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The Wind Rises, Godzilla, Edge of Tomorrow, Big Hero 6 Nominated for Saturn Awards

The Saturn Awards, the awards which honor the best science fiction, horror and fantasy movies and television programs of the year, have nominated the films The Wind Rises, Godzilla, Edge of Tomorrow, and Big Hero 6 in multiple categories.

The Saturn Awards nominated Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's The Wind Rises for Best Animated Film Release. The Wind Rises premiered in Japan in July 2013 and opened in wide release in North America on February 28 last year. The film opened in limited theaters on February 21 last year, and earned US$306,000 on opening weekend. The Wind Rises won the Annie Award for Writing in an Animated Feature Production on February 1, and was nominated in the 2014 Academy Awards' Best Animated Film category.

The awards also nominated Disney's Big Hero 6 for Best Animated Film Release. The film opened in North America on November 7, and earned an estimated total of US$651.8 million worldwide. The film opened in Japan on December 20, beating out the Yōkai Watch: Tanjō no Himitsu da Nyan! film for four straight weekends, earning more than 7 billion yen (US$60 million). Artist Haruki Ueno launched a manga adaptation of the film ahead of its Japanese opening, which Yen Press licensed for North America last August. The manga ended last February.

The awards nominated Gareth Edwards' Godzilla movie, a reboot of the TOHO Godzilla film franchise, for Best Science Fiction Film and Best Film Music (Alexandre Desplat). The film opened in the United States last May and earned over US$500 million worldwide. The TOHO Godzilla Collection was also nominated for Best DVD/BD Collection Release.

The awards nominated Doug Liman's Edge of Tomorrow film in seven different categories — the fifth highest number of nominations among films this year. The film was also nominated for a Hugo Award on Saturday. Edge of Tomorrow was nominated in the following Saturn Awards categories:

• Best Science Fiction Film Release
• Best Actor in a Film (Tom Cruise)
• Best Actress in a Film (Emily Blunt)
• Best Film Director (Doug Liman)
• Best Film Writing (Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth)
• Best Film Editing (James Herbert, Laura Jennings)
• and Best Film Special/Visual Effects (Gary Brozenich, Nick Davis, Jonathan Fawkner, Daniel Kramer, Matthew Rouleau).

Edge of Tomorrow is based on the novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, which Viz Media published in English to launch its Haikasoru imprint for Japanese science fiction and fantasy in 2009. Yoshitoshi ABe (Serial Experiments Lain, Haibane Renmei). Viz also released a one-volume full-color graphic novel adaptation of the story last May 6. Nick Mamatas (Move Under Ground) adapted the story and Lee Ferguson (Green Arrow, Miranda Mercury) drew the art.

The novel spawned a manga by artist Takeshi Obata (Hikaru no Go, Death Note, Bakuman.) and writer Ryōsuke Takeuchi (ST&RS) in Shueisha's Young Jump magazine in January 2014, and the final chapter was published last May. Sakurazaka is working on a sequel novel.

The 41st Annual Saturn Awards Ceremony will present this year's winners on June 25.

Thanks to Daniel Zelter for the news tip