Toy Story 2 has won the grand prize at this year's Imagina (Jan 31-Feb 4), the Monte Carlo and Paris-based festival dedicated to 3D animation and special effects.

The first Toy Story film - also directed by John Lasseter and produced by

Disney-Pixar - picked up the same prize in 1996.

Village Roadshow and Warner Bros' The Matrix won the Pixel-INA prize for best special effects. Meanwhile the short film Protest - produced by US Pitch Inc and directed by Steve Katz - picked up the Pixel-INA prize in the Art category.

Toy Story 2 was released in France on Feb 2 by Gaumont Buena Vista

International. The film received enthusiastic press coverage around its digital screening at the Gaumont Aquaboulevard multiplex in Paris, and sold 145,000 tickets in its first day.