Coraline, a dark fairy tale about a girl who discovers a door to an alternate world, is the film to beat at the Annie Awards. Coraline, a dark fairy tale about a girl who discovers a door to an alternate world, is the film to beat at the Annie Awards. (Focus Features Films)

The dark fairy tale Coraline leads the field of contenders for the upcoming Annie Awards, an annual honour dedicated to animated productions.

The International Animated Film Society announced on Tuesday the nominees for the 37th edition of the awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 6.

At the front of the pack with 10 nominations — including the coveted best animated feature title — is Coraline, Henry Selick's stunning stop-motion film based on the eerie novella by Neil Gaiman.

However, it faces several tough competitors.

Also nominated for best animated feature are two critical favourites: Pixar's much-celebrated travel adventure Up and Wes Anderson's fantastical adaptation of Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Rounding out the category's nominees are the original, New Orleans-set Disney tale The Princess and the Frog, the eccentric 3-D film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and, a dark horse candidate, the European cartoon co-production The Secret of Kells, which follows a ninth-century 12-year-old sent on a daunting quest.

A full list of nominees is listed on the Annie Awards website.

The February awards gala will also feature tributes to filmmaker Tim Burton, animator Bruce Timm and movie mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg, the latest recipients of the Winsor McCay Award. The lifetime achievement prize recognizes individuals for outstanding contributions to the world of animation.