Emmy’s animated kickoff

The nighttime Emmy Awards are a month away, but it’s never too early for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences to begin handing them out. The organization announced three Monday in animation.

Hank Azaria was awarded an Emmy for outstanding voice-over performance, winning for an episode of Fox’s “The Simpsons” called “Moe Baby Blues,” in which he played several characters. It was Azaria’s fourth Emmy, having won for voice-over work on “The Simpsons” in 1998 and 2001 and as an on-screen actor for his performance in the TV movie “Tuesdays With Morrie.”

In the category of outstanding individual achievement in animation, Emmys went to Scott Wills (production design) and Dan Krall (layout artist) for the Cartoon Network’s “Samurai Jack,” and to Maciek Albrecht (animation) for HBO’s “Through a Child’s Eye: September 11, 2001.”

Those Emmys will be presented at the academy’s 2003 creative arts awards Sept. 13, with honors for best programs, acting, writing and directing to be handed out Sept. 21 on Fox.