at the Annie Awards.”
 
Perry Chen started writing movie reviews of G and PG-rated films in November 2008 when he was an 8-year-old third grader at the San Diego Del Mar Union School district’s Torrey Hills School.  Perry has published close to 20 movie reviews as a film critic and columnist on nine San Diego newspapers.  He is the host of “Perry Previews the Movies” on wsRadio, the worldwide leader in internet talk radio.  Perry reviews movies on several local television stations regularly, and was a guest on other radio talk shows.  In 2009, he reviewed 24 G and PG rated films on TV, radio, print, and web, including five of the six Annie-nominated animation features.  

Perry won an “Excellent Writer Award” given by “We Chinese in America” newspaper and magazine on January 17, 2010 for his movie review column.  Perry’s unique starfish rating system is child-friendly and popular with families. The highest rating is five starfish.  Perry's movie reviews are well-known for the insight from a child's perspective, lively description, and sense of humor.

In December 2009, Perry received a letter from President and Mrs. Obama, thanking him for his kind gifts of movie DVD and thoughtful writing.  Perry and his mother are collaborating on a book about Perry’s journey as a child film critic with “behind the scenes” look into the world of animation.

Perry has been extensively featured on regional, national, and international media, including CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, Fox, KUSI, KFMB CBS 8, Roots Up Radio, The Big Biz Show, Art Rocks, San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego News Network, San Diego Magazine, San Diego Family, World Journal, The China Press, and more.

In 2009, Perry was invited to speak at school fundraisers and attend many film festivals and events as the youngest credentialed media, including Disney D23 expo, San Diego Asian Film Festival, San Diego Film Festival, and San Diego International Children’s Film Festival.  He interviewed renowned filmmakers such as Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera of Up, John Musker and Ron Clements of “The Princess and the Frog,” frequent Annie Awards nominee Bill Plympton of “Hot Dog” and “The Fan and the Flower,” French animation master Michel Ocelot of “Azur and Asmar,” Tze Chun of “Children of Invention,” Laura Bari of “Antoine,” Howie Snyder of “My Beijing Birthday,” and Vanessa Gould of award-winning documentary “Between the Folds.”  

On January 16, 2010, Perry correctly predicted that Up would win the best animation film at the Golden Globe.

Perry is also an award-winning artist.  He won an award for his painting at the 14th annual San Diego International Music & Art Festival on January 24, 2010, and another award for "Outstanding Creativity" for his art show at the San Diego City Hall in October 2009.

For Perry’s reviews and radio talk show, visit:

www.perryspreviews.com  
www.wsRadio.com/perry  
www.youtube.com/perryspreviews  

The Annie Awards’ black-tie ceremony will feature a lively mix of animation luminaries, celebrity presenters and comedic talent to celebrate this year’s best of the best. A pre-reception begins at 5:00 pm with the awards ceremony following 7:00 pm. A post-show celebration immediately follows at UCLA’s Royce Hall. More than 1,500 entertainment industry insiders are expected to attend the annual Annie Awards.

The industry’s oldest and most prestigious award, The Annie Award is considered an important industry benchmark and an annual predictor of the Academy Award for best animated feature.

For media inquiries about Perry Chen, please contact Zhu Shen, wsRadio executive producer of "Perry Previews the Movies," email: bioforesight@gmail.com

For information on the 37th Annual Annie Awards, please visit www.annieawards.org, or email: Gretchen@annieawards.org or call: 562.209.9900.

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Perry's Previews features reviews by Perry Chen, an award-winning 9-year-old critic of G/PG-rated family movies and the youngest radio talk show host. Details: www.perryspreviews.com
www.wsRadio.com/perry
www.youtube.com/perryspreviews