This article is about the Canadian anime convention with the initials "AN". For the American "AN", see AnimeNEXT.
| Anime North | |
|---|---|
Anime North's logo |
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| Status | Active |
| Venue | Toronto Congress Centre Doubletree International Plaza Hotel Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel Marriott Toronto Airport |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario |
| Country | Canada |
| First held | 1997 |
| Filing status | Non-profit |
| Attendance | 19,951 in 2011[1] |
| Official website | http://www.animenorth.com |
Anime North (AN) is a non-profit, fan-run anime convention, held every year in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its major attractions, activities and events include a Masquerade, a Dealers Room, an Artists Alley, Guest of Honor presentations, Gaming (Video and RPG), Panel Discussions, Video Presentations, Contests, and Dances. The largest anime convention in the province of Ontario and the country of Canada by attendance numbers and located near Toronto Pearson International Airport, AN is hosted at the Toronto Congress Centre, the Doubletree International Plaza Hotel, the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel (formerly called the Renaissance Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre) and the Marriott Toronto Airport (for the Friday Moonlight Ball), all of which are within walking distance of one another. Convention-run shuttle buses are available during daytime and the evening to connect the venues and run at regular intervals.
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Anime North in 2006 featured Kotoko, a J-pop singer, who performed songs from her newest album. Also in 2006, a ballroom dance, the "Moonlight Masquerade Ball", was newly scheduled. The most popular events at AN include the Masquerade and the J-Idol competition. Other events include the AMV contest, guest autograph sessions, the All-Star Charity Auction, the Momiji Award (with brunch), Anime Improv, and Yaoi North. Common staples at Anime North include guest speeches, gaming tournaments, dances, art-related workshops, discussion panels, martial arts displays, model contests, Go tournaments, and similar events.
Anime North was founded by Toronto anime fan Donald Simmons in 1997 as a one day mini-convention with approximately 600 attendees. The original venue was the Michener Institute in downtown Toronto. In 1998 the convention expanded to two days of programming, and 1999 saw the addition of a third day of programming as well as a move to the Ramada Airport East Hotel, with attendance reaching 1,000. In 2001 AN was moved to the airport strip near Pearson Airport and was held at the Toronto Airport Marriott (attendance 2,000) and in 2002 moved to the much larger Regal Constellation Hotel (attendance 2,800).
Shortly after the 2003 convention at the Regal (attendance 5,000), the Regal closed and the convention had to find yet another new location. For 2004 the best combination of function and hotel space available was the combination of the Toronto Congress Centre (TCC) and the nearby Renaissance Hotel for additional programming. These two venues were unfortunately a 10-15 minute walk apart, although a free shuttle bus was provided to help alleviate this problem. Despite this difficulty, attendance reached a record 8,200 that year.
In 2005, Anime North added a Thursday evening badge pickup for pre-registered attendees, and changed hotels from the Renaissance to the Doubletree International Plaza Hotel, across Dixon Rd. from the TCC (attendance 9,500). In 2006 actual programming was added for Thursday evenings; approximately 12,500 people attended that year, the first time that attendance has broken 10,000 people. AN 2008 was the 12th year of the convention with 13,300 attendees, and continues to grow every year; in 2010, the convention expanded to the Marriott Toronto Airport to host the Friday Moonlight Ball. The front section of the TCC was finally opened to Anime North attendees in 2011 (it has always been closed in past years), with rooms made available for Guest of Honor panels, AMV screenings, workshops and toy and model displays.
Anime North has considered implementing an attendance cap to address overcrowding issues. Such a cap would be enacted in 2012; a decision made in fall 2011 confirms this.[2] Citing long lineups and overwork of staff and volunteers as the main reasons for capping attendance in 2012, they countered (compensated) this announcement by proclaiming pre-registration for the con to be opened on January 2, 2012, giving a large amount of time for fans who want to attend AN 2012 to plan ahead their convention trip.
| Dates | Location | Attendance | Guests |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 9, 1997 | The Michener Institute Toronto, Ontario |
800[3] | ... |
| August 22–23, 1998 | The Michener Institute Toronto, Ontario |
747 | Christina Carr, John DeMita, Martin Hunger, Mark C. MacKinnon, Matt K. Miller, Fred Perry, David L. Pulver, Fred Schodt, Barb Schofield.[4] |
| June 18–20, 1999 | Ramada Airport East Hotel Toronto, Ontario |
850 | Christina Carr, Robert DeJesus, Hitoshi Doi, Martin Hunger, Hyi-san, Locke, Mark C. MacKinnon, Pandora Diane MacMillan, Matt K. Miller, David L. Pulver, Barb Schofield, Kenji Shimizu.[5] |
| June 16–18, 2000 | Ramada Airport East Hotel Toronto, Ontario |
1,001[6] | ... |
| May 25–27, 2001 | Toronto Airport Marriott Rexdale, Ontario |
1,841 | Steve Bennett, Stephanie Brown, Keith Burgess, Tristen Citrine, Julie Davis, Ben Dunn, Shimpei Itoh, Fred Ladd, John Martin, Aubry Mintz, Billie Mintz, Mio Odagi, Van Partible, John Pham, Peter Rebelo, Sailor JAMboree, Mark Simmons, Doug Smith.[7] |
| May 24–26, 2002 | Regal Constellation Hotel Toronto, Ontario |
3,000 | Anshin School of Karate, Steve Bennett, Keith Burgess, Julie Davis, Ben Dunn, The Jem Project, David Kaye, Diana Kou, Fred Ladd, Jason Lee, John Martin, Scott McNeil, Sailor JAM-Boree, Mark Simmons, Doug Smith, and Amanda Winn Lee.[8] |
| May 16–18, 2003 | Regal Constellation Hotel Toronto, Ontario |
4,875 | Anshin School of Karate, Steve Bennett, Brian Drummond, Ben Dunn, Saffron Henderson, Mark Hildreth, The Jem Project, David Kaye, John Martin, Miyako Matsuda, Scott McNeil, Hikaru Midorikawa, Frank Miller, Kirby Morrow, Claude J. Pelletier, Stan Sakai, Doug Smith, Brad Swaile, and Kathryn Williams.[9] |
| May 21–23, 2004 | Toronto Congress Centre Renaissance Toronto Airport Hotel[10] Toronto, Ontario |
8,500 | Steve Bennett, Richard Ian Cox, Michael Dobson, Brian Drummond, Ben Dunn, Atsuko Enomoto, David Kaye, Les Major, Nobuyuki Ohnishi, Moneca Stori, and Studio Udon.[11] |
| May 27–29, 2005 | Toronto Congress Centre Doubletree International Hotel Toronto, Ontario |
9,500 | Susan Aceron, Rob Bakewell, Trevor Devall, Brian Dobson, Michael Dobson, Paul Dobson, Brian Drummond, Ben Dunn, Hilary Haag, Matt Hill, Lamia, Carl Macek, Les Major, Scott McNeil, Vic Mignogna, Kevin Mowrer, Stan Sakai, Asami Sanada, Rob Travalino, Sam Vincent, and Cathy Weseluck.[12] |
| May 26–28, 2006 | Toronto Congress Centre Doubletree International Hotel Toronto, Ontario |
12,500 | Steve Bennett, Keith Burgess, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Mark Dillon, Brian Dobson, Michael Dobson, Ben Dunn, Quinton Flynn, Donald Kinney, Sen'no Knife, Kotoko, Lamia, Les Major, Cynthia Martinez, Jeff Nimoy, Tim Park, Scott Ramsoomair, Nekoi Ruto, Sonny Strait, Kathryn Williams, and Tommy Yune.[13] |
| May 25–27, 2007 | Toronto Congress Centre Doubletree International Plaza Hotel Renaissance Toronto Airport Hotel Toronto, Ontario |
13,500 | Steve Bennett, Johnny Yong Bosch, Keith Burgess, Svetlana Chmakova, Ben Dunn, Peter Fernandez, Tiffany Grant, Matt Greenfield, Donald Kinney, Wendee Lee, Les Major, Sara E. Mayhew, Alex Milne, Nan Yan, Ryan North, Corinne Orr, Derek Stephen Prince, Scott Ramsoomair, Michelle Ruff, Patrick Seitz, Stephanie Sheh, Spider's Kiss, Sonny Strait, Wire, and ZZ.[14] |
| May 23–25, 2008 | Toronto Congress Centre Doubletree International Plaza Hotel Renaissance Toronto Airport Hotel Toronto, Ontario |
13,300 | Yamila Abraham, Steve Bennett, Benoît Cécyre, Camilla d'Errico, Trevor Devall, Mark Dillon, Trevor Devall, Brian Dobson, Ben Dunn, Quinton Flynn, Liana Kerzner, Donald Kinney, Les Major, Nina Matsumoto, Sara E. Mayhew, Alex Milne, Halko Momoi, Jeff Nimoy, Noizytoys, Claude J. Pelletier, Ed the Sock, Spike Spencer, Sonny Strait, Studio Udon, Brad Swaile, and Tara Tallen.[15] |
| May 22–24, 2009 | Toronto Congress Centre Doubletree International Plaza Hotel Renaissance Toronto Airport Hotel Toronto, Ontario |
14,800 | Benoît Cécyre, Bukkyo-kai Dance Group, Svetlana Chmakova, Heather Dale, Camilla d'Errico, Karen Dick(cancelled), Ricky Dick, Mark Dillon, Ben Dunn, Jessie Flower, Jess Hartley, Heroes of the World, Mark Hildreth, Nobuyuki Hiyama, Steve Horton, Yuri Lowenthal, Les Major, Vic Mignogna, Nagata Shachu, Tara Platt, Carrie Savage, Malcolm Sheppard, Tara Tallan, and Douglas Tong.[16] |
| May 28–30, 2010 | Toronto Congress Centre Doubletree International Plaza Hotel Sheraton Toronto Airport Marriott Toronto Airport Toronto, Ontario |
16,800[2] | Christopher Ayres, Greg Ayres, Ricky Dick, Yaya Han, Brittney Karbowski, Jushin Liger (cancelled), Derwin Mak, Vic Mignogna, Akira "Kiyoshi" Raijin, Micah Solusod, Manabu Soya, John Swasey, David Vincent[17] and Shawn Spears. |
| May 27–29, 2011 | Toronto Congress Centre Doubletree International Plaza Hotel Sheraton Toronto Airport Marriott Toronto Airport Toronto, Ontario |
19,951 | The 404s, Robert Axelrod, Christopher Ayres, Greg Ayres, Brian Dobson, Michael Dobson, Ben Dunn, The Fool, Barbara Goodson, HITT, The iammatthewian Project, Kyle Jones, Helen McCarthy, Miki Narahashi, John Swasey, Kumiko Watanabe[18] and Shawn Spears. |
| May 25–27, 2012 | Toronto Congress Centre Doubletree International Plaza Hotel Sheraton Toronto Airport Marriott Toronto Airport Toronto, Ontario |
Hoppouno Momiji, a fictional redhead with a taste for both anime and anything Canadian, serves as Anime North's dominant mascot. Her various incarnations and the original concept art in which she was conceived can be found here.[19] Momiji's many manifestations are used on all AN clothing, badges, and other wearables. She was originally created for the convention by the Japanese artist Hyi-San.
Official website:
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