Los Angeles  - Kung Fu Panda emerged Monday as the leading contender for the Annie Awards, snagging 17 nominations for one of the most prestigious prizes in animated films.

The action-comedy faces stiff competition for best feature from a strong field that includes Disney's Bolt with nine nominations, Disney/Pixar's WallE with eight nominations, and two offerings from Israeli filmmakers: Waltz With Bashir, about an ex-soldier's experience of the Lebanon War; and the strangely named film known as Nine Ninety Nine, a reference to a price in dollars which involves Australian apartment dwellers in the hunt for the meaning of life.

The winners will be announced January 30 in Los Angeles, with more than 1,500 industry insiders expected to attend. The awards are seen as a reliable predictor of the Academy Award for Animation and honour achievements in 24 categories ranging from production design, character animation, and effects animation to storyboarding, writing, music and voice acting. (dpa)