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ANIMATION PLANNER
THE MUST-HAVE LIST
FEATURES
ADVENTURES IN THE MUSHROOM KINGDOM 8
Hop into the hyper antics of The Super Mario Bros. Movie with directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic!
PACHYDERM PERFECTION 12
Producer Julia Pistor and director Wendy Rogers discuss their charming new Netflix movie The Magician’s Elephant.
GATEWAYS TO WONDER 16
Makoto Shinkai’s acclaimed new feature Suzume is inspired by natural disasters and the director’s own travels across Japan
MUSIC, MEANING & MURAKAMI 18
Director Pierre Földes discusses the making of the strikingly original feature Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
CHRONICLES OF A MADCAP FRIENDSHIP 20
Lucy Heavens and Nic Smal give us the scoop on their colorful new Disney comedy Kiff.
TELEVISION/STREAMING
A CHEEKY NEW BIRD TAKES FLIGHT 22
The exec producers of the new Scholastic/Apple TV+ show Eva the Owlet introduce us to their very enthusiastic heroine.
A TALE OF TWO BESTIES 24
An extrovert bear and a quiet turtle are good friends in Nickelodeon’s Bossy Bear, based on David Horvath’s popular book series.
A WISTFUL ROMANCE WITH A TWIST 26 Shō Harusano’s hit BL manga Sasaki and Miyano translates to a touching anime on Cruncyroll.
RISING STARS
RISING STARS OF ANIMATION 2023 28
They’re gifted, articulate and smart and their animation careers are on fire.
TELEVISION/STREAMING
Hop into the hyper antics of The Super Mario Bros. Movie with directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic!
The exec producers of the new Scholastic/Apple TV+’s show Eva the Owlet introduce us to their very enthusiastic heroine.
VFX Supervisor Ante Dekovic guides us through the visual artistry of the second season of Shadow
Children of the ‘80s and ‘90s were accustomed to seeing their favorite games adapted into animated shows on Saturday morning TV blocks and in syndication. From Pac-Man, Dragon’s Lair and Q*Bert to The Legend of Zelda and Sonic the Hedgehog, these shows have a huge nostalgic hold on those who are in their 40s and 50s now. However, it wasn’t until titles such as Skylanders Academy, Castlevania, Arcane and The Cuphead Show! (all of which appeared on Netflix) that we began to see game-inspired animated shows that could actually stand on their own merits.
In April, all eyes will be on Illumination’s much-talked about The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which promises to up the ante in the game-adaption business. The colorful pic has the good fortune of being exec produced by the man with the Midas touch, toon veteran Chris Meledandri, and directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, who proved their wit and animation know-how with the Teen Titans GO! series and movie. The fact that the script is penned by Matthew Fogel, who wrote last year’s blockbuster Minions: The Rise of Gru and The LEGO Movie 2, also fills our hearts with optimism.
Thanks to the folks at Illumination and Universal, our excellent writer Jeff Spry had the opportunity to have an exclusive chat with the directors, so we are proud to bring you one of the first looks at the movie in this special spring issue. We all have to wait until April to catch the movie in theaters, but something tells me the wait will definitely be worth it. (You can bet this release will make you forget the 1993 live-action version!)
In addition, we have three very different animated features premiering in March and April as well. U.S. audiences will finally get to see the acclaimed Japanese feature Suzume in theaters, thanks to Crunchyroll. Our favorite anime expert Charles Solomon offers us an early look at the Makoto Shinkai blockbuster. London-based writer Rich Johnson also brings us an intelligent conversation with first-time feature director Pierre Földes about his Annecy prize-winning movie Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
Make sure you also read Karen Idelson’s insightful look at the new Netflix feature The Magician’s Elephant
We also got a flurry of great-looking new kids’ animated shows debuting these past few weeks. There’s Kiff on Disney Channel and Disney+, Bossy Bear on Nickelodeon and Eva the Owlet on Apple TV+. These three diverse offerings are the perfect example of the rich variety of content available for young viewers and their families. Despite the doom and gloom reports, the animation community continues to produce and create a wonderful range of quality shows that prove that good ideas and bold creative talent always rise to the top.
Ramin Zahed Editor in Chief ramin@animationmagazine.net
APRIL 2023
VOL. 37, ISSUE 4, NO. 329 info@animationmagazine.net
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“I enjoy this collection of people I admire saying My Year of Dicks and then giggling. It was a special treat for sure.”
— Writer Pamela Ribon on hearing her short My Year of Dicks was nominated for an Academy
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
7
A faithfully animated take on Nintendo’s plumber brothers is no longer a pipe dream, as Universal/Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie hits the next level in theaters.
10
The Oscar-qualifying ShortsFest kicks off a week of cinema excellence in Aspen today. [aspenfilm.org]
12
Animocje brings 11 days of animated films to the charming riverside town of Bydgoszcz, Poland. [animocje.com]
14 Prepare for a surreal, magical coming-of-age adventure in Makoto Shinkai’s latest feature, Suzume, in U.S. theaters through Crunchyroll today.
Zeitgeist Films will release Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman in select theaters.
On streaming, Apple TV+ premieres the Sago Mini Friends Earth Day Special and new Jane Goodall hybrid series, Jane
17
Discover the next big kids’ hit at the three-day MIPTV content market in Cannes. [miptv.com]
23
Experience Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscarwinning masterpiece in an all-new way as GKIDS releases filmed versions featuring both casts of Spirited Away: Live on Stage.
25
Head to Germany to celebrate the 30th Stuttgart Int’l Festival of Animated Film over six days covering every corner of the tooniverse. The fest’s CG, VFX & Interactive counterpart FMX runs on site April 25-27 and online April 28, while Animation Production Days offers networking opportunities April 26-28. [itfs.de | fmx.de | animationproductiondays.de]
28
Tune in to Apple TV+ for the premiere of Frog and Toad today to attain perfect herpetological happiness.
30
Grab your umbrellas: ARC Entertainment presents a limited run of family adventure The Ark and the Aardvark
To get your company’s events and products listed in this monthly calendar, please e-mail
Now that Shrek’s adorable and daring companion has made his triumphant, Oscar-nominated return to the big screen, pull up your boots and stride through the filmmakers’ creative journey with this richly illustrated hardcover. Packed with hundreds of character designs and concept artworks as well as interviews with the film’s writers, artists and helmers, you’ll feel like you’ve found your very own Wishing Star thumbing through these colorful pages. The book is authored by Animation Magazine Editor-in-Chief Ramin Zahed with a foreword from voice star Antonio Banderas and an afterword from DWA President Margie Cohn. [Abrams | $45]
The Official Walt Disney Quote Book
Disney 100 Deluxe Edition. Over 300 of Uncle Walt’s insights collected by the Walt Disney Archives from publications, productions and interviews.
[Disney Editions | HC $25 | March 7]
The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers in the 21st Century and Other Follies
[Fantagraphics | $23]
Visual Storytelling with Color and Light
Step-by-step guide to color theory, composition and lighting with distinguished Disney animation artist Michael Humphries
[CRC Press | $45]
“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing that it was all started by a mouse.” Thus spake the man behind the mouse that, a century later, is the emblem of one of the world’s greatest entertainment titans.
Derived from the XXL 90th anniversary book by historians David Gerstein, J.B. Kaufman and Daniel Kothenschulte, this 496-page whopper brings Mickey’s success story to life with artwork (from the likes of Ub Iwerks, Carl Barks and Fred Moore) and historical photos, chronicling his journey from Steamboat Willie to the 21st century. We also glimpse a might-have-been Mickey through materials for unfinished projects. A must-have for Disney fans and film history buffs. [Taschen | $80 | March 25]
Spurred by multiple headline events of 2020, including the killing of George Floyd, more than 100 artists came together to support the Black community, share their truth and ignite conversation through their artwork. The result is this stunning and emotional hardcover anthology. Across 248 full-color pages, impactful works by talents including animation artists Bryan Turner, Aaron Spurgeon, Aliki Theofilopoulos, Benoit Therriault, Leo Matsuda, Brad Ableson, Michelle Lam, Eusong Lee and Disney icon John Musker offer distinct perspectives on the Black experience in America, both the tragic and the triumphant. [OneWorldWe.com | $50]
Enter the chilling and bizarre DC Elseworlds, if you dare! In this adventure, the Caped Crusader faces cosmic horror of Lovecraftian proportions as Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham after a decades-long journey, with a trio of orphans in two. But how will this man of science and clear-eyed justice save the city from the eldritch threats foretold by the Penguin? It’s vigilante wits against the might of the Old Gods in this Warner Bros. Animation caper! [WB | 4K $40, BD $30 | March 28]
A university freshman’s dreams of finding romance take a co-pilot seat when she finds herself working off the debt of a damaged glider at the school’s aviation club. But from the first time that the club president takes her up in the air, Tsuru falls in love with the vast beauty of the skies. From Lupin III studio Telecom Animation Film and director Masaki Tachibana, this sparkling adaptation of Kana Ozawa’s hit manga features a stellar Japanese voice cast led by Mayu Hotta, available in North America for the first time. [Eleven Arts/Shout! | BD $20 | March 14]
After paging through the delicioso art book, take your newfound observations back to the screen to enjoy the blockbuster hit all over again from the comfort of your couch. (Hopefully with a cat or two. Or five. Or several dozen, Mama Luna.) There’s even more fun as well as behind the scenes insights to be had in the set’s fab bonus features, including the new, exclusive short The Trident, deleted scenes, making-of, crafts, commentary and more. [UPHE | 4K $35, BD $25, DVD $20 | Feb. 28]
Plumbing the depths of gaming nostalgia in a candy-colored CG landscape, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is joyously sprinting toward a spring theatrical release courtesy of Illumination, Nintendo and Universal Pictures. Just like the iconic Mario franchise that first arrived in 1983 as an arcade spinoff of Donkey Kong, this adventurous adaptation finds the two Brooklyn-based Italian plumbers exploring subterranean destinations across the magical Mushroom Kingdom to rescue an abducted princess and ultimately save the world.
The PG-rated, CG-animated Super Mario Bros. Movie is directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (Teen Titans Go!, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies) from a screenplay by Matthew Fogel (Minions: The Rise of Gru). Tagging along for the wild ride alongside Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach are the barrel-obliterating
Donkey Kong and the ferocious dino-demon Koopa king named Bowser. The voice cast includes Chris Pratt starring as Mario, with Charlie Day as Luigi and Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach. Rounding out the performers are Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key playing Toad, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Sebastian Maniscalco as Foreman Spike and Kevin Michael Richardson voicing Kamek.
We connected with Horvath and Jelenic for some early insights into the making of this new flick to learn the recipe for concocting a rambunctious movie to please 40 years of video game fans across the entire Super Mario media empire. Here is what they told us:
Animation Magazine: What attracted you to this fun project and what was the core story you wished to tell?
Aaron Horvath: We’re both big fans and grew
up with Super Mario. It was a huge part of our childhood. I have kids and we’ve played Mario games together, so the opportunity to make a movie featuring all my favorite characters was pretty insane. And it was exciting for us to tell a story about how Mario became Super Mario. I got to make the movie that I always wanted to see when I was a kid. There hadn’t been a Super Mario movie that satisfied the fan in me. I feel like this has all been a prank, but apparently, it’s real and really happening.
Michael Jelenic: I was really interested in the project because growing up there are a few touchpoints in pop culture that captured my imagination. I wasn’t really a Star Wars guy, but I was a Super Mario kid. That was right in my formative childhood years. I had a lot of backstory in my mind and I thought it would be a fun challenge taking the emotions of playing the video game and translating that into a narrative story. And then working with legend-
ary companies like Nintendo and Illumination made it such an exciting opportunity for us.
How did your work on Teen Titans Go! help prepare you for the Super Mario world?
Horvath: With Teen Titans, we were tasked with making a show that was very irreverent and funny and really broad for a new audience. We were able to do that because there was already a reverent series delivered for a lot of people. But there had never been a really authentic Super Mario movie or TV show that was satisfying. So, in a way it was the opposite of what we did on Teen Titans. Let’s deliver the Mario experience that we haven’t had yet.
Jelenic: I’ve spent most of my career working on pre-existing characters and have gone from being faithful to completely irreverent. When people probably first heard our names attached to the movie, they expected we’d do the Teen Titans Go! treatment to Mario. But
every project we come to, we make new choices depending on who the audience is and what we’re going for.
At the end of the day, we were trying to do something cinematic and that requires a different tone than maybe you’d do for a 52week series. All our choices were about, how do we make this feel bigger and more emotional? Movie tickets are expensive, and we wanted this to be a memorable experience. It takes a lot more to get somebody into a movie theater seat. This is sort of the opposite treatment of Teen Titans Go!, so I hope we’re surprising people.
Can you delve into the animation’s design aesthetics and the studio team that delivered it?
Horvath: The animation team is Illumination and they’re based in Paris. They’re world-class talent and I was so excited to get to work with these guys. It’s my favorite characters in the
world and my favorite feature animation studio in the world — it’s such an amazing combination. Everybody there, the artists, the producers, the designers, everybody is a huge fan of Super Mario and just wanted to deliver the ultimate Mario experience.
The look of the animation we were going for is cartoony and semi-realistic. There are moments of cartoony fun, but it’s probably more of an action movie. We wanted it to feel like a big adventure film and that there are stakes and maybe you believe that these characters can die. So, they’re not super-squashy and super-stretchy and we used consistent volume on the characters to make them feel a little more grounded than you might see in some other animated films.
What was it like working with Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Seth Rogen, Jack Black and the rest of your high-wattage vocal cast?
“The look of the animation we were going for is cartoony and semi-realistic. We wanted it to feel like a big adventure film and that there are stakes and maybe you believe that these characters can die.”
- Director Aaron HorvathRETURN TO RAINBOW ROAD: The new CG-animated feature by the team at Illumination is the third time the game inspired a feature film (following the 1986 anime feature and the ill-fated live-action 1993 movie).
Jelenic: Sometimes in the animation community people think that you can’t use celebrities, but I think it’s easy to forget that these are great performers and they’ve all proven themselves multiple times and created iconic characters. We cast them in the parts because we believed they could bring these video game characters, who really don’t have much of a personality, to life and make them relatable and funny and heroic. Literally every single person in this movie is great.
Chris Pratt is great at playing an everyman who’s funny, but that you also buy as a hero. Charlie Day is the perfect embodiment of what you think of as Luigi. And then you have Jack Black playing Bowser, and we decided to make that character scary, but the other side of Bowser is somebody who’s vulnerable and funny, and Jack is able to play both those parts and make it not seem like two different characters. It’s sort of humbling working with this talent.
From the French studio to the vocal cast, every single person has excelled in this movie.
Beyond its timeless retro appeal, why do you think the Super Mario franchise endures through generations?
Horvath: I think it endures because [Nintendo game designer, producer and director, Shigeru] Miyamoto and the team at Nintendo can’t just rely on that retro appeal and thinking that everybody loves Mario. They never stop innovating. There’s always something new to discover, there’s always a new core idea to the game that makes it fun to play.
You get to have this avatar that you’re connected to from your childhood, but he’s always going on a new adventure in a new world with new abilities and characters to meet and ways to interact. We’re hoping that’s the vibe of the movie, too. It’s characters you’ve known and loved for decades and hopefully they’re being
A WINNING CAST: The new Super Mario adventure features a star-studded cast that includes Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogan, Fred Armisen and Charles Martinet, who has voiced both Mario and Luigi in the games.
presented here in a way that’s new and fresh. That endless striving for creativity and innovation and entertainment is what really keeps it alive.
Jelenic: For people in our age group who played the original game, there is that retro quality. But the game never stopped. Some people might have stopped playing, but these characters are not retro for Aaron’s and my kids. There’s something iconic about this character. He’s not PacMan and didn’t stop being relevant in the ‘80s. Mario never gives up, and it’s always been a video game that’s acceptable. You don’t have to be a gamer to pick up a Mario game. You can be a four-year old or a 70-year old, and families can play it. That’s the same approach we took for this film. These are simply timeless characters: Mario is like Mickey Mouse! ◆
Universal/Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie jumps into theaters on April 7.
“Sometimes in the animation community people think that you can’t use celebrities, but I think it’s easy to forget that these are great performers and they’ve all proven themselves multiple times and created iconic characters.”
- Director Michael Jelenic
This spring, all eyes will be on Illumination’s much-anticipated The Super Mario Bros Movie, which is one of the biggest animated features based on a video game. But let’s not forget these 10 other fantastic small-screen adaptations of our favorite titles!
Arcane. Created by Riot Games’ Christian Linke and Alex Yee and animated by the genius team at French studio Fortiche, the first season of the show debuted on Netflix in 2021 and was a huge hit with audiences and critics alike. It also went on to win Annie Awards and Emmys. A second season is in production.
Carmen Sandiego. Based on Broderbund’s game, the latest animated adaptation of the game was developed by Duane Capizzi and produced by WildBrain and Houghton Mifflin. Gina Rodriguez voiced the famous jet-setting thief, which also inspired the famous PBS game show Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego back in 1991. The animated show ran on Netflix from 2019 to 2021.
Castlevania. Created by Warren Ellis, this adult dark fantasy was produced by Frederator Studios’ Kevin Kolde and Fred Seibert and was based on the Japanese video game by Konami. The series first aired on Netflix in July 2017 and ran through May 2021.
The Cuphead Show! No classic cartoon fan can resist the charms of this sterling adaptation of the popular game, created by Chad and Jared Moldenhauer and Dave Wasson, and produced by StudioMDHR and King Feature Syndicate for Netflix. The show premiered in Feb. 2022 and three seasons have streamed to date.
Digimon. Digital Monster fans have had no shortage of animated shows and movies to enjoy since the first series produced by Toei Animation premiered in 1999. Nine different shows (512 episodes in total) and 19 movies have been produced to date! Toei released Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna (directed by Tomohisa Taguchi) in 2022, and a new feature (Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning) is in the works.
Dragon’s Lair: The Series. Based on Rick Dyer and Don Bluth’s beloved sword-and-sorcery video game, this impactful Ruby-Spears production debuted in the fall of 1984 on ABC and
ran for only 13 episodes. It chronicled the adventures of Dirk the Daring in the kingdom of King Ethelred.
Kirby: Right Back at Ya! The anime series based on Nintendo’s popular franchise was first released in 2001 and adapted for global audiences in 2022. Created by Masahiro Sakurai, the show follows a pink, spherical Star Warrior who has the ability to take on magical powers temporarily by sucking up their owners! Ted Lewis voiced the villainous King Dedede and his henchman Escargoon!
Pokémon. Created by Satoshi Tajiri, this phenomenal Nintendo game spawned the never-ending animated show by OLM with over 20 seasons (1,228 episodes) since its introduction in 1998. It has also inspired 23 animated features and the popular 2019 live-action hybrid feature Detective Pikachu starring Ryan Reynolds as the lead! In the words of Meowth of Team Rocket, “We do have a lot in common!”
Skylander Academy. Produced by Blizzard Studios and TeamTO, this CG-animated show based on the Blizzard game debuted on Netflix in Oct. 2016. Overall, three seasons of the show featuring Spyro the Dragon, Stealth Elf and Eruptor were made. The voice cast — which included Justin Long, Ashley Tisdale, Jonathan Banks, Bobcat Goldthwait, Catherine O’Hara, Fred Tatasciore, Norm Macdonald and Harland Williams — was as impressive as the animation.
Sonic the Hedgehog. Sega’s speedy blue hedgehog captured everyone’s heart when it first debuted in 1991, so animated shows and movies were inevitable. Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog premieres in syndication in 1993, followed by Sonic the Hedgehog (1994), Sonic Underground (1999), Sonic X (2003-2005), Sonic Boom (2014-2017) and Sonic Prime, which premiered on Netflix last December. Of course, we can’t forget the two recent hybrid movies directed by Jeff Fowler, which were such huge theatrical hits that a third movie is in the works for 2024! ◆
Arcane Castlevania The Cuphead Show!
Pokémon Dragon’s Lair: The Series
Sonic Prime
- By Karen Idelson -
When beloved children’s author Kate DiCamillo (The Tale of Despereaux, Flora and Ulysses) wrote The Magician’s Elephant over 10 years ago, this tale of war, grief, loss and magical realism caught the eye of a veteran producer who just wouldn’t let go of her own dream to turn it into a movie. This year, that dream comes true!
Producer Julia Pistor, whose long list of credits include the three Rugrats movies, The Wild Thornberrys, Hey Arnold! The Movie, Charlotte’s Web and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, initially wanted to develop the story as a live-action film through Fox. Though there were discussions of making it, but the project never came to fruition at that studio.
“When [former head of kids and family, fea-
tures] Melissa Cobb came to Netflix and started a division, she met with me and asked me, ‘What’s the one that got away?’” recalls Pistor.
“I told her I loved Kate DiCamillo’s book and once she read it, boom, things got going.”
As Pistor switched her development of the book from live action to animation, it opened up new possibilities for storytell ing in terms of the style and look of the film. They were also able to be in produc tion during the pandemic, which would’ve proved more difficult for a live-action film.
Visual effects
veteran Wendy Rogers pitched
to direct the film, feeling that she deeply understood the story and knew the visual style that would enhance the themes. This will be her directorial debut after working on live-action films like Batman and Robin and in visual development at DreamWorks on Shrek
The project also brought together a group of notable actors for the voice cast: Noah Jupe stars as the orphaned boy, Peter; Benedict Wong voices the Magician; Pixie Davies appears as Adel, Peter’s sister. Mandy Patinkin and Miranda Richardson lend their voices to the project as well.
DiCamillo’s book contained elements of magical realism woven through a story about two siblings sepa-
rated because of a war, and Rogers wanted to be sure audiences felt the magical elements in the film and connected with the characters. The director emphasized certain aspects of the character design to achieve this goal.
“Eyes are always so critical in character design in animation,” says Rogers. “Making sure that we get really expressive eyes, to me, is the most important thing. One of the things that I think we worked on that was a very clear goal for me and the head of animation, was that I really wanted to make sure that we had some stillness so that we would actually read the expressiveness of the eyes. We did do a quite a lot of testing early on with eye shaders, and everything else, to work out what is the right level of pupil dilation.”
Rogers points out that there are lots of controls for the animators over the structure of the
actual eye. “It was all in service of that sort of nuanced emotion that we wanted to have for those moments where we could really read through the character’s eyes and facial expression,” she says. “We wanted the audience to see what they’re thinking and have that emotional connection between characters.”
As they crafted the look and design of the characters, writer Martin Hynes also developed the story to include moments that were not originally in the book. (Hynes has a story credit on Toy Story 4.)
“Martin wrote a scene in which the elephant washes itself and washes away all this colorful paint and then you see the real elephant for who it is,” says Pistor. “Wendy and the team just executed it in the most beautiful way. I love that he added that because the elephant came into the town and the people
who lived there didn’t know what to do with an elephant. It was a visual moment I don’t think we could have had in any other kind of film.”
The producer and writer knew from the beginning they wanted to hang onto the challenging themes of war and loss, even though their film was aimed at children. There was never a moment where they thought it would be overwhelming if it was brought through the story in a way that felt natural for the narrative.
“We never shied away from the trauma of war that’s part of the book,” says Pistor. “I think animation can tell stories that talk about a lot of things now. It’s what Guillermo del Toro has said as well — that animation is film. In film, you can discuss difficult things like war, even in a story for children. Netflix didn’t shy away from it either.”
“We needed to feel the humanity of the elephant … For the animation, we had to give a little bit more expressiveness and thought to the posing of the elephant and through facial design and particularly the eyes.”
- Director Wendy RogersAN IMPOSSIBLE DREAM: A determined boy accepts a king’s challenge to perform three impossible tasks in The Magician’s Elephant , Netflix and Animal Logic’s new animated adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s book.
“When Martin did the adaptation, he really had the reveal of the war as though it’s almost like a mystery film,” Pistor points out. “We learn what Peter went through and why he’s alone and that he has these feelings of trying to find his sister. Working on the story this way gives you this whole other perspective and I think it just gives you the revelation that people may go through difficult things and grieve and to have compassion for them. Peter goes through the war and loses so much, but it makes him more compassionate for the elephant. We never considered not having the war there.”
Rogers was especially careful with the visual development of the elephant. As a focal point of the film, there were a lot of notes to hit with look of the character.
“It was definitely a balance for us with the elephant in particular, because we wanted the elephant to feel the most physically real, in some ways, of all the characters in the world,”
- Producer Juliasays Rogers. “It’s come from somewhere else. It’s a shocking thing that has come to this town and it has brought back something to the place. It starts a whole journey, but we also wanted it to feel like it fit in the world.”
Rogers points out that there was this balance of not anthropomorphizing it too much and yet having moments where an emotional connection was emphasized. “We needed to feel the humanity of the elephant,” she explains. “We did a lot of reference work, and we had an elephant consultant. For the purposes of animation, we had to give a little bit more expressiveness and thought to the posing of the elephant and through facial design and particularly eyes.”
Rogers and the animation team worked to create a town where the characters lived that felt like a fable and had a timeless quality. While the elephant certainly looked extraordinary and out of place there, the town needed to come across as grounded and believable.
“I really wanted the animation to be physically grounded so that the moments of magic would play against that,” says Rogers. “There’s
an element of magical realism, but the environment should feel like it could exist and that it’s a contrast to the magical elements.”
Produced during the pandemic, the film crew were spread out over multiple countries. Working by video conference built a sense of community while everyone was in lockdown.
“That was remarkable,” says Pistor. “The way that Netflix works was that we had our animation pipeline with Animal Logic [based in Sydney and Vancouver] and our visual development artists were in nine different countries. Our storyboard artists were in five different countries. Our editor was essentially editing from his kitchen. Zoom can be a really intimate space. If you just get past looking at your computer, it actually made it feel more of a team because everyone was on Zoom all at once. It wasn’t a hierarchical thing to choose who’s in the meeting. We were all there. We were all in it together. Making this movie was quite remarkable.”
The Magician’s Elephant premieres on Netflix on March 17.
“We never shied away from the trauma of war that’s part of the book. I think animation can tell stories that that talk about a lot of things now.”
PistorMAGICAL VOICES: The film’s protagonist (voiced by Noah Jupe) searches for his long-lost sister (Pixie Davies) in the CG-animated family movie, which features the voices of Benedict Wong, Brian Tyree Henry, Cree Summer, Lorraine Toussaint, Mandy Patinkin, Miranda Richardson and Dawn French.
Makoto Shinkai’s acclaimed new feature Suzume is inspired by natural disasters and the director’s own travels across Japan.
- By Charles Solomon & Ken Endo -Makoto Shinkai’s latest movie, Suzume no Tojimari (Suzume: The Closing of the Doors, shortened to Suzume for the English-language release) is one of the most anticipated animated features of 2023. It was the number-three box office hit in Japan for 2022, grossing ¥13.4 billion ($104 million U.S.). It was also the first Japanese animated feature to be accepted in competition in the Berlin International Film Festival since Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away in 2002. American audiences can look forward to the U.S. release by Crunchyroll on April 14. Produced by CoMix Wave Films and distributed by Toho, the film features character designs by Masayoshi Tanaka, animation direction by Kenichi Tsuchiya, art direction by Takumi Tanji and music by Radwimps and Kazuma Jinnouchi. The film is nominated for the Japan Academy
Prize for Animation of the Year.
At a time when most American features are blithe fantasies, Shinkai’s recent blockbusters turn the magical-realist journeys of seemingly ordinary teenagers into meditations on social concerns. The couple trapped in continual downpours in Tokyo in Weathering with You (2019) embodies the fears of young people facing the warming planet previous generations have left them. In Suzume, Shinkai returns to the theme of his breakthrough Your Name. (2016): the trauma and loss caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 (which some Americans call “Fukushima”).
High school student Suzume Iwato leads an everyday existence in Miyazaki Prefecture, on the coast of Kyushu. One morning, she discovers a young man prowling among the nearby ruins. Souta explains that he must find and seal doors in abandoned locations in Japan to
prevent sinister spirits from escaping and causing disasters. When Souta is turned into a chair by Daijin, a mysterious talking cat, Suzume must take on Souta’s mission to the close the portals to disaster — and get his body back. Even her name reflects her mission: Iwato refers to the Shinto shrine in Kyushu where the sun goddess Amaterasu once hid herself in cave, plunging the world into darkness. The other gods lured her out and sealed the cave, so she could never again deprive the world of her vital light.
Shinkai got the idea for Suzume while traveling through Japan, speaking about his films. He noted that Japanese custom calls for a jichin-sai, a Shinto ground-breaking ceremony, when construction begins on a new building. Shinkai’s travels took him past rural villages
abandoned by young people seeking greater opportunities in cities, especially Tokyo. The fallow landscapes led him to reflect that there is no ceremony comparable to the jichin-sai when someone closes or leaves a home.
“I wanted to make a road movie where the main character, Suzume, travels through Japan,” he said in an interview in Pen Magazine. “I also wanted to tell a story about grieving over these places. When a person passes away a funeral is held for them, yet when people leave and regions become abandoned, there are no ceremonies to commemorate the loss. When I started thinking that I could make a movie about the mourning of a place, gradually the concept of moving from place to place to visit them became necessary: it became a story of traveling, and all of Japan became the stage.”
As Shinkai explained to the NHK, “When I thought about what kind of trips would be possible in Japan today, I couldn’t come up with any ideas that would open up exciting views into a new world. When I would imagine traveling through present-day Japan, I would often think, ‘This place used to have this kind of thing,’ ‘There used to be more people here, it used to be such a lively place.’ I started to think I must draw a world like that. I started imagining the voices that inhabited those areas and the lives
they must have lived — traveling through that world would be the adventure.”
Shinkai cites Hayao Miyazaki’s Kiki’s Delivery Service, Haruki Murakami’s novel Kafka on the Shore and his short story Super-Frog Saves Tokyo (which also inspired Pierre Földes’movie Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman) as influences on the film.
“As I fleshed out the story, I wondered what kind of interactions and cultural experiences I wanted Suzume to have,” he continues in Pen “I vaguely imagined her as someone like Kiki in Kiki’s Delivery Service, which is still a completely relevant girl’s coming-of-age story. During her training, Kiki meets women who embody possible futures for her. I wanted Suzume to meet strong women in various places who are employed in different fields. I created characters I had never drawn before: a girl helping out at her parents’ inn, or the manager of a snack bar. They act as catalysts for Suzume’s contact with unfamiliar cultures.”
But Suzume’s journey is often perilous. Before the film opened, the Twitter account for Suzume announced there were scenes of earthquakes and alarms from the earthquake warning system on the characters’ cell phones: audiences should be forewarned and not react as if the alarms were real. Suzume also witnesses the damage from the 2011 tsunami in an area
where she once lived with her mother.
In his nonfiction book Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche, Murakami stated, “The Kobe earthquake and the Tokyo gas attack of January and March 1995 are two of the greatest tragedies in Japan’s postwar history. It is no exaggeration to say that there was a marked change in the Japanese consciousness ‘before’ and ‘after’ these events. These twin catastrophes will remain embedded in our psyche as two milestones in our life as people.” Shinkai’s recent films suggest that Great East Japan Earthquake also represents a turning point in modern Japanese history.
As work proceeded on the film, Shinkai worried whether he could make a good film on his theme. “As I made this movie, my thoughts have been about what feelings from being in the middle of a changing Japan will I be able to connect to the future,” he concludes. “It seems like I’ve had the same thoughts as I did when I made Your Name. roughly eight years ago. With Suzume no Tojimari I’m not doing anything new, but I feel this is the time I want to finally convey all the feelings I haven’t succeeded in expressing before.”
Crunchyroll releases Suzume in select U.S. theaters on April 14.
“I vaguely imagined Suzume as someone like Kiki in Kiki’s Delivery Service. I wanted her to meet strong women in various places who are employed in different fields.”
- Director Makoto ShinkaiMYSTICAL JOURNEY: One of the highest-grossing films of 2022 in Japan, Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume centers on a high school girl and a mysterious young man who try to prevent a series of disasters across their country.
Freedom was a “most generous gift” given to artist and composer Pierre Földes when adapting the esteemed Japanese author’s work for his directorial debut Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman The animated anthology inspired by three story collections — including Elephant Vanishes (1993) and After the Quake (2000) — sits alongside Richard Linklater’s rotoscoped films as work that blur the boundaries between animation and live action. Understanding Földes’ intimate and instinctive approach is as much down to his explanations on technique, as it is in appreciating his own sensitivities and expressions for the source material. Murakami’s writing provided him an open book of oddities; those “dreams that shape us and the things we wish for.”
Exploring these stories inspired Földes to push himself and the original text even further
while retaining the perfect balance of two distinct artists. Experimentation is a natural process for Földes, integral to not just developing the style of the film but as an auteur, his style … and the key here was a “live animation” technique that evolved during production.
The final animation retains both the nuances and dream-like effects we would expect from the
marriage of Murakami and the moving image. His eccentric and eclectic nature often displayed through his redemptive characters, many of whom confront their heritage through love and loss, spirituality, sexuality, identity, prophecies and fate. Of course, that meant there was a wealth of inspiring themes to choose from.
“I tend to listen to my desires and was therefore attracted to very specific stories,” says Földes. ”I’d also add that, as an artist, what inspires and attracts me are things I can’t quite define. Things that can relate to something deeper than just mere social and storyline events that anyone else can do very well. Rather than picking one story, I felt the desire to pick a few and to lose myself in them as though in the
by Rich Johnson -
“Among the many values in life, I appreciate freedom most.”
— Haruki Murakami
middle of a maze; to go for what attracted me in them and, eventually, find my way out.”
At the beginning of the project, Földes intended to mix live action with animation, “I love working with actors and in that sense, I’m more of a live-action director who loves creating a unique image and experience using everything I have to express exactly what I have in mind. Animation and music are just some of the tools I have at hand, but it was essential for me to shoot the whole film with actors prior to working on the animation as the film has such precise dialogue. They gave so much life to my characters.”
Over two and a half years, Földes primarily utilized his skills as an artist rather than settling on animation from the offset. “Somehow, little by little, as the project evolved, it became a full animation film. The way I approach any project is thinking in layers, both horizontal and vertical, meaning that I have a kind of vision of something — a feeling — and then I very carefully build upon that raw vision to create various levels until I feel I have created what I imagined deep inside.”
Földes’ father was a painter and animator and although having always been in that world, as a trained composer, he saw this as his greatest asset. “As an artist, I can’t imagine just hiring animators and doing animation. But, when I started working on my own films, I experimented with animation, always creating and experimenting with my own techniques eventually coming up with what I called ‘live animation.’ The film has lots of subtle dialog expressed by subtle characters. After drawing the storyboard, I directed the actors and, having also created the character design, actually enjoyed playing the Frog character myself.”
The film, which won a Jury Distinction Prize at Annecy last year, was produced remotely, with Földes utilizing Toon Boom for the storyboards and animatics, an edit of the film then used as a guide for shooting the live action in Montreal where he worked on After Effects, compositing and color correcting. The final animation was produced at various studios across France and Luxembourg polishing the colors and backgrounds. (Miyu Productions, Doghouse films, Studio MA and Cinema Defacto are among the various producing entities.)
Working as the production designer helped with directing the 2D animation process: Földes sculpted 3D heads with Zbrush for each character so that once the live action was fully edited there were full references capturing the actors’ movements and expressions for the animators to work on. “Rather than simply rotoscoping, the animator had to understand and capture the details of emotion and intention of the actors to recreate something unique for each character. The process of hiring the animators was solely based on their drawing capabilities and their openness to putting aside most things they had learned concerning movements. I encouraged them to concentrate on details such as expressions and giving depth to their lines; to lend more life and ‘animate’ their characters.”
Then there’s the soundscape. It has been noted that music is Murakami’s first love and therefore, as an appreciator of Jazz in particular, he is no stranger to improvisation. “Of course, I’ve always heard of Mr. Murakami’s deep interest in music,” says the director. “All kinds of music. My approach is one of an artist whose only credo is inspiration and audacity. I only listen to what I have inside, but then I listen very very carefully, and if I’m concentrated enough, I catch a few
notes, a few colors, a few ideas here and there … and I follow them, and them only; until I create something that’s 100 percent true.”
Having made it clear from the offset that he wasn’t to be involved, anyone else would have read Murakami’s response as “an unfriendly move.” However, Foldes says, “It allowed me to go from a ‘respectful’ approach to a much more personal one; to embrace his beautiful and amazing work and be so inspired by it that it gradually became mine. I think that, to a certain extent at least, once you’ve read the words written in a book, the concepts they inspire in your mind, are yours.”
Indeed, Földes lends new life and dimension to Murakami’s work, while taking complete ownership. He is obviously a meticulous director who articulates and interprets what he feels as an artist emotionally, while still delivering something malleable.
If a tsunami and an earthquake weren’t enough to induce any emotion (or anxieties!), the inherent psychological tones are certainly echoed enough through the use of texture, fragmented color and line work. Földes style also perfectly translates the disparate characters — a schizophrenic accountant and a giant (talking) anthropomorphic frog — unbound from reality. “These concepts can trigger much deeper ones,” says the director. “They can inspire your own personal world which, in turn, can create something unique that might open windows in people’s minds or hearts and, in turn, inspire them. That’s what I’m going for.” ◆
Zeitgeist Films in assoc. with Kino Larber will release Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman in select U.S. theaters on April 14.
“The film has lots of subtle dialogue expressed by subtle characters. After drawing the storyboard, I directed the actors and, having also created the character design, actually enjoyed playing the Frog character myself.”- Director Pierre Földes DAWN OF DESTRUCTION: Pierre Földes’ Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman is set in Tokyo shortly after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, based on six stories by Haruki Murakami.
Buddy comedies never go out of style — especially when they’re animated and they center on a couple of mismatched friends. Disney TV’s new, brightly colored series Kiff, which centers on the hilarious adventures of an optimistic but accident-prone squirrel and her mellow rabbit pal, follows some of the beloved traditions of the genre. The brainchild of South African creators and exec producers Lucy Heavens (Space Chickens in Space) and Nic Smal (Caillou), the show was inspired by the people and places the duo experienced when they were growing up in Cape Town.
Heavens and Smal met at an animation studio in Cape Town in 2017 and quickly realized that they spoke the same comedy language. “We have quite different sensibilities, but a very similar sense of humor,” says Smal. “There aren’t really any opportunities to work on this kind of comedy in South Africa (as yet!), so we just decided to create a series that would be the most free, fun world for us
to sink our teeth into in terms of story and comedy — and just enjoy that process.”
According to Smal, they were very surprised when their show was optioned by Disney only five months after they created it. “Development can always be a long road,” he explains. “So, we really appreciated the fact that we each had a co-creator to walk that road with, and we poured ourselves into a pilot animatic and animation test. It has been, and continues to be, so, so fun! Throughout the process we have found a very collaborative way to work, and the voice of the show really comes alive when we are working together. We have always enjoyed feeding into each other’s primary disciplines in a really productive way. Lucy is a writer, who’s an art person.”
“And Nic is an artist (and comedian and musician!) who’s really great at story. We wanted to create a show that we’d have a blast making and that we’d love to watch, and we think
Kiff delivers on both of those!” says Heavens. “Both of us get a kick out of exploring human nature and finding the funny stories that originate from the more humdrum parts of life. Because of that, all our inspirations come from, just, being alive! Relationships, embarrassing moments, societal expectations, love, bureaucracy, boredom, joy — we just love telling stories that reflect what it is to be a person.”
She also points out the they had a very free space for all kinds of stories to be told. “Musically, it is so fun to write songs and play with every musical genre imaginable, and in a way that doesn’t speak down to kids,” says Heavens. “We write the songs together, but Nic is the really accomplished musician. And of course our characters are hilarious to us. We sort of see them as different parts of the human psyche; the lust for life, the sensitive and vulnerable parts of ourselves, the self-centered, ego-driven parts of ourselves — they are all represented and intersect in interesting ways.”
The duo began putting the pitch deck for the show together back in December of 2017. “Our team is divided between New York and L.A. [the show is produced by Titmouse in assoc. with Disney Channel],” says Smal. The show is hand-drawn on paper, then scanned into Toon Boom Harmony. “In terms of visual style, we wanted to reference Cape Town, where we’re from, along with its flora and fauna, its warm colors and unique geography. Because our hometown is at the foot of a mountain, everywhere has a mountainous backdrop — just like Table Town!”
Smal and Heavens are huge fans of The Simpsons and you can see that show’s influ-
ence on their creations. “We’re millennials, so we communicate solely via Simpsons references,” says Heavens. “But we’re also children of 1990s Disney films, TV and (not animation but) Monty Python as well. Matt Groening, Genndy Tartakovsky and Stephen Hillenburg are three of our all-time heroes. We also love Clone High, SpongeBob SquarePants, Futurama, Animaniacs and Bill Nye, the Science Guy!” So, what were their biggest challenges as they set out to make their show? “As South Africans, we had little to no experience with U.S. studios, or relationships with people who did have that experience,” says Heavens. “It was expensive and difficult for us to invest in
trips to the U.S.A. and Europe to pitch our show and figure out how the industry works.” Adds Smal, “Working across three time zones isn’t the most sustainable way to work as showrunners. We’re based in Cape Town and production is happening between L.A. and New York. It is such a collaborative medium; there aren’t enough meeting hours in the day.”
When it comes to lessons they have learned from their creative journey, Smal responds. “Persistence is the lesson of our lives. Don’t wait for other people to create opportunities for you. Just make, create, do!” Heavens chimes in, “Development is a long road, so make sure you’re making a show that you really want to watch!
The duo can’t wait for audiences to discover their characters and their hilarious adventures. “What do we hope they take away from the show?” asks Heavens. “Be kind because everyone you meet is fighting a great battle! That … and some LOLs!” ◆
Kiff premieres on March 10 at 8 p.m. on Disney Channel and March 15 on Disney+.
“We wanted to create a show that we’d have a blast making and that we’d love to watch, and we think Kiff delivers on both of those!”
— Creators Lucy Heavens and Nic Smal
The exec producers of the new Scholastic/Apple TV+ show Eva the Owlet introduce us to their very enthusiastic heroine.
By Ramin Zahed
Ever since Rebecca Elliot introduced her charming owl character Eva in the chapter book Eva’s Treetop Festival back in 2015, young readers have fallen in love with the creative bird. This spring, she will find a whole new set of fans when Apple TV+ premieres the new animated show Eva the Owlet, based on Elliot’s popular book series Owl Diaries. Produced by Scholastic Entertainment and Brown Bag Films (in Dublin and Bali), the show centers on Eva, her next-door neighbor Lucy and their friends in the woodland world of Treetopington.
“Owl Diaries, now 17 books in, remains a favorite with kids,” says the show’s exec producer Caitlin Friedman (Clifford the Big Red Dog, Stillwater), Scholastic’s SVP and general manager. “Along with our readers, we fell in love with Eva and knew that she and her family and friends would make for an adorable se-
ries. Happily, Apple TV+ agreed!”
Exec producer Jef Kaminsky, VP of TV production at Scholastic, whose credits include Clifford the Big Red Dog and Stillwater, says he loves the fact that Eva is so enthusiastic about just about everything. “She loves her family and her friends and trying new things even if she makes mistakes,” he says. “But perhaps even more than that, what we love most is that Eva isn’t afraid to experience and express all her feelings. She doesn’t always understand what she is feeling. To help her, and the viewer, she writes her feelings down in her diary.”
The producers began developing the show about five years ago. “We brought Brown Bag Films on board for early visual development as part of the pitch,” says Friedman. “Once Apple TV+ ordered the series, we were able to
officially invite Brown Bag Films to join us on this production.”
While the creative team opted for a CG-animated show, they decided to lean heavily into the natural world since the backdrop is a town nestled in trees. “The artists at Brown Bag Films successfully created a world where kids will feel that they are in the treetops with Eva and her friends,” says Kaminsky. “We wanted Treetopington to feel safe and cozy for young viewers, so we chose natural lighting and toon-shaded textures for the designs, and that’s all supported by a very serene, ambient woodland sound design.”
One of the reasons the show stands out is that all of the stories take place at night, since owls are nocturnal creatures. Kaminsky adds, “Additionally, Apple TV+ encouraged us to stick as close as possible to the style of the book series, which is great because the fans of the stories will feel like this is a natural ex-
tension of the world they see on the pages of the books they love.”
“Sometimes productions go really smoothly, and we were super lucky with Eva the Owlet,” adds Friedman. “All of the people involved shared a similar vision for how the show should look, and the writers really brought out the humor and the charm of this character and her friends. This production and this team of people have been an absolute pleasure since day one.”
When asked about their overview on the state of animation in 2023, both producers are optimistic about the medium’s future, despite all the ups and downs in the business. As Fried-
man points out, “Animation has always been a form of storytelling that withstands big cultural or economic shifts. We are also seeing that animation is resonating with older kids and adults and is easily becoming an area of growth for those looking for co-viewing experiences. So beyond preschool, we are currently developing animated series based on our horror, sci-fi and young adult titles because we love the creativity and flexibility of the medium and what it can add to storytelling.”
For now, Both Kaminsky and Friedman have high hopes for their charming little feathered friend. “At the core of our episodes, Eva uses her diary to process her feelings,” says Fried-
man. “Since journaling is a proven tool to help kids (and grown-ups) better understand their emotions, we are hoping that our viewers will try it when they are grappling with something that can be overwhelming and hard to share.”
“First and foremost, we want kids to enjoy watching Eva and her adventures across the first and second seasons,” concludes Kaminsky. “Along with providing a fun viewing experience, we ideally want the show to help our viewers identify, express, understand and manage their feelings.”
Animation fans know David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim as the talented husband-and-wife creative team behind the popular plush toys UglyDolls, which were originally launched in 2001 and inspired the 2019 CG-animated movie. This month, the duo is back with Bossy Bear, a delightful new animated series based on Horvath’s book series, which premieres on Nickelodeon. With animation produced by Renegade, the brightly colored, 2D show follows the adventures of two best pals: Bossy Bear (voiced by Jayden Ham), a very enthusiastic extrovert, and Turtle (Jaba Keh), a thoughtful introvert. The voice cast also features real-life couple Lance Bass and Michael Turchin as Tyler and Greg, parents to Ginger (Beahlen Deacon), Bossy’s squirrel friend.
Eryk Casemiro, Nickelodeon’s EVP of global series content, remembers when Imagine
Kids + Family’s producers Stephanie Sperber and Elly Kramer Posner pitched the project to him back in the summer of 2019. “ We instantly fell in love with the property,” he says. “At its core, it is a classic buddy comedy in which we saw a great opportunity to redefine the word ‘bossy’ in a more positive light.”
Posner notes, “It was really clear to us that this was an opportunity to showcase two besties — one an extrovert and one an introvert — and to celebrate how both qualities can be positive and should be celebrated. The development came together unusually quickly and we pitched the series to Nickelodeon in late June/early July of 2019.”
When they created Bossy Bear and his colorful world, Horvath and his wife were inspired by their lives in Seoul, their family in Korea and their home away from home in Los
Angeles. “So much of our time is spent between Korea Town and Sawtelle Blvd in L.A.,” says the writer-producer. “We hope audiences will feel at home with Bossy and Turtle, perhaps learn something new, laugh and — well, mostly laugh!”
Horvath says he loves everything about the new show, from what audiences can see on the screen to how it was crafted behind the scenes. “Sun-Min and I were so fortunate to be able to collaborate with the incredible teams at Imagine and Nickelodeon and can’t wait for everyone to experience Bossy Bear,” he tells Animation Magazine. “This is the best possible version of what we envisioned with our original books and limited run toys produced so many years ago, and the experience has been a true gift”
The show creators love the dynamic between Bossy and Turtle, and the show’s take on extroversion and introversion, from Bossy
leaping head first to Turtle thinking things through. “I’m not so sure being less loud in comparison to Bossy’s big ‘out there’-ness is introversion,” says Horvath. “but I can certainly identify with needing to be alone to recharge. If that’s introversion, I move between both characters modes all day. We’re also very excited for everybody to experience Gran Gran and her perfect kimchi mandu!”
Casemiro believes there are two important qualities that make Bossy Bear stand out in the busy children’s animation landscape. “One is the Korean influence that celebrates cultural touchpoints that Korean families will recognize,” he says. “Another is the bold color palette that evokes a K-Pop sensibility.”
Posner adds, “The series is incredibly eye-catching with its unique design language and bright color palette. These are also seven-minute episodes, which you don’t often see in the U.S. The stories are so incredibly funny and heartwarming, and the music is just amazing! I apologize in advance for the earworms. The animation was produced with Renegade Animation, and we could not have asked for better partners. They did an incredible job of bringing the characters to life and we are so lucky to be working with them.”
The show’s visual style closely follows Horvath’s instantly recognizable book illustrations. “Adapting book illustration into animation is never easy, but the design team has done a fan-
tastic job of translating David Horvath’s unique illustrations,” says Casemiro. “Every frame emulates Horvath’s line style, shape language and bold color choices. And as I mentioned, the color palette is really bold and exciting.”
He points out, “It’s often much harder to develop a new series from an existing IP than it is to develop an original. And it’s even harder to develop a children’s book into a series as there is so much more character and worldbuilding needed for 100-plus episodes than can possibly be contained in a 32-page book. All this worldbuilding must emulate the DNA of the source material and stay on a certain pitch. In the case of Bossy Bear, we were so fortunate to have David and Sun-Min involved so we didn’t have to guess at author’s intentions.”
Horvath says he’s very thankful of the team at NHK Japan, who put his first animated show on the air 15 years ago. “They’re my heroes now that I realize how unlikely any of that was to ever occur in the first place,” he says. “Stephanie Sperber and Elly Kramer are my major animation heroes and have been incredible collaborators. So much of what’s wonderfully grounded about our project was thanks to Imagine and the team at Nickelodeon. Chris Meledandri was also a major influence on me during our formative years with Uglydolls, in regards to the importance of relatable characters, compelling stories and vision.”
Horvath adds, “Given how difficult it is to even get one pitch with a major studio during one’s lifetime, I realize what a miracle it is to have had a chance to fail at any of it, and appreciate the time I am able to operate within it with high regard. I think it’s an exciting time, both for creators like Odd1sOut, doing it all on their own, and for large studios. It feels like, for the first time in a long time, the rules are out the window and we can accomplish anything again!”
Casemiro, whose long list of credits includes Rugrats, Poppy Cat, Olivia and The Wild Thornberrys, also believes that there have never been more talented, diverse interesting voices in the kids’ animation landscape, whether it’s for big theatrical releases or Instagram posts. “With so many diverse artists comes diverse storytelling that helps to push the boundaries of visual storytelling,” he notes. “But it’s also a difficult time for our industry as the traditional broadcast, cable and streaming platforms struggle to command a lion’s share of an audience to create new hits and earn profits that traditionally have funded more risky and innovative projects.”
Hopefully, Bossy Bear and his friends will open the door to the next generation of fun and innovative shows for family audiences all over the world.
“Given how difficult it is to even get one pitch with a major studio during one’s lifetime, I realize what a miracle it is to have had a chance to fail at any of it, and appreciate the time I am able to operate within it with high regard!”
— David Horvath, creator & executive producerFRIENDS FOREVER: Based on David Horvath’s popular book series, Bossy Bear charts the misadventures of unlikely best friends Bossy Bear and Turtle in the city of Pleasantburg.
BL (Boys’ Love) is a curious genre of anime and manga that has no real American counterpart. These wistful romantic fantasies involving beautiful young men are written by women for female audiences. But in recent years, a few talented artists have offered more credible characters and plotlines that allow young gay viewers to see themselves in the stories. Based on a manga by Shō Harusono (Yen Press, eight volumes), Sasaki and Miyano (2022), produced by Studio Deen and directed by Shinji Ishihira, available through Crunchyroll, stands out.
though Miyano declines, the boys become friends, exchanging manga and CDs. They enjoy the shared enthusiasm and the freedom with which they can talk. Japanese high school students lead much more regimented lives than American teenagers and endure intense societal and parental pressure to succeed. Although Miyano and Sasaki have other friends, to find someone who really listens and pays attention is a rare, treasured experience.
After a few episodes, Sasaki confesses to Miyano. “Confessing” is a key ritual in high school manga, anime and novels. All the drama, neuroses and hormonal excesses teenagers endure crystalized in a declaration of affection. Dumbfounded, Miyano says he doesn’t know how to respond; Sasaki promises to wait for his decision.
their all-boys school.
High school sophomore Miyano Yoshikazu is frustrated. He’s barely 5’7” tall and people of both sexes comment on how cute his face is. He’s a good student who works hard in student government, but he works even harder to conceal that he’s a fudanshi — a boy who likes BL manga.
He meets senpai (upperclassman) Sasaki Shuumei when the older student stops two boys from beating up Miyano’s friend Kuresawa. People refer to Sasaki as a delinquent: He dyes his hair rusty brown, wears multiple ear studs and comes late to class. He’s not as tough as he looks — he loses the fight with Kuresawa’s attackers — but, he’s many things Miyano would like to be: four inches taller, with broad shoulders and big hands, and comfortable with who he is.
Miyano is gobsmacked when Sasaki jokingly tells him he’s cute and asks him to go out. Al-
The weakness of run-of-the-mill BL stories is the characters’ failure to acknowledge their sexuality. They rarely identify as gay, but blithely accept same-sex partners. In Gravitation (2000), aspiring rock musician Shuichi falls for aloof novelist Yuki. Yuki’s brother shrugs, “The person you happened to fall for turned out to be Bro.” In Dakaichi: I’m Being Harassed by the Sexiest Man of the Year (2022, also on Crunchyroll), up-and-coming actor Junta hangs on more experienced actor Takato with the slobbering enthusiasm of a golden retriever whose owner has been away for an hour. None of these characters analyze their unexpected attractions.
In Sasaki and Miyano, the filmmakers focus on the insecurities and uncertainties that plague high school students, including sexuality. Miyano has never thought of himself as gay — even if he enjoys BL manga. He liked a girl in junior high, but the relationship never went anywhere, and they haven’t spoken in years. He admires Sasaki-senpai and enjoys their time together. But he keeps coming back to the question, “What does it mean to love someone?” (The Japanese verb suki de aru can be translated as “like” or “love.”)
Sasaki is more aware of his sexuality but keeping his promise to wait for Miyano’s decision takes a toll. One day, he starts to kiss Miyano, realizes his action was inappropriate and apologizes. Their friends offer advice and try to bring them together: Same-sex crushes aren’t unusual in
Miyano finally concludes that although he has no experience in love, if the feelings he has for Sasaki-senpai “aren’t the real deal, what is?” In a counter-confession that feels more like a flash flood than a declaration of affection, Miyano recounts everything he likes about Sasaki, concluding “… sometimes, I want to hug you … be my boyfriend.” It’s a much more believable conclusion than the standard let’s-spend-forever-together: Its tone may remind American viewers of Love, Simon
Sasaki and Miyano scored a hit in both Japan and the U.S. There’s already an OVA, a spinoff series about two of their friends. A Sasaki and Miyano feature was slated for release in mid-February and a novelization of the series will be published in English in April. ◆
12 Episodes + OVA
Studio Deen, Crunchyroll
They’re gifted, articulate and smart and their animation careers are on fire. Yes, we are talking about this year’s brilliant group of rising stars. They have worked or are currently putting the finishing touches on some of our favorite animated shorts, TV shows and movies of the year. We are so glad to be able to spotlight these amazing individuals and can’t wait to see what they come up with next as they climb the ladder of success.
Age, Birthplace: 30; Phoenix, Arizona. Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: Some of my fondest memories were huddling around the TV in the living room with my siblings and cousins, perusing the massive collection of VHS tapes my parents had collected over the years — The Meteor Man, Galaxy Quest, Men in Black, My Favorite Martian, Jumanji, The Lion King; and then when we upgraded to DVDs — The Iron Giant, A Goofy Movie, The Pagemaster, Dark Crystal, The Labyrinth, The Hobbit, The Wiz, Spirited Away, the list goes on. I was also big on the entire Disney Afternoon Block. I watched a lot of shows with my older sibs, too — Daria, Hey Monie!, Dragon Ball … my oldest brother recorded as many episodes of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog as he could fit on 20 or so tapes. We ran those things into disrepair!
I knew I wanted to work in animation when: I’m not even sure it was a conscious choice — as early as I can remember, my dream was to be “a cartoonist.” But the second, surefire moment I knew was around my third year of college, after my oldest sister passed away. To cope with the loss, I dove back into the comforting world of cartoons, Phineas and Ferb in particular. Eventually, I realized how much watching these shows anchored me during that painful time, and I too wanted to help create stories that would help uplift others’ spirits the way they did my own. First job in animation: My first job was as a storyboard intern at 6 Point Harness. I was miraculously hired from a two-day storyboarding workshop, and they kindly welcomed me into their fold. About three weeks into my internship, I was asked if I’d like to be a full-time storyboard artist — and who could refuse that??
What I love about my current project: The people, always. Many of them are new, now treasured friends, but there were a few familiar faces from the Dad crew that came along with me for this ride — and what a ride it is! I’m grateful to have the relationships I do with all the folks I’ve worked with on other projects, and this one is no different in that respect.
Biggest challenge: Quelling the overwhelming urge to accomplish an infinite number of things within a finite amount of time. Being satisfied with what I have done thus far and knowing that all that I eventually do will have been more than enough. A big part of that is the excitement (and frustration) of coming up into an industry that’s finally starting to truly embrace diverse storytelling over tokenization — we have so much more to do, people! One step at a time though, ha ha … Also, protecting my energy!
Best career advice: Always try to exercise humility in what you think you know, as well as what you can know. In our highly collaborative field, there’s always more to learn about our work, ourselves, others and Life. We have to make everything that appears on the screen, and at the heart of it all is quite often just that — heart. Try to remember that what you create is precious and cannot truly be replicated by anyone or anything else.
Age, Birthplace: 30, Israel.
Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: My favorite animated movie was The Little Mermaid. I was mesmerized by Ariel’s curiosity and fascination with the simple things in our world. My favorite TV show was Nickelodeon’s As Told By Ginger, which I found a lot of comfort in as it dealt with issues I was experiencing as a teenager.
I knew I wanted to work in animation when: In Israel, you pick majors in high school, and for me that was art and computer science. I also worked in the local movie theater after school hours. That was an amazing year for films — Tangled, Toy Story 3, How to Train Your Dragon. As the children would step out of the movies, I’d ask them if they enjoyed it. They would smile and say, “It was amazing!” That’s when it hit me: Animation has the power to influence and inspire everyone! I realized animation is a career path that includes so many things that I love (art, tech and films) and is able to create joy, smiles and laughter!
First job in animation: While I had a few internships and worked on some fun projects with friends, DreamWorks is technically my first full-time job in animation! And I love it here.
What I love about my job: The team! Puss in Boots: The Last Wish was the most amazing project to work on. I’ve learned so much, worked with such amazing artists and got to work on something that I feel extremely proud of. I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with this team, and really appreciate the amount of trust they’ve put in me.
Biggest challenge: One big challenge was joining the industry during the pandemic. There is a lot to learn from those around you, and I am so glad to be on campus now! Another big challenge is the distance from family and loved ones. Being away from that support system and culture is hard. Starting at DreamWorks and moving to a new state during the peak of the pandemic made it a tough start. The people at the studio are what make it so great and I found an amazing support system here.
Best career advice: Make friends, not connections. Your friends are your strongest allies, and there is so much you can learn from one another. At the end of the day, they are the people who are most likely to recommend you to positions, so working together and helping each other grow will advance everyone’s career and help us achieve our common goal: creating meaningful content.
Art
Age, Birthplace: 40ish; Albany, NY.
Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: I spent most of my childhood in Hong Kong and Taiwan, so most of the shows I watched were either in Chinese or they were dubbed. Since Chinese is my second language, whenever I got a hold of American cartoons, they were like gold to me. My dad used to rent me collections of Looney Tunes and HannaBarbera shows on VHS or laser discs. As soon as we were able to “obtain” cable, I was introduced and obsessed with shows on Nickelodeon and MTV like Ren & Stimpy, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, Liquid Television and Beavis and Butthead. When we finally moved back to the States, shows like Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Batman: The Animated Series, The Tick and X-Men were built into my weekly routines.
I knew I wanted to work in animation when: I actually didn’t plan on working in animation! I majored in Illustration and was making most of my living through selling paintings at galleries and doing freelance. The animation thing sort of happened by chance through the crowd I was hanging out with, many of which were working in the animation industry while showing in the same galleries as me.
First job in animation: My first job in animation was for Spaceballs: The Animated Series. We all have to start somewhere, right!? Despite that and many other similar work experiences that I’ve had, I’ve been able to meet a lot of amazing people along the way and learn how not to be while working in animation … or anywhere, really. What I love about my current project: My current project is a CG-animated horror series that revolves around a family and their adventures. While developing the look, we really wanted it to stand out from the crowd by challenging the status quo. We really wanted to give it a 2D look by paying homage to classic EC-style horror comic books. I am so proud of the work we’ve accomplished. It’s definitely a love letter to several genres of horror that we admire. It has truly been one of my most favorite and fun shows I’ve had the privileges of working on and I can’t wait for audiences to see it.
Biggest challenge: Since the style hadn’t fully been done before at the studio, we had to do a lot of outside the box thinking on altering the existing pipeline to make everything work for what we were trying to achieve within the time and budget given. Thankfully we have some of the best people in the industry at DreamWorks, who are amazing to collaborate with. They’ve helped us elevate the look of the show higher and higher every step of the way.
Best career advice: The thing that I’ve found to be the most consistent and beneficial for me is to leave my ego at home and work on building strong mutual trust with the team that I’m working with. If you can’t listen, trust and support one another, it’ll come out in the show.
Age, Birthplace: 27; Abbotsford, BC, Canada.
Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: The Aristocats
I knew I wanted to work in animation when: I found that 3D animation was a viable career for monetarily supporting myself while still making art.
First job in animation: The Deep Season 2 at DHX Media (now WildBrain).
What I love about my current project: I love the people! Everyone on my team has been a genuine pleasure to work with and I’m so proud of them all! They constantly push the bar and inspire everyone to work more creatively, and it truly shines in their work.
Biggest challenge: By far my biggest challenge has been managing and maintaining my mental and physical health. Burnout is such a common side effect of this career in the animation industry. And without the understanding of how your body is affected under stress, it’s quite difficult to maintain consistency.
Best career advice: Don’t be tempted to let this career define your worth or your identity. As with any job, maintaining a level of passion over a long period of time is very hard. I have benefitted endlessly from having passions outside of my work to refuel and energize me and I’m constantly on the hunt for more!
Age, Birthplace: 34, raised in Québec, Canada. Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: When we were kids, my sister and I watched animated movies on repeat until we could recite them by heart. My favorites were The Land Before Time, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Oliver & Company, A Goofy Movie and Aladdin. I remember really wanting to become Princess Jasmine so I could have a pet tiger when I grew up. I knew I wanted to work in animation when: My mom came home from work one night and asked me if I was interested in studying animation. Her boss had seen one of my drawings in her office and told her about Sheridan College’s animation program. I had no idea it was a career option, but I loved drawing and it felt like a path that would make me really happy. I scrambled to put my application together in time for the admissions deadline and never looked back. First job in animation: When I graduated in 2010, I didn’t get a job in the industry right away. I worked at a bank for two years and did some freelance work while building up my portfolio. Eventually, that paid off and I was hired to work on Ever After High as a character cleanup artist by Guru Studio in Toronto. I had an incredible time on that project. I learned so much and met some of my closest friends.
What I love about my current project: I’m really grateful for the amazing team of artists I work with. The best part of my job is seeing everyone’s contributions to the show. It feels like every day I review designs where the team has gone above and beyond with their assignments in a way that makes the project so much better. It’s really inspiring to see.
Biggest challenge: The schedule is the most challenging part of this project. I always wish we had more time. Everyone on the team is so passionate and hardworking, it makes even the most challenging days worth it.
Best career advice: Being open to trying roles I wasn’t actively searching for has been really beneficial in my career. Along with various art department positions, I’ve had the chance to work in production, development and recruiting. I’m often surprised by how much of those skills are transferable to my day-to-day job as an art director.
Age. Birthplace: 34; born in Canada, grew up in Costa Rica. Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: I watched a lot of cartoons as a kid. Looney Tunes and The Porky Pig Show were major shows in my life. Also loved Dexter’s Laboratory, Freakazoid!, Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Pinky and the Brain, etc. Favorite movies included The Iron Giant, The Land Before Time, Brave Little Toaster, The Great Mouse Detective, A Goofy Movie, Space Jam and The Prince of Egypt
I knew I wanted to work in animation when: I watched a lot of 2D animated movies and cartoons as a kid, but it wasn’t until I was in high school that I started putting together my feel for art and animation. Movies like Shrek and Monster House inspired me to think about turning my love of animation into a career. I was in Costa Rica at the time and there was barely anything related to animation as a real study.
First job in animation: I must separate this answer into two parts: My first job in animation was in 2009 while I was studying 3D animation in Costa Rica. My teacher hired me for a 2D animation job working on animated commercials. At the time, my knowledge was minimal, and I was really doing 2D animation without quite understanding it; it was a learning-as-you-go kind of thing. It wasn’t until I moved to Canada in 2012 to formally study 2D animation that I got my first 2D animator job on Rocket Monkeys, a series produced by Atomic Cartoons for Teletoon.
What I love about my job: It’s not every day you get the chance to re-design classic Looney Tunes characters. Working on Bugs Bunny Builders has been one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had. Having studied Chuck Jones and all the great artists that created the original designs, I love being able to put my own vision on these characters. Some days I don’t believe I get to do it. It has been a profound thing in my life.
Biggest challenge: For Bugs Bunny Builders, the biggest challenge at the beginning was to hit the task: “New take for young audiences but with the classic feeling of the Looney Tunes.” It sounds easy, but not really; old and new don’t always go together. For my career, I’d say giving myself time to experiment and to keep exploring art without falling into drawing the same things in the same way all the time. I try to get away from the computer during my personal “art-time” and use all traditional materials.
Best advice: Learn to work as a team. Animation is a collaborative process. If your team succeeds you succeed as well. Supporting your co-workers, solving problems, raising the hand for any questions, or even raising the hand to ask for help is OK. What I enjoy the most about my career in animation is knowing that we — with our hands — create a bunch of art, and that art is sent to a lot of people that add another bit of art. This process keeps going until the art moves, gets sound, gets voices, and then parents with their kids sit down and watch it. The fact that a group of people get together, collaborate and produce something is a great experience!
Director/Writer,
Age, Birthplace: 34, Maryland.
Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: Sailor Moon, Batman the Animated Series, Mulan, Spirited Away, The Secret Garden, Little Women, Motorcrossed
I knew I wanted to work in animation when: I realized there was a job that combined my love of drawing and storytelling.
First job in animation: Intern at Disney Consumer Products.
What I love about my current project: The team! CG is hard and expensive; everyone has to work together to make it not look like crap. I’m so lucky to work with a bunch of nerds who want to geek out over the details of filmmaking.
Biggest challenge: It’s a very ambitious project — it’s longer than a Pixar feature but made with a smaller team. We have to do more, with less. What’s great is, because every person really matters, every person becomes a bigger contributor.
Best career advice: Geek out with your friends over films and shows. Analyze what works/doesn’t work. Also, just live life. Read books, study philosophy, listen, go to new places, get your heart broken … Have a point of view in what you create.
Director/Writer/EP, Win or Lose (Pixar)
Age, Birthplace: 31; Gary, Indiana.
Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: Toy Story, Akira, Fullmetal Alchemist, The Lion King, Princess Mononoke, Dragon Ball Z
I knew I wanted to work in animation when: Seeing my drawings first come to life set in motion a lifelong obsession. I realized animation is a combination of all the art forms. Where you can transport people to any place you can imagine.
First job in animation: Story artist trainee at DreamWorks.
What I love about my current project: Win Or Lose is such a fun character-filled world, where I feel like we get to explore so many different perspectives. It never gets boring.
Biggest challenge: The biggest challenge has been just how big and interconnected the show is. Sometimes it feels like we need one of those detective cork boards with photos, newspaper clippings and red thread connecting the evidence. Except instead of connecting suspects, it’s storylines.
Best advice: Always look to learn, every project and person you work with has something to offer you. Even the bad experiences can teach you what not to do.
Creator/Exec Producer, Primos (Disney Branded TV)
Age, Birthplace: 39, West Covina, Los Angeles.
Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: In the late ‘80s/early ‘90s, I watched everything on MTV and Nickelodeon — the animated music videos and the classic Nicktoons like Hey Arnold! and Rugrats. I’d even stay up late to see Æon Flux. Of course, Looney Tunes and the Disney musical features were a big staple, too.
I knew I wanted to work in animation when: I was three years old, and MTV was premiering a new music video — my whole family gathered around the TV to see “Runnin’ Down a Dream” by Tom Petty. I remember sitting on my mom’s lap and being completely blown away by the animation. It was the first time I realized that drawings could move — I thought to myself, “Whatever that is … I’m going to do that.”
First job in animation: My first industry job was in the art and story department at South Park, from 2008-2015. There were six people making all the pre-production materials for the show — storyboards, backgrounds, character and prop designs. We’d make all of the materials for one show in a week, then move on to the following show the next week.
How I came up with the idea for Primos: The series was inspired from an adult short I created for a stand-up show at Upright Citizen’s Brigade in 2017. As I developed the main character, I started thinking, “What would her family be like?” This led to my memories of summer vacation when my mom would invite all my cousins over and hilarity would ensue. I’m a huge fan of Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes, so I hoped by creating this giant ensemble cast, and having a hilarious main character leading them all, we could bring back those Sunday funnies vibes. What I love about it: I love working with the amazing Primos crew. I’m very lucky to be surrounded and supported by them — and very lucky to be working at Disney. The intense passion, drive and talent that everyone possesses is more than inspiring — it gives me a reason to get up every day.
Biggest challenge: My biggest challenge as a showrunner is struggling with shyness and social anxiety. A major part of the job is speaking up. It’s hard to do when my natural urge is to quietly slip into the background, ha ha!
Best career advice: There’s not one direction to breaking into the industry and a career isn’t a single straight line. For me, I found success by creating opportunities to learn through every phase of my career. As artists, we get a lot of feedback, some of which could even be traumatizing; however, to persist, it’s important to develop a tough skin and take all information you receive — positive OR negative — as potential for growth.
Writer/Production Designer, The Voice in the Hollow (Half M.T. Studios)
Age, Birthplace: 39; Orange County, Calif.
First time I knew I wanted to work in animation: After playing Final Fantasy VII as a kid.
Biggest animation heroes: Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, and South Park’s Trey Parker and Matt Stone. First job in animatino: Modeler/Texture Artist at CafeFX.
Why I love animation: I love animation because it is a truly versatile medium. The possibilities are endless, and the wide range of styles and techniques available means that animation can take on many different forms. Whether it’s a hand-drawn pencil animation, a stop-motion film made out of clay, or a 3D computer-generated animation, the medium is capable of capturing the imagination and bringing any story to life in an exciting and dynamic way.
What I love about my current project: I feel proud that we completed it to the best of our abilities. Biggest challenge of our short: The entire process was challenging, but the art direction presented the greatest difficulties. With only a small team of two, myself and Miguel [Ortega], and limited resources to reference, we faced many limitations. While designing the characters was manageable, creating the aesthetic of the world proved to be a significant challenge. We experimented with various color schemes, starting with pastel tones and then moving on to desaturated hues, and finally settling on highly saturated colors. The design of the foliage also underwent multiple changes.
Best career advice: You need to persist and work hard. Nothing in this world is easy.
Writer, Director, The Voice in the Hollow (Half M.T. Studios)
Age, Birthplace: 43; Bogota, Colombia.
First time I knew I wanted to work in animation/VFX: The day I saw Return of the Jedi in theaters; I was never the same after seeing Jabba and the Rancor.
Biggest animation heroes: Walt Disney, Ray Harryhausen, Phil Tippett, Henry Selick.
First job: Burger King, where I was fired for drawing. In visual effects: Luma Pictures.
Why I love animation: It gives storytellers endless possibilities.
What I love about my current project: That we made an uncompromising animated African horror film in Swahili. Inspired by The Old Testament, Serio Corbucci and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Biggest challenge: We created the short using Unreal, despite only having four weeks of experience with the program.
Future plans: To create beautiful new worlds and rich likable characters, and then torture them for the duration of the film.
Best career advice: Create unique stories that would not have been told without your existence.
Age, Birthplace: 37; Scarborough, Ontario, Canada.
Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: Dragon Ball and Batman: The Animated Series. I think those two were foundational for me in many ways. They’re the kind of genre extremes I like to bounce between —.big, fun, goofy adventures with some subtle, dark drama.
I knew I wanted to work in animation when: I would watch behind-the-scenes features on animated shows or movies. As rare as those instances were in the ‘90s, I ate them up and was just enamoured with the process of making a show.
First job in animation: I worked as an animator on the first season of Wild Kratts for PBS KIDS. The first thing I got to animate for the job was a baby rhinoceros! (I’ll never forget that little guy.)
What I love about my current project: My current directing project for Atomic Cartoons is in the very early stages, but the early stages are kind of my favorite part of the process. It’s all kind of fair game, and I think of it as a big blue sky that feels a bit limitless. Just prior to this project, I directed Pinecone & Pony, and similarly, getting to work with a wonderful team and collaborate with Kate Beaton to adapt her book was an all-time highlight for me.
Biggest challenge: Time/schedule/budget and where it intersects with creative or technical issues. It can be a moving target at times, but you aim to make the best decision in the middle of all the noise and hope it pays off.
Best career advice: Persevere. And I don’t mean it solely in the “work hard”
sense, because we all work so incredibly hard in animation. It’s the most basic thing, but it’s taking care of yourself — both mentally and physically, whatever form that may be. Just take care of yourself, so you can take care of others to persevere on a project.
Age, Birthplace: Ridgecrest, Calif. (only lived there for a month!)
Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: Growing up, we didn’t watch much TV and rarely went to the movies. We did a lot of reading and art and family adventures like museums and travel. Looking back, it was an amazing path to creativity. But when I did go to the movies, I loved the epic adventures like Indiana Jones or an underdog story like Rocky. Some of my favorite animated movies are The Iron Giant and more recently, Klaus I knew I wanted to work in animation when: I saw the first Toy Story And then when I saw Monsters, Inc. and Sully’s fur, I was enamored with the technological breakthroughs in CG animation. Today, the drive to find new ways to create an animated movie is just as strong. Funny, but back then it was to make a movie more and more realistic with textures, fur or lighting. Today it is trying to find a way to pull away from the realism we automatically can do and find a more artistic look.
First job in animation: Visual development artist on DreamWorks’ Shark Tale
What I love about my current project: I love the diversity and talent of the people on this movie. Skydance Animation is fairly new, but the talent and experience is vast and from all over the world. Collaborating within this wide spectrum has been a blast. I feel very lucky being part of the connecting thread amongst us all.
Biggest challenge: Finding the right moment to say “approved.” It’s tough to stop noodling when time constraints call. I’m afraid that in the final stretch, I will have to let more and more things I want to fix slide. However, I have an amazing crew and I’m confident whatever result will be great. Best career advice: Be resilient. Animation and art is subjective. You must keep believing in yourself and the work you put out. Be open to the critiques. One of the ways to lessen any kind of negative ones is to have vastly different options. This opens the doors for discussion and can better lead to a direction the director is looking for. Many times, a director does not know what they want. Having one art concept presented only gives a director the option of saying “yes I like it” or “no.” Having options leads to, “Wow, so many great ideas and I’m feeling this could be the way to go.”
Story Artist, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures Animation)
Age, Birthplace: 34; Vancouver, BC.
Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: I was very into ’90s Disney movies when I was a young kid, but by the time I entered high school anime had become an obsession for me! One Piece by Eiichiro Oda was especially influential on the development of my art as a child, and still informs my work to this day.
I knew I wanted to work in animation: From the moment I learned that it was a job I could actually have! All I’ve ever wanted to do was draw. Throughout my childhood, art was always the subject I enjoyed and excelled at the most — so, once I hit high school and learned that animation was something I could pursue as a career, it really felt like a natural progression for me. Storyboarding, however, wasn’t something I discovered until later on in college when I took a class on the subject.
First job in animation: I was a character face painter in the puppet department at Cinderbiter, Henry Selick’s stop-motion animation studio in San Francisco. My first job in story, however, was as a storyboard revisionist on We Bare Bears at Cartoon Network.
What I love about my current project: I’m currently working on the upcoming, untitled Ghostbusters animated feature, and the crew is so fantastic and collaborative! The creative minds behind it are amazing, and I am so excited about the incredible and truly fun possibilities of this movie!
Biggest challenge: Probably just getting my foot in the door. It took me almost three years of trying to find jobs before I got my first storyboard revisionist position on We Bare Bears at Cartoon
positions before I was given a chance on We Bare Bears.
Best career advice: I think my best advice would be to draw what you love and are passionate about. It might sound pretty basic, but when you are working on something you care about, it shows in your work– especially when crafting a portfolio!
Production Designer, Nimona (Netflix
Age, Birthplace: 34, California.
Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: My Neighbor Totoro, Castle in the Sky, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Jurassic Park, Lilo & Stitch, Rugrats, Doug
I knew I wanted to work in animation when: It was during the first month of my first job. I looked around me at the immense amount of thought and craft going into every decision and was finally able to internalize an idea that others had told me but I had yet to fully grasp. More than almost any other medium, animation is one where you can literally bring art to life. It is a poetic marriage of art, movement and storytelling that lets you bring an entire world to being all in service of communicating one story. I knew I wanted to play in this medium from that point on.
First job in animation: Junior designer at Blue Sky Studios.
What I love about my current project: The story. I have had a connection to the characters and their story since the moment I read the graphic novel. I feel so lucky to have been able to work on Nimona. It feels like one of those rare projects that only come around a few times in your career and I am really thankful that I have gotten to be a part of it. Plus, sci-fi, medieval fantasy, knights, lasers, monsters, dragons, dramatic lighting, the style … what isn’t there to love?
Biggest challenge: Executing a cohesive, holistic artistic vision that embraces the limitations of the style without getting in the way of the story is tough. Luckily, as a collaborative art form there are a lot of people who are much smarter than me to lean on and make it possible. Best career advice: Thoughtful choices and ideas are much more important than pretty execution. Since the story in animation is mostly expressed visually, making sure every design choice thoughtfully reinforces the story leads to a deeper, richer result. It is a constant challenge, but I try to have a clear, story reason for every visual choice I make. ◆
MIPTV, the spring international content and co-production market, will be back in business April 17-19. The confab, which takes place at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, will include a special focus on the future of children’s television. As always, the event is a good spot to check out some of the latest animated shows which are in various stages of development around the world. Here are some of this year’s toon highlights:
Package: 26 x 22’
Produced by: DeAPlaneta Entertainment (Spain, Italy, France), The Magic Lilly Co. (Germany)
Executive Produced by: Michael Coldewey and Carlos Biern
Synopsis: Our young heroine has had a whirlwind education in magic since meeting her best friend, a small but very smart dragon named Hector. Together they must face an evil foe and find a missing chapter from their sought-after Book of Spells — all while trying to lead a normal high school life.
Stand-Out Qualities: This $9.5 million-budgeted fantasy comedy is written by Evan Gore and Heather Lombard, who most recently served as head writers on Disney’s Super Kitties and Disney+’s Monsters at Work. Their many credits include Super Monsters (Netflix) and George of the Jungle (Cartoon Network). The series is based on the popular book series Hexe Lilli in Lilliput by Knister and the animated series Lilly the Witch deaplanetakidsandfamily.com
Produced By:
Moonworks Productions, Amopix StudiosCreated By: Charlotte Schmidt, Emmanuelle
Pouydebat and Nicolas
Bazeille
Distributed By:
Package: 30 x 3’
DandeloooType of Animation:
Hybrid/2D
Synopsis: The natural and tiny biology world is full of creatures with extraordinary powers. Discovering them takes us on a fascinating, poetic and hilarious journey where science often goes beyond fiction. The Super Heroes of Nature uses humor to share and make accessible the wonderful inventiveness of nature, and the importance of preserving it.
Target Audience: Kids 4-10 and families
Stand-Out Qualities: The hybrid animation series has everything that can spark a child’s imagination. It has humor, amazing images, unknown true stories and offers a fun initiation to science with a twist.
Exec Quote: Emmanuèle Petry Sirvin, producer & head of international at Dandelooo, tells us, “I fell in love with this project in its very early days thanks to its visual beauty and humor. It’s rare to find true fun documentaries with a twist for young children and this talented team has been able to infuse their love of nature with a unique animation style which can capture a wide audience, beyond kids.” dandelooo.com
Produced by: PGS, MOSTAPES and Aurora World
Distributed by: PGS
Package: 52 X 11’
Type of Animation: 2D
Target Audience: Preschoolers and their families
Synopsis: Follows the adventures of Sally, a young pink dinosaur, and her friends as they explore the world, solve problems, and make new discoveries. The show takes young preschoolers and families on a prehistoric adventure filled with laughter, learning and, of course, dinosaurs!
Stand-Out Qualities: With vibrant, colorful animation, Dinosally & Friends promises to keep young viewers engaged and entertained. The brand has also been making waves in the digital world. As part of its promotional strategy, the release of numerous animated gifs on the Giphy platform has made Dinosally a popular gif hit, with 8 billion views and ranking among the Top 5 Giphy artist channels of 2022!
Exec Quote: “We’re thrilled to be a part of bringing Dinosally & Friends to life and providing young preschoolers with a fun experience,” says Jay Kim, CEO of MOSTAPES. mostapes.com/dinosally
Produced by: Banijay Kids & Family, Tiger Aspect Kids & Family, Movimenti Production, BBC, Rai Kids
Package: 52 x 11’
Type of Animation: 2D
Target Audience: Kids 7+
Synopsis: Based on popular books by Matty Long, Super Happy Magic Forest is a comedy quest adventure series featuring five heroes, brought together by their mutual love of questing, picnics and frolicking.
Stand-Out Qualities: The show is based on the charming picture books by Matty Long. A pre-sale has been secured with France’s Canal+ already. Executive producers are Tiger Aspect Kids & Family’s MD Tom Beattie (Mr Bean: The Animated Series) and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh (Phineas and Ferb).
Creative Quotes: “I am beyond excited that the five heroes of the Super Happy Magic Forest books are making the journey from page to screen,” says creator Matty Long. “What started as me doodling in a sketchbook will become a whole series of animated adventures and I cannot wait to share them with everyone.” banijay.com/companies/territories/banijay-kids-and-family
Created by: Based on the novel by Michael C. Baumann
Producer/Co-producers: Creator/author Michael Baumann, Baboon Animation (storytellingt development & scriptwriting), Sharon Gomes (development) in the U.S.; Demente Estudio (art design & animation) in Mexico.
Type of Animation: 2D
Target Audience: Kids 7-11
Synopsis: Venom Wars follows the adventures of three orphaned hares who are called upon by an ancient prophecy to rescue a kidnapped prince and stop a deadly force from conquering their desert home.
Stand-Out Qualities: High-energy, action-adventure, comedy.
Exec Quote: Sharon Gomes, co-exec producer and showrunner says, “Venom Wars is a beautifully crafted, original series with striking 2D animation. The stories are actiondriven while incorporating fantasy, magic and, most importantly, laugh-out-loud humor!” venomwars.com
Created by: Inspired by the best-selling book by Ashley Spires, and Nelvana’s award-winning short film, The Most Magnificent Thing
Produced by: Nelvana
Distributed by: Nelvana
Type of Animation: CG
Target Audience: Preschool
Synopsis: “It’s going to be magnificent!” That’s the motto of eight-year-old creator, problemsolver and inventor Millie Sparks. With a load of determination and spark of imagination, Millie and her Creato-crew friends strive to find the most magnificent solutions to their neighborhood’s challenges.
Stand-Out Qualities: Fostering creativity and encouraging innovative thinking, Millie Magnificent is the aspirational series that empowers preschoolers to use their imagination and learn through perseverance to find the most magnificent solutions. The show promotes innovative thinking and creative problem solving, fosters imagination and perseverance, as well as friendship, teamwork and empathy.
Exec Quote: “Both Ashley Spires’ book and Nelvana’s short film have received tremendous accolades as they captured the hearts and minds of audiences around the world and motivated them to be like Millie — a creative thinker who always goes out of her way to help others,” says Athena Georgaklis, head of development at Nelvana. nelvana.com
Package: 26 x 5’
Created by: Snipple Originals
Produced by: Snipple Animation
Distributed by: Jetpack
Type of Animation: 2D
Target Audience: Preschool
Synopsis: This edutainment features music, comedy and original earworms. Each episode kicks off with a song and centers on three inquisitive and eager extra-terrestrials, Melody, Harmony and Bop, who are here to discover all they can about Earth! The excitable little Singalings can’t help but sing along as they explore Earth and all it has to offer!
Stand-Out Qualities: Bright animation, clever storylines and catchy songs that will entertain preschoolers and teach them about the world around them. The show has already been acquired by Sky (U.K.) and is set to air later this year on the new Sky Kids linear TV channel and on-demand.
Exec Quote: “The Singalings has a bold and eye-catching style. It’s a simple and hilarious animation with songs that are infectious and guaranteed to get kids singing for days after, even after hearing just once!” says Karina Stanford-Smith, director of animation development at Snipple Originals. snippleanimation.com
Created by: Tshepo Moche (Mama K’s Team 4, Kizazi Moto), Raffaella Delle Donne (Mama K’s Team 4, Pearl of the Sea graphic novel) and Marc Dey.
Produced by: IDW
Type of Animation: 2D
Target Audience: Kids 6-11
Synopsis: The show follows the adventures of a middle school girl who also happens to be a werehyena and her best bud — a hulking dancing demon — who form their own cheer squad to show they have enough “Team Spirit” to just about raise the dead.
Stand-Out Qualities: This off-beat and highly original show is the latest offering from the hot trio of Moche, Delle Donne and Dey, who are currently serving as the creative team behind the Disney+ preschool animated series Kiya and the Kimoja Heroes. IDW is also launching a comic-book series in conjunction with the show.
Exec Quote: “Tshepo Moche, Raffaella Delle Donne and Marc Dey are incredibly gifted creative talents with a track record of proven successes that have placed their projects front and center in the global animation community,” says Daniel Kendrick, senior director of kids, family & animation at IDW. idwentertainment.com
Created by: Joost van den Bosch & Erik Verkerk (director), Burny Bos (writer)
Produced by: Phanta Animation
Distributed by: Incredible Film
Type of Animation: Hand-drawn 2D
Target Audience: Preschool, toddlers
Synopsis: Mischievous ginger-cat Tummy Tom and his friends Cat Mouse and Teddy Bear explore the world, have fun adventures and meet new friends each day in this charming preschool series.
Stand-Out Qualities: Based on a best-selling Dutch property, Tummy Tom has entertained young readers for 45 years. Tummy Tom is a funny, inquisitive, adventurous and slightly mischievous ginger tomcat. He and his friends explore the world around him just like a preschooler would.
Exec Quote: “Within a four-year time frame, we are planning to produce four Tummy Tom feature films. Financing of the first film, Tummy Tom’s Teddy Bear, is in place and production has started. The second one is close to being financed and the last two films are expected to be financed by the end of 2024,” says Petra Goedings, owner of Phanta Animation. incrediblefilm.com
Creators/producers: Created by Danielle Linder/Rethinking Ink LLC and Benjamin Weinman
Type of Animation: 2D
Target Audience: Kids 4-7
Synopsis: Jupiter Rocks! is an animated musical comedy that follows the life of guitarplaying seven-year-old Penelope Sing, whose life is uprooted when her mom becomes Earth’s Planet Ambassador to Jupiter. Penelope struggles to fit into a world full of “aliens” and her new neighborhood but finds her groove after she joins the school rock band.
Stand-Out Qualities: Diversity & inclusivity, collaboration, friendship, musical appreciation. Exec Quote: “There is a real buzz around Jupiter Rocks!” says creator Daneille Linder. “A unique new show in which rock fan, Penelope, dazzles her new friends on Jupiter when she joins the school band. Her new sounds make the alien kids go wild! The series is a celebration of diversity and inclusivity as her friends in ‘The Space Rocks’ collaborate to solve problems. This feel-good show is sure to keep children entertained.” daniellelindner.com
Created by: Story by Matthieu Choquet, Jérôme Erbin & Benjamin Marsaud; designs by Romain Kurdi
Produced by: Method Animation (Mediawan Kids & Family)
Distributed by: Mediawan Kids & Family Distribution
Type of Animation: CG
Target Audience: Kids 5-8
Synopsis: Finn, Sam and Andrew, three kids from very different backgrounds, join the Pirate Academy, a school that counts the most legendary figures in pirate history among its alumni! But at the Academy, competition between classes is fierce … and our three heroes find themselves in the Plankton class, with Captain Charles Le Crackers as their teacher, a semi-retired buccaneer who has some pretty Le Crackers teaching methods. The Planktons are just as good as the other students, but they have to go the extra mile to prove their worth and become the greatest pirate-students in the history of the school!
Stand-Out Qualities: Fun, friendship, adventure!
Exec Quote: Julien Borde, president of Mediawan Kids & Family, says, “Even the greatest pirates had to go to school! We’re delighted to bring to a new generation of children incredible adventures and friendships in the unique environment of our Pirate Academy.” mediawankidsandfamily.com
Package: 52 x 7’
Target Audience: Kids 2-5
Animation Type: 2D
Created by: Olga Cherepanova (co-founder of Glowberry and creative producer), series director Tim Fehrenbach, executive story editor John van Bruggen
Produced by: WildBrain, Glowberry, Ánima and De Agostini
Distributed by: WildBrain
Synopsis: Brave Bunnies is the inspiring story of two curious and adventurous bunny siblings, Boo and her big brother Bop. The bunny duo and their family (Ma, Pa, and the Bunny Babies) travel around the world in their Bunny Bus, as they explore a new landscape, creating joy and excitement in the everyday adventure of meeting new friends around the world.
Exec Quote: “Brave Bunnies is a kids’ property born of tremendous creative vision and has the potential to be a major preschool franchise, having already established a solid foundation with audiences through compelling content and consumer products,” says Eric Ellenbogen, CEO of WildBrain. wildbrain.com ◆
FabApp COO, Vira Smyshliaieva answers a few of our questions about her company’s high-quality app and animated content.
Can you tell us a little bit of background about FabApp?
Vira: The pandemic has highlighted inequities in the education system and we thought that edtech can help bridge these gaps by providing access to educational resources for all learners. As a parent, I was searching for resources to support my four-year-old daughter during on-line learning. However, I couldn’t find any high-quality apps that met our needs. Instead, she was more interested in watching cartoons. That’s why we decided to combine education with animation. Today’s kids are digital natives and they have
What are the stand-out qualities of this property?
It is WoofJoyful! We believe that parents are the best educators for their children. Our goal is help parents to simplify the process of raising a happy, well-rounded child. Therefore, our app is created with care for children, and with care for parents, their time, and efforts.
What would you like the animation community to know about the app and the animated show?
We are a group of individuals dedicated to making the world a better place and we believe that learning can be easy and fun. For this, professors, psychologists, educators, animators, and parents are working together to provide high quality educational and entertaining digital content for young children and their parents.
grown up surrounded by technology. FabApp was developed to provide a way to meet their learning needs and preferences in a way that traditional methods may not. FabApp is a space for safety and joy where learning is a part of every experience!
When did you introduce the animated show Woof and Joy?
Woof and Joy started their journey on YouTube in last June. By March 2023, we have reached 200,000 subscribers and more than 30 million views. And we are just getting started! 1 million subscribers, here we come! We are committed towards expanding Woof and Joy presence on different streaming platforms and open for cooperation and collaboration. So, we encourage to reach out to us.
The Fab App is eco-friendly and designed with the child and the environment in mind. Carefully adjusted rounded shapes, bright and pure colors and harmonious sounds create a safe and joyful space, enhancing engagement and comfortable learning. We strive to make the learning process both fun and effortless, enabling parents to create memorable experiences and strong bonds with their child. I would say, building bonds both in reality and virtually.
How many episodes have been completed and who is the target audience?
We have completed development of 48 episodes 4-5 minutes each. The next 12 scripts are ready and have already been voiced over, eager to bring more joy to our amazing young learners (age 3 to 6 years old).
Where is the animation produced?
The pandemic had a positive impact as it allowed us to assemble a remote team, enabling us to collaborate with people globally. Most of the team is based in Europe in different countries. However, we also have a part of the team based in Ukraine and continued working on the episodes even when the war has started. These are very brave people that put the work as priority to continue production, and we made it.
We just recently launched a mobile app with our cartoon series, games, and activities created with our partners from Kingston University London, UK. Our values are the core of the app and the series, and we didn’t compromise on the quality. It is created with love and respect for children, with the goal to give unbiased knowledge about the world
around us through play and story. Through online and offline balance.
What’s next for FabApp and Woof and Joy?
Our goal is to bring Woof and Joy to a global audience. With 48 episodes already produced and a capable team ready to create more, we are excited about all the opportunities that lie in front of our amazing show. We are open for cooperation and collaboration with trusted partners in different areas and really looking forward to meeting you all. Recently, we launched FabApp, which is now available for download worldwide. We invite everyone to enjoy the fun and excitement it has to offer. ◆
For more info, visit fabapp.co.uk
- By Trevor Hogg -
To ground her storytelling while bringing something new to the fantasy genre, novelist Leigh Bardugo combined the elemental magic of Avatar: The Last Airbender with the Tsarist Russian setting of Doctor Zhivago to create Shadow and Bone. When adapting the trilogy for Netflix, creator Eric Heisserer made the inspired choice to interweave Bardugo’s companion books Six of Crows as the gang of resourceful criminals brings an Ocean’s Eleven vibe to the narrative. In Season Two, the fugitive Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) is on a quest to find two creatures that may amplify her Sun Summoner powers enough to destroy the Shadow Fold while Kaz Brekker (Freddy Carter) and his crew attempt to settle an old grudge with vicious rival Pekka Rollins.
Series visual effects supervisor Ante Dekovic says he really appreciated having showrunners Eric Heisserer and Daegan Fryklind on set, as they could provide feedback within hours so he could relay it to the vendors right
away. “The good thing about having Eric and Daegan on set is you can immediately go into their video village and ask, ‘Does that work for you?’ Or they could come to me and ask me the same thing,” he says.
A different shooting methodology was adopted for interior of the Shadow Fold. “How do you show the Fold, that it is massive?” Dekovic asks. “We always tried to have some sort of reference in the shot [like people or trees] so anybody watching gets an idea of its size. In Season One, the interior of the Fold was shot inside of a studio. For Season Two, we decided to take it outside which made a lot of people nervous.”
A big question was how to deal with practical light. Dekovic explains, “We did a few tests to smoke out the environment and see how far we can take it practically. Unfortunately, you’re always running against time when shooting and sometimes you can’t block off all of the sunlight that is coming in. Having it
shot practically outdoors made a big difference to the look.”
Like the Shadow Fold, the creative ambitions for the eight episodes in the sophomore outing have expanded greatly and would not have been possible without the 1,800 visual effects shots produced by El Ranchito, Crafty Apes, Mackevison, Scanline VFX, Storm Studios and Vast. “It helped to have Eric Heisserer and everybody from Season One as well as having access to the assets, but we couldn’t use that many because we establish a lot of new things. For example, we didn’t have to change the volcra, the flying creatures [from the Shadow Fold].”
What did get a major upgrade are the nichevo’ya. “At the end of Season One, there are three shots of the nichevo’ya, and I was told, ‘Those are going to be the main creatures for a good part of Season Two,’” He recalls.
Smoke and effects simulations with water is one of the most challenging things to do in visual effects. “El Ranchito did a lot of R&D because it’s not just a smoke creature, it has
character and you want to show certain expressions at particular times that with random simulation is always tricky. Mackevision figured out a good way to motion capture the movement of the creature and transfer that to a Houdini system they built which was reshared with Vast and El Ranchito. We could dial in more or less smoke. The hard part is when you block the animation without the smoke. The moment you turn on the smoke, things change and you have to go back and readjust it for every single shot.”
In Episode 202, one of the two remaining amplifier creatures is encountered in the caverns beneath an isolated island. “For the Sea Whip [a.k.a. the ice dragon] we used some drawings from the books as reference,” remarks Dekovic, who won an Emmy for his work on Star Trek: Discovery. “I gave some guidelines to Adam Wesierski, a concept artist at Mackevision. It needed to look amazing and terrifying. Mackevsion gave us five to seven different options and we picked the elements we liked. A few weeks later we got new version with all of those things combined.”
The Sea Whip is able to camouflage itself which heightens the suspense. “You want to keep it like the original Alien where you barely see the creature,” says Dekovic. “You play with the lighting and make the shots darker. The DI [Digital Immediate] helped us enormously by windowing
things and having more emphasis on the eyes. We picked our Jurassic Park moments.”
Capturing the scene proved to be quite challenging. “We did shoot in a water tank. The set was fairly small, and we had to fit the creature in there so they didn’t see it,” he recalls. “We were limited to a certain ceiling height because if the space is too big there is no danger, and if it’s too small the creature doesn’t fit. The first round of the set design the ceiling was too low but that got extended to make it more believable.”
Alina’s powers become stronger throughout Season Two. “Crafty Apes did the concept work for us to get an idea of how her powers can develop over the season,” explains Dekovic. “It took a few versions to get everybody onboard. You’re not blindly doing something cool. You have to tell the story, explain what’s going on and why certain things are happening. You have to make sure that the details are in there when you move from episode to episode. Everything connects to the big finale.”
The merging of Sea Whip’s scales with Alina leads to a sequence where the amplification might prove to be too strong for her to handle. “In the first season, they used a lot of interactive light onset for Alina’s powers but that created a lot of paintwork. We put a stop up on the
camera so the exposure was higher to have the information in the plate. We shot at night so we had lot of light pollutions around it which helped. Scanline VFX did all of that work. I have to give Jessie Mei Li the biggest credit because without her amazing acting we could have done the best visual effects in the world, but it wouldn’t have looked so good. Still, when I watch that scene, what sells it is everybody acting like she is bursting out in light. You can’t fake that in visual effects.”
Dekovic is excited for audiences to see what he and his team have worked on for many months. “Season Two is what it needs to be,” he says. “It’s bigger, better and more dynamic, and it has more action. Most of the characters were introduced in Season One, so now you can go on a big journey for all of the fans to enjoy. There are a lot of big things happening especially towards the end of the season. We have new sets, environments and creatures. You can tell by watching the show that special effects, stunts and visual effects all played very well together. The production gave us the freedom, because they trust us to do what we need to do. It’s a playground for everybody, and we were able to tell the story even better and bigger than it’s already written.” ◆
Shadow and Bone Season 2 premieres on Netflix on March 16.
“Season Two is bigger, better and more dynamic, and it has more action. You can tell by watching the show that special effects, stunts and visual effects all played very well together.”
— VFX supervisor Ante DekovicCREATING A SUN SUMMONER’S VISUALS: Crafty Apes worked on developing the distinctive look for Alina Starkov’s (played by Jessie Mei Lee) magical powers in the second season of Netflix’s Shadow and Bone
- By Todd Sheridan Perry -
Silhouette 2022.5 is the latest version of Boris FX’s roto and paint software, although I should note that it does much more than that. This release is heavily leaning into Cryptomattes, which quite frankly is such an obvious move that I’m not sure why it hasn’t always been used. In fact, Cryptomattes originated as a way to provide control mattes from CG objects based on ID or other user-established parameters. When it comes to roto, we have been delivering mattes as alpha channels, or if we wanted to get fancy, we could shuffle individual mattes into the red, green and blue channels of an EXR. However, pushing the roto layers and shapes into Cyptomattes to be accessed through your compositing software just makes so much sense.
As you create your roto in Silhouette, the shapes and layers are assigned a unique Cryptomatte ID. When the data output of the roto node is connected to the input on an Output Multi-Part node, the IDs will be written into your output EXR files at render time.
This workflow is immensely helpful when you have scenes with lots and lots of objects with individual roto shapes. Or even parts of a character that have different elements – like a shirt, hair, pants, glasses, etc. And in Nuke or After Effects or any software supporting Cryptomattes, you can choose one (or many) of the shapes to generate the control mattes you need.
In addition to the Cyprtomattes, Boris FX has added a color estimation node to its compositing tools. The feature looks at the FG color and BG in areas where the mattes are transparent and provides a color estimate for the edges. This helpful process prevents fringing on your comps because it is shoring up what the colors of the FG edges would be as they mix with the background. Slight quibble: I’m not sure how this will help me if my compositing tool of choice is Nuke rather than Silhouette – but I think some lessons can be learned.
The fantastic InPaint node has been granted some more controls to help with its already powerful magic for auto-tracking and auto-filling for removal and cleanup. There’s also the PowerMesh Warp node to stabilize non rigid surfaces for more accurate cleanup.
Like Mocha Pro, Silhouette has also been updated to support the Apple M1 chip. To top things off, OCIO v2 color management includes improved ACES support and GPU acceleration. I think the Cyptomatte stuff is definitely worth the price of admission if you don’t already have Silhouette.
Website: borisfx.com/products/silhouette
Price: $795 (per year); $150 (per month)
Boris FX’s Mocha Pro
Mocha Pro 2022.5 is the latest release from Boris FX, and it comes with a slew of new features designed to make life easier for visual effects artists and motion graphics designers. These range from under-the-hood improvements to interface and UX updates.
First and foremost, Mocha Pro is known for its planar tracker. However, the tracker isn’t as effective when you have jacked footage that’s out of focus, dark, noisy or flickering. So, a parameter interface has been added to control image pre-processing to help that tracker track a little better. It allows you to blur or sharpen the image, adjust gamma and contrast to lift darks and separate edges, denoise andeduce the flicker in footage coming from inconsistent light sources.
Another new feature is the Lens Module which helps distort and undistort your footage with open splines, rather than relying on edge detection. You can
draw splines that conform with objects in the scene that are straight and Mocha will determine the lens distortion, which, as any good tracker knows, is critical for getting locked tracks. This distortion data can be exported to an external file to be imported into other scenes that may be using that same lens. A bread-and-butter workflow that Mocha Pro is frequently used for is mapping graphics or pictures or signage to surfaces and tracked to them. To make things more streamlined, a dropdown menu has been added to the surface so you can choose commonly used formats. You can go with the size of the surface tool (source) or the correct aspect ratio of the artwork (insert). Or choose from standard ratios like 16:9 or 4:3 or 2:1 — well, 2:1 isn’t particularly standard, but you get the idea. You can also type in your own ratio. This seems like a simple thing, but the possibility of an aspect ratio error is very high — which, if you make it, won’t leave your client or employer too happy.
M1 support is now included, along with ProRes import and export. You can set your frame rate to custom rates. When using MochPro as a plugin, Mocha will return to focus if you switch to the host program. A bunch of performance tweaks and bug fixes were also added. Ginally, something that Boris FX seems very excited about: support for zooming and scrolling with the mouse wheel!
All in all, this is a healthy .5 upgrade — and it’s all free to Mocha Pro subscription holders
(as it should be)!
Website: borisfx.com/products/mocha-pro Price: $595 (per year); $75 (per month)
Boris FX’s Continuum
The 2023 version of Continuum was released this past fall with an added bunch of new features and presets to the already existing vast library.
BCC+ Atmospheric Glow is the filter that Boris FX is pretty confident will be your new favorite glow — and it’s a pretty good bet. The idea behind it is to mix different filters and light types into a single effect, adding complexity and versatility to the looks. Rays, fogs/ smoke, flickers and lens textures, can be layered and mixed. As with other Boris FX filters, Atmospheric Glow has a bevy of presets to set a foundation look before you dig into the controls to customize and make it your own.
Film Glow gained a few new parameters for secondary glows with their own slider, again to give the look even more complexity. Ten new transitions have also been added: Film Roll, Swish Pan, Swish Prism, Swish Glow, Swish Warp, Linear Wipe, Radial Wipe, Rectangle Wipe, Vignette Wipe and Texture Wipe.
That’s a lot of swishes and wipes to choose from — and they get added to the innumerable transitions that you already had in earlier versions. Frankly, the list is a bit intimidating.
Speaking of overwhelming choices, Boris FX also added over 250 new presets to the previously existing filters. But most important, to me anyway, is the updated Particle Illusion (which is a bit of software that I’ve been using for a very long time). Improved caching speeds up interactivity and playback. The UI has been revamped for easier readability and UX. Fluids now have better controls to help with transi-
tions between actual fluids and “dumb” particles. And emitting from images and 3D objects have been optimized and updated for more controllable emissions. Thanks to all these updates, you have a 50% overall speed increase (depending on your system of course.)
Again, like the other Boris FX products, Apple M1 is supported along with NVidia and AMD-base GPU acceleration. Also, if you already have a subscription to Continuum, then you already have access to these latest updates.
Website: borisfx.com/products/continuum
Price: $295 (per year); $37 (per month)
Todd Sheridan Perry is an award-winning VFX supervisor and digital artist whose credits include For All Mankind, Black Panther, Avengers: Age of Ultron and The Christmas Chronicles. You can reach him at todd@teaspoonvfx.com.
This month, we have the pleasure of catching up with Andrea Gerstmann, the talented art director of the new PBS show Work It Out Wombats! (The GBH Kids show, which is created by Kathy Waugh and exec produced by Marcy Gunther and Marisa Wolsky, follows three creative marsupial siblings who live with their grandma in a treehouse apartment complex!)
7 3:20 p.m. Sometimes I get paid to do arts and crafts! Our wombats’ stop-motion style thought bubbles are always fun to work on.
12 p.m. Today our lunch was catered, and we’re all clearly very excited about that!
4:30 p.m. Occasionally, we need to make updates to the backgrounds after we discover complications in animation.
on the
editor,
it’s
9
p.m. Back at home! I’ve been trying to teach the dog how to knit for weeks, but he just isn’t getting it.
WWW.CARTOON-MEDIA.EU
“A
A powerful and life-affirming father-and-son story about acceptance and love. It’s about the beauty of life being fleeting, a movie not about a monster who wants to be a real boy, but about a monster that wants his creator to love him the way he is, and to be accepted for who he is.”
SOCIETY
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WINNER ONLINE ASSOCIATION OF FEMALE FILM
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SCAN HERE TO WATCH “HANDCARVED CINEMA”
A BEHIND-THE-SCENES DOCUMENTARY ON THE MAKING OF THE FILM
- By Ellen Wolff -
If there’s a technology du jour in the growing trend of virtual production, it’s LED volumes. Studio walls constructed from panels of light-emitting diodes are key elements of today’s XR (extended reality) stages, where hits like Disney+’s The Mandalorian are made. Increasingly, schools are integrating LED volumes with technologies like camera tracking, performance capture and real-time game engines — making the creation of in-camera visual effects more accessible to students than ever before. And each school is forging a distinct path.
The recent announcement of a Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center — and a Virtual Production Master’s degree — are just the latest indicators of NYU’s embrace of high-tech filmmaking at its Tisch School of the Arts.
Although the Scorsese Center and MFA are still in development, Tisch has been offering a Virtual Production class for three years. Teacher Sang-Jin Bae developed the syllabus with Rosanne Limoncelli, senior director of film
technologies. As she explains, “It’s a combination of live action, animation and visual effects. Even during Covid, Sang was running this class.”
The lockdown challenged them to develop a remote collaboration approach that continues today. “By design, we’re keeping it remote,” says Bae. “We’ve had students from China, the Middle East and the West Coast. It’s a global class that we’re building on.”
Through visual effects Oscar winner Rob Legato, Bae and Limoncelli met Noah Kadner of the Virtual Company, whose Californiabased LED volume was used for NYU’s class. Since remote collaboration is increasingly
part of virtual production, Bae believes today’s students need to learn to communicate efficiently that way. “When we have a shoot, the stress is as equal as it is being on set.”
Typically, 20 students are grouped into teams of four to six and make two-minute shorts utilizing the LED volume. One striking result of this approach is New Frontier, made by graduate and undergrad students. It shows how period pieces, usually prohibitive on student budgets, are facilitated by virtual production.
About a quarter of students are writers and directors, and Bae notes, “No computer experience is required. We’re teaching it in Unreal. They’re learning to visualize their stories without knowing VFX software. It’s an easy entrance.”
Limoncelli envisions growing opportunities for experienced NYU grads as virtual production proliferates. “There’s lots of jobs, and not enough people yet.” tisch.nyu.edu/special-programs/ virtual-production
With LED walls installed on XR stages at its Georgia campuses in both Savannah and Atlanta, SCAD is fully committing to teaching virtual production. According to associate dean Jud Estes, “We’re the only school in the country that has two of these volumes at this scale, solely for students use. Both of our stages are 40-feet wide, 20-feet deep and about 18-feet high, and we have ceilings made of approximately 600 LED panels that are about 1.5-feet square. We can get almost a 180-degree pan from one end to the other.”
But the enduring challenge comes down to building teams of teachers with relevant expertise, believes Estes, a digital post pro whose credits include many Blue Sky Studios movies. “We’re just beginning to create our curriculum because it is so new.”
SCAD’s approach involves offering four sections of the same virtual production course — each with professors from different backgrounds. A ‘production office’ section is taught by Quinn Orear; a ‘digital art’ focus by game teacher Eric Allen; a cinematographic focus with Stephen Lucas, and a production design section with Lisa Ryan. “There’s about 60 students, mostly upperclassmen and master’s students,” explains Estes, who serves as a professional mentor for the group. “Each teacher can pick the applicants they need.”
“It’s almost a throwback to the old studio system where everybody’s on set at the same time working on a shot. The actors can now see the artwork in real time and react to it. I call these ‘living composites.’ It’s rewriting production pipelines,” says Estes. “We want to make sure our technology will be exactly what they’ll use in the industry. They’ll move from school to the set as seamlessly as possible.”
scad.edu/academics
Taught by Emre Okten, Sean Bouchard and John Brennan University of Southern California
USC’s School of Cinematic Arts has long been known for its investments in imaging technology, and its new Sony Virtual Production studio is just the most recent example. Creating a teaching system to utilize these tools is now the goal. Last semester, USC introduced its first Virtual Production class, and this term has brought together a teaching trio with backgrounds in real time CG filmmaking, interactive games and motion capture.
“We’re attracting students from different divisions to collaborate” says co-teacher Emre Okten, who previously won a Student Academy Award for his USC animated thesis, Two. “Virtual production is such a collaborative area.”
“That’s fundamental to this kind of filmmaking,” notes co-teacher Sean Bouchard, who teaches real-time game design. “We’ve got 15 students, and we’re figuring out how to introduce them to the tools and practices behind different technologies. They’re learning to use the LED wall not just as a backdrop, but also as a light source, and how to use the combination of performance capture and in-engine virtual effects to capture in-camera visual effects.”
Their students arrive with different filmmaking and interactive literacies, notes John Brennan, a USC mocap teacher and a VES Award-winner for virtual cinematography in Disney’s 2016 version of The Jungle Book. “Yet there are many things related to virtual production that nobody has been taught yet. Our syllabus looks like a production schedule.”
“On Day One, they dressed up in mocap
suits,” recalls Bouchard. “We had them learning how to use the real-time engine interfaces, scout virtual locations and import assets from online stores. It’s organized around stories they want to tell.”
The teachers take turns leading different parts of the class, reflecting how interdisciplinary virtual production really is. “I’d like to think this little community we’ve started is just beginning,” says Okten. “It’s not hard to imagine that in 10 years, ‘virtual production’ will just be called production.” cinema.usc.edu
This year marks the start of a new master’s program in Virtual Production at Georgia State’s Creative Media Industries Institute. Spearheading CMII’s new program in At-
lanta is Jeasy Sehgal, who’s teaching the program’s Virtual Cinematography course.
Designed for 15 students, this class is structured for students to produce multiple two- to three-minute short films. As Sehgal explains, “Critical thinking methodologies are an important part, along with working in the volume, getting in-camera VFX and having real actors composited with virtual ones. My personal research background is based around creating digital humans, so I’ll strive to get as much photorealism in these projects as possible.”
“We’re working with the Reallusion Character Creator and iClone, where we can create realistic digital human and incorporate industry-standard performance-capture tools. We’re directly live streaming into Unreal while using a live camera to record against LED screens.”
“When we talk about the key tools in Virtual Cinematography, there isn’t one right answer,” Sehgal observes. A key goal is for students to
Students learn all aspects of production by creating shorts each year, beginning with hand-drawn projects, traslating that knowledge to the latest CG tools and culminating in a full-color thesis film. To learn more, visit LCAD.edu
understand the technical aspirations of storytelling. “My class is focused on content creation. They’ll design individual projects, but also work as group, potentially collaborating with film students who are specializing in traditional cinematography. We want to lower the barriers of entry to storytelling and have them come up with wild ideas. Every student comes up with a zombie story sooner or later!” gsu.edu/program/digital-filmmaking-virtualproduction-visual-effects-concentration-mfa
Taught by Bennett Bellot (in collab. with Richard Holland and Jurg Walther)
In Orange, California, Chapman’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts took a page from Hollywood’s playbook and installed a ninefoot LED wall back in 2021. One of the prime movers behind this was Game Development teacher Bennett Bellot, who created the Unreal for Filmmaking course that has now expanded beyond his original goal of creating a pipeline for digital art. The 12-student advanced production course, that Bellot now teaches, is designed to help students bring their Unreal skills onto Chapman’s LED stage and create broadcast-ready scenes. “We have a cross-pollination with students learning lighting and cinematography,” he explains. “Most of
my students come out of animation or visual effects, so they’ve done almost everything in front of a computer screen. They hardly ever get on a stage.”
But they are now, jumping into what Bellot calls “the deep end of the pool.” For example, they’ll learn how to create an image from Unreal on a stage and recreate it in camera. “There are LED lights that connect directly to Unreal so that if the camera spins, they’ll change to reflect whatever light they should be showing. The best part is that they can see it in real time. They can show it in Unreal to a cinematographer who’s never seen it before — and then they can make real time changes. Everyone is getting hands-on experience.”
After 15 years focused on teaching Games, Bellot now sees growing opportunities for virtual production students who are learning to become more ‘generalists’ than ‘specialists.’ “I tell them they’re training for a job that doesn’t have a name yet.”
chapman.edu
- By Maarten Lemmens -
1. Make connections! If you’re applying for an artistic role at an animation studio, you typically represent yourself with a demo reel or portfolio. More often than not, there are hundreds of other candidates checking off the same box as you with great portfolio work. At that point, a lot of studios start leaning into “how will this personality fit into our company?” This information then comes from a short interview or recommendations from current employees. This past year, at my current animation job at DreamWorks, I’ve been asked multiple times if I knew someone from college or a previous job that they were considering, and if I believed they would be a good fit. Make sure you consider your co-workers and classmates as people you can grow with and learn from. Your ‘competition’ is out there in the world, but the people around you are not even 0.1% of that, so it’s much more useful building a positive bond with them.
2. Use influential ideas and emotion. These next two sections apply more to animators and illustrators. A lot of the time, animation studios see portfolios that contain similar abilities. To stand out the most, apply ideas to your work that have not been seen or heard before. Artists often rush into their work to get the end-result as quickly as possible. Think of ideas that relate to people, or in animation, ones that switch emotion to keep the audience engaged. For example, putting a person put into an environment that they’re not usually in, or an emotional topic that is relatable but not talked about much. Make it stand out!
3. Tailor your portfolio to a specific studio. Every studio has their own style, and obviously they would love to recruit artists that share elements of that style for an easy fit. If you’re applying to feature film studios such as Disney, for animation you’d want to add more acting animations. If you’re applying to Sony Pictures Animation, it would be good to try out some pushed cartoony body mechanics. This goes for art, too. Look at the studio you want to work for, see what they provide and guide your portfolio toward it.
4. Find your place. Do your research. There are so many different areas within the animation industry. Movie and TV animation is based-to-camera, and you can decide where the audience looks. On the other hand, video game animation needs to appeal from all angles — there’s no cheating. The styles and ways of creating art are all very different from each other. At one company you could use mocap data or reference videos, while at another company you may need everything to come from your imagination.
5. Choose your workplace wisely. Different studios are run differently and don’t always appeal to everyone. A topic to consider when applying or interviewing with a company is overtime. Some companies ask you to do massive amounts, while others give you plenty of work that forces you into recurring overtime requests. Some people love the chance to earn and work more, while others would love it to be more of an option if they choose to do it. There are studios for everyone! When you’re looking at wages, don’t forget to consider the cost of living in that area and moving fees. Making $30 per
hour in Florida isn’t the same as receiving that in California! In addition, contact a current employee and find out how the environment is. Is it competitive, or do people genuinely care and want to build each other up?
6. Brush up on your interview skills. When a company asks to interview you, they’re interested in your talent! Congratulations! Now is the time to do extra research about this company so you don’t tell Disney that you loved Bee Movie. Try to make sure you have three questions ready for each interview phase you go through. Be yourself — they’re looking for a candidate that they’d love to work with, grab lunch with and say hello to at a company event.
7. Explore online courses. At DreamWorks, there are plenty of artists and animators that are teachers at online classes that anyone could take for a fraction of the price of America’s sky-high college tuition fees. It’s also an amazing opportunity to create connections, since many of these online students have ended up working with their teachers here. I also highly recommend it to focus on what you’re interested in and have an industry-level teacher assist you to hit that industry standard.
8. Don’t rush the basics. Just like not rushing the creative ideas in your art, it is important not to rush the learning process either. Just as illustrators should
EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK: Left, attending studio portfolio reviews at events like CTN eXpo is a great way to receive professional guidance on your work. Right, an example of an eye-catching portfolio by Icelandic animation artist Sigrún Hreins. (See more clever examples at wix.com/blog/creative.)
take their time on shape, value and color theory, animators should take time with simple animations, like a ball bounce. People often rush this, but DreamWorks and Pixar make most of their new hires start with ball bounces. The basics return in every piece of art — perfect and apply!
9. Improve secondary skills and hobbies. Drawing isn’t for everyone, but it is a good skill to have in the animation industry. So is knowing the other parts of the pipeline at a studio. Get familiar with the capabilities of what goes on around your job in the production process.
10. Have fun and be yourself! Like it states, just have fun! We’re all here to live a dream and share our love for animation. Be yourself and enjoy the ride! Everyone’s story goes on unique paths and at different speeds. ◆
Maarten Lemmens is a full-time animator at DreamWorks Animation. He recently animated on the Oscar-nominated Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Born and raised in Belgium, he studied computer animation at Ringling College of Art and Design, where he created his award-winning short film Goalie.
“If you place a fully-trained animator on a computer, they’ll amaze you with how well they can bring inanimate characters to life. If you put an untrained animator on a computer however, all you’ll get is moving shapes. The challenge of the digital age is not to learn software first and foremost, but to learn how to make things move well before touching a computer.”
Iwrite this at the beginning of my book, Animation Masterclasses: From Pencils to Pixels, with the utmost conviction and belief.
Yes, I am amazed, inspired and very grateful for new animation technology that graces our world today. In the past — that is, in the “Golden Age” era of Disney and Warner Bros., when character animation was at its peak — if you wanted to make an animated movie you would need a huge building, with hundreds of people and masses of equipment.
The results were incredible, of course — and some of the finest (and most profitable) films were created during this era. However, such approaches are no longer possible, or even desirable, in this digital age. Today you can, in theory, do the entire thing on your own computer and in your own home! Such a reality remains totally mind blowing to a veteran animator like myself — who actually trained with the giants of the past, one on one, and have taken all they taught me then and have run with it in new and innovative ways ever since. These things, I now seek to teach you through this book.
Yet, with great technical advancements come significant challenges too. Not least among these is the fact that although it is theoretically possible for an untrained individual to pick up stateof-the-art software, watch YouTube videos and create animated movement, they inevitably fall far short when asked to create true character animation, which moves convincingly and with weight, grace and expressing real feelings or emotions. One look at animation on TikTok or Instagram will immediately underline this. We no longer train “artists,” and therefore we no longer equip animators to live up to the master animators of the past. The reason is so simple: Without traditional art skills and without knowing the core principles of movement, most of what is created with our amazing new technology is superficial and unsustainable in a longer format. In short, social media animation — even TV animation — is so far removed from the best and most outstanding of animated performances, achieved in the past with little technology at all.
Animation Masterclasses: From Pencils to Pixels addresses this. It seeks to fill that huge
vacuum of real knowledge that exists in the animation world today. So many books teach animation technology but almost none teach techniques anymore — leaving me to wonder if many of the authors actually know how to make things move well themselves. With this book I have tried to get as close as I can to an invaluable apprenticeship in animation as I can — the kind I had in my early days in the industry. I have tried to pack its 808 pages with everything I know, everything I have experienced, and everything I have taught ever since. The book honors that amazing knowledge I received from the greats of the past, while respecting the techniques of the present and, hopefully, preparing students to become the master animators of the future. In that sense, I am without a doubt that “old man who plants trees in whose shade I will never sit.”
The book is structured in four sections, with each section containing 12 masterclasses that will teach, challenge and offer up essential assignments. In this way a student will be able to pick it up, knowing absolutely nothing about animation and then, at the end all its 48 masterclasses, will have made their own animated film. The book’s four sections are:
Section 1) Communicating many of the core principles of movement, using traditional handdrawn animation techniques.
Section 2) Communicating further core principles of movement, using rigged digital character techniques, using Moho.
Section 3) Developing a powerful film idea and seeing it through the time-honored stages of the film pre-production processes.
Section 4) Applying tried and tested produc-
tion techniques that make the completion of a quality animated film entirely achievable.
Each individual class begins with an “observation gesture drawing” assignment. I do this in the book and I do it in my live online classes, too. The seduction of AI (and associated digital age goodies) tempts us into believing that technology does everything, and therefore traditional art skills like drawing are redundant. Yet nothing could be further from the truth! Computers do amazing things, yes. But, in the final analysis, they are still no more than glorified pencils for an animator. A pencil does not do the work for you, neither can software or a computer. It is the skills of the user that determines how good the work is. The quote at the top of this article saying everything!
All this is precisely why I always start my classes with observational gesture drawing. These are not to teach students how to draw, however. They are more to teach students how to “see,” then “interpret” what they see, then “communicate” what they see through timed gesture sketches. Without an “animator’s eye,” an animator will not create powerful keys — meaning they will never create great animation. This is why the eye/brain/hand co-ordination of
gesture drawing is so essential.
So, Sections 1 and 2 of the book teach the core principles of movement that every master animator must know. The first section is taught using traditional, pencil & paper techniques — although, full disclosure, I now teach my live classes digitally, using RoughAnimator. Section 2 teaches further core principles, but with rigged characters, in Moho. Section 3 covers all the essential pre-production processes of film production — including idea creation, storyboarding (including the core principles of filmmaking), character design, concept art, character/background layouts, perspective, color theory, timing & staging and, of course, final animatic creation. Section 4 then moves forward into production — where refined animation techniques, digital coloring, scene compositing, audio production & post-production, and even a little on promotion/marketing are covered.
Journeys from my desktop have taken me far and wide around this world, with quality of production always my priority. This has only been possible however, because I learned the solid foundations of animation from the very best, at the very beginning. These things became my
springboard for so much. That is why Animation
Masterclasses: From Pencils to Pixels provides readers with such an ideal foundation too — and for whatever form of animation they will do ultimately. I have never lost my deep love for animation. Indeed, I’m currently preoccupied in creating further “legacy projects” like my book. For me, it is essential to pay back to animation for the incredible gifts it has given me, and I will therefore never stop sharing what I know and have experienced in this way.
Animation Masterclasses: From Pencils to Pixels is available now from CRC Press ($59.95).
Tony White is an award-winning animator, author and teacher based in Seattle, Wash. Having begun his career learning from 2D legends like Ken Harris, Art Babbitt and Richard Williams, White now runs his own 2D Academy and has authored best-selling textbooks including The Animator’s Workbook, The Animator’s Notebook, The Animator’s Sketchbook, Jumping Through Hoops: The Animation Job Coach and Animation from Pencils to Pixels. For more info visit drawassic.com and connect with him via animakers.club.
If you keep a close eye on up-and-coming talent in the animation industry, there’s a good chance that you were one of the four million viewers to watch The Legend of Pipi. Inspired by a character that Julia Schoel created for a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, this SCAD thesis film follows the adventures of a scraggly little cat named Pipi who is tasked with rescuing his kingdom’s missing princess.
Toon Boom Animation interviewed The Legend of Pipi’s director, Julia Schoel, to discuss the production process behind her film.
How would you describe your role in this film?
Julia: This experience was my first time directing. My role included just about anything that needed to be done. I was the one who needed to be steering the ship and I needed to be decisive. That was a hard learning experience because I’m someone who can’t decide what to eat on any given night. Having to give people a very straight answer of what I want and sticking to that was definitely a learning experience.
My main role was holding all of us accountable for our responsibilities and our work while trying to maintain a productive environment and keeping the scope of our production in mind. I spent my day mostly expressing what I needed to get the vision I wanted. It was really just a lot of notes.
What makes the characters and monsters in the film funny?
Julia: I think what made characters funny
was finding out the best ways to play up the juxtaposition between Pipi and the other characters. Anything Pipi had to face needed to be massive or intimidating, to make it funny. We tried to go ham with our designs, especially the minotaur. We wanted to make him big and muscly. There’s no way this little cat could defeat a big monster like that.
For the dragon, we wanted to introduce her as something that was big and scary and daunting, and then we wanted to reveal her as almost chicken-like. We wanted her to feel fumbly and funny so that when she and Pipi inevitably face off, they’re slipping and falling and tumbling after each other. It would make it more believable for Pipi to run off with her at the end.
How did you go about designing scenes with a multiplane camera in mind?
Julia: Whenever I wanted a shot to look more dynamic, I was like, “Oh, we’ll make it Parallax.” Toon Boom Harmony’s Z-depth function is so easy, I use it any time I can. I used to separate layers out in After Effects and do the effect manually, then someone told me you can do it in Harmony by putting all the layers in the top view, move them a little bit, and the camera does the work for you. For every single shot that needed to be dynamic or had some
movement, I said: “Separate that. Put it on a Z-plane.”
In pre-production, we would do a sketch of a background and plan out how many layers of background were needed. At the very least we would do a foreground, midground, and background. Some had more, some had less.
Do you have any advice for students planning their thesis films?
Julia: The biggest thing is to stay aware of the position everybody’s in and the people around you. As a director, if you make a student film, that film is your baby. You are going to be the one pulling the most allnighters for that film. You’ll be the one stressing over it. That’s probably all you’re going to be thinking about for a year.
Sometimes, it can be unfair to put some of those expectations you have onto other people because sometimes that’s just not realistic. You need to work with what you’ve got and elevate people in the best ways you can. Find people’s strengths, and use those strengths. ◆
For more behind-the-scenes material from The Legend of Pipi, follow @pipifilm on Twitter.
Planning your thesis film? Learn about Toon Boom Animation’s student licenses at toonboom.com for Storyboard Pro and Harmony.
• Drawing Engine & tools for any animated project style, from clean and precise solid vector lines to organic textured bitmap lines
• Color Management of assets for any project size
• Embracing all styles of 2D animation
• Integrating 3D elements
• Compositing and special effects, try our camera lens effects such as the new Bokeh Effect
Learn more about Columbia College Chicago’s thriving animation and vfx programs.
We had a chance to catch up with Joseph Cancellaro, chair of Interactive Arts and Media department at Columbia College Chicago about the school’s popular animation programs. Here is what he told us:
Can you tell our readers a bit about your school’s animation and vfx programs?
Joseph Cancellero: The Animation program offers three options for degrees: a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Animation and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in either Computer Animation or Traditional Animation. The Animation BA interests those who want to explore multiple animation techniques (hand-drawn, stop-motion, computer, experimental) and take on a minor or second major. The BFA allows specialization within an area of animation interest and you’ll complete two animated films by your final year.
2000s. Originally it was housed in the Film Department, eventually finding great success when it transferred to the Interactive Arts and Media Department in 2013.
What are some of the popular courses students can take at Columbia College Chicago?
animation and game art developmental spaces. They are actively working in the industry and bring this knowledge back to the classroom. Particularly important are the professional expectations presented to the students, better preparing them for employment in this highly competitive field.
What kind of assistance do you offer students in terms of finding employment after school?
The Interactive Arts and Media Department works closely with the Career Center at Columbia College Chicago in building internships that have the potential to lead to employment. Over the years, Columbia animation students and graduates have participated in internships at such companies as Sony Pictures Animation, Jellyvision, and Disney Television Animation. We also hold an Industry Night in the department that al-
The VFX program introduces students to the principles of VFX in cinema and games. The program is now, in conjunction with the Cinema and Televisions Arts department, building pipelines and pathways for a Virtual Production degree which includes VFX as well as many other aspects of authoring media content.
When was the program established? The program was established in the early
The Animation program offers a wide range of courses to help the student acclimate to both team and individual production environments. Popular courses include Storyboarding for Animation, Motion Graphics, Cartooning, Environmental Design & Modeling, and our capstone experience Animation Production Studio.
Can you please tell us a bit about your faculty?
The Animation faculty in the Interactive Arts and Media Department all have extensive professional experience in both the linear
lows students to present their work and get hired on the spot.
What is your best advice for future applicants who would like to study animation and vfx arts at Columbia College Chicago? Come open-minded and prepared to immerse yourself fully in developing and elevating animation skills. ◆
For more info, visit colum.edu/iam
At Columbia College Chicago, you can:
• Develop skills for careers in the ever-evolving world of media.
• Learn from industry-experienced and creativity-driven faculty.
• Explore the world of traditional and 3D animation.
• Produce virtual reality and immersive experiences.
• Create game engine pipelines.
• Discover industry and design solutions for the web.
MAJORS IN INTERACTIVE ARTS AND MEDIA
Animation (BA)
Computer Animation (BA | BFA)
Game Art (BA)
Game Design (BA)
User Experience and Interaction Design (BA)
Programming (BA | BS)
Traditional Animation (BA | BFA)
tell us about some of their school’s academic highlights
The Los Angeles Film School’s Animation program provides students with a comprehensive education in the latest techniques and technologies in the field. From building characters and assets to incorporating visual effects, students are exposed to a wide range of skills and tools to prepare them for opportunities in animation and related industries.
One of the key benefits of attending the Animation program at The Los Angeles Film School is the personalized training that students receive from professional artists and instructors. With experience working on major movies and games, instructors bring a wealth of knowledge and practical experience to the classroom, providing students with hands-on training and one-on-one guidance.
The school’s tech facilities, including X-R motion capture labs, greenscreens, and multiple stages, provide students with the tools and resources needed to bring their creations to life. Using tools like Zbrush and Maya, students learn to create and animate characters and assets, as well as bring these elements into live-action or virtual sets.
In addition, students receive training in compositing and visual effects, with courses in After Effects, Nuke, and Houdini. With a focus on actual production pipeline education, students are well-prepared for the in-
dustry, and the school’s partnerships with animation and virtual production studios provide additional on-site education opportunities.
As the animation industry continues to evolve, the Animation program at The Los Angeles Film School is continuously updating and incorporating professional software and equipment. By incorporating Unreal Engine into the curriculum and preparing students for the latest trends in the field, the program provides students with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in a rapidly changing industry.
Regarding career opportunities, The L.A. Film School has a very robust Career Development Department with a Career Advisor and Industry Outreach team dedicated exclusively to the Animation/VFX program. The Industry Relations team has developed strong relation-
ships with numerous animation and visual effects houses which provides both job leads and access to recruiters. Naturally, there is no guarantee regarding job placement, but a
partial list of employers that have hired our graduates includes DreamWorks, Crafty Apes, The Third Floor, Cosa FX, Showroom DTLA, Activision, Riot Games, CGO, Genius International Brands, Visual Concepts and The Walt Disney Studios, among many others. Many graduates also work freelance for independent studios and producers.
For more info, visit www.lafilm.edu
3D Training Institute
New York, NY, U.S.A. 3dtraining.com
Email: info@3dtraining.com
Academy of Animated Art
Online academyofanimatedart.com
Email: headmasters@academyofanimatedart.com
Animation Apprentice London, U.K. animationapprentice.org
Email: info@animationapprentice.org
Animation Mentor
Emeryville, CA, U.S.A. animationmentor.com
Phone: +1 877 326 4628
Email: admissions@animationmentor.com
Animation Resources
Pacoima, CA, U.S.A. animationresources.org
Email: sworth@animationresources.org
AnimSchool
Provo, UT, U.S.A. animschool.edu
Phone: 801 765 7677
Email: admissions@animschool.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered: 3D
Animation Certificate Program, 3D Character Certificate Program
Number of students in animation program: ~500
Cost of program: $1,620 per term
Head of animation: Manuel Bover
Head of admissions: Joshua Little
Time of year offered: Quarterly
Application deadline: Last week of March, June, September and December.
CG Master Academy (CGMA)
Online Worldwide cgmasteracademy.com
Phone: +1 800 959 0316
Email: registration@cgmwonline.com
CG Spectrum
Online Worldwide cgspectrum.com
Email: admissions@cgspectrum.com
Degrees/Certificates offered:
Beginner, intermediate and advanced certificates in: 2D animation, 3D animation, 3D modeling, game art, concept art, digital illustration, game design, game
programming, VFX compositing, FX & simulation, real-time 3D & virtual production, and architectural visualization.
Number of students in animation
program: 200
Cost of program: $7,999
Head of animation: Scott Claus
Head of admissions: Elena Zavitsanos
Time of year offered: Monthly
intakes
Application deadline: The 25th of each month
Equipment available: All software is included. Courses are held entirely online, so students are responsible for their own hardware.
Notes: CG Spectrum is a global top-ranked training provider for the film, game and creative industries. Offering specialized programs and personalized mentorship from industry professionals, CG Spectrum trains individuals and supports major studios with upskilling their teams. All programs are 100% online and offered worldwide. CG Spectrum is an Unreal Authorized Training Center, Unreal Academic Partner, Unreal Connector, SideFX
Certified Training Provider and Toon Boom Authorized Training Center.
Vilnius, Lithuania
cgtarian.com
Phone: +370 65 905 905
Email: info@cgtarian.com
thehappyproducers.com
Email: lp@thehappyproducers.com
Degrees/Certificates offered: Production Coordinators course, Production Management and Line Production course, Scheduling course
Number of students in animation program: Unlimited
Cost of program: From $1,444
USD
Head of admissions: Virginie
Lavallee
Time of year offered: Year-round
Application deadline: None
Equipment available: One year access to our pre-recorded programs, access to monthly Q&A session, one hour of coaching oneon-one, downloadable workbooks.
Notes: The Happy Producers provide training and coaching solutions that promote well-being in animation production. As animation producers with over 20 years of experience in the industry, we know how challenging it is to provide training and support while leading a full-time production! But we also know firsthand
how important training and growth are to our team’s productivity, motivation and efficiency. That’s why we created e-Courses and tools to teach coordinators, project managers, line producers, and team leads the mindset and skillset for everyday low-stress, high-efficiency film and television animation production.
Silver Drawing Academy
Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A. silverdrawingacademy.com
Email: info@silverdrawingacademy.com
Studio Arts
Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A. studioarts.com
Phone: (323) 227 8776
Email: office@studioarts.com
VANAS
Burnaby, BC, Canada (Live Online & Combined)
Blaine, WA, U.S.A. (Live Online) vanas.ca
Phone: +1 833-437-3872
Email: info@vanas.ca
Degrees/Certificates offered: 2D Computer Animation Diploma, 3D Computer Animation Diploma, Advanced 3D Modeling Diploma, Animated Short Films Diploma, Concept Art Diploma, Digital Matte Painting Diploma, Effects Animation Diploma, Esports Diploma, Video Game Design Diploma, Virtual Reality Design Diploma; Digital Entertainment Art Foundations, Digital Entertainment Technology Foundations, Introduction to Digital Arts, Professional Career Development, Writing for Animation Canada.
Number of students in animation program: Eight per class
Cost of program: $18,500
Head of animation: Calvin Leduc
Head of admissions: Sonia Bolduc Time of year offered: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
Application deadline: 10 days before session starts
Equipment available: Students are responsible for supplying their own computer software and hardware. Academic discounts are available to our students.
Vertex School
Austin, TX, U.S.A. vertexschool.com
Email: admissions@vertexschool.com
Visual Arts Passage
Online visualartspassage.com
Phone: (323) 366-7053
Email: hello@visualartspassage.com
UNITED STATES
Academy of Animated Art
New York, NY academyofanimatedart.com
Email: headmasters@academyofanimatedart.com
Academy of Interactive Entertainment
Lafayette, LA & Seattle, WA aie.edu
Email: lafayette@aie.edu, seattle@aie.edu
The Animation Academy
Burbank, CA theanimationacademy.com
Email: theanimationacademy@ gmail.com
The Art Institutes artinstitutes.edu
Campuses Nationwide & Online
ArtCenter College of Design
Pasadena, CA artcenter.edu
Phone: (626) 396 2200
Email: admissions@artcenter.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered: Bachelor of Science offered in Entertainment Design across three programs: Animation, Concept Design, Game Design. Bachelor of Fine Arts offered in Illustration.
Number of students in animation program: 515 students (Entertainment Design Dept. Spring 2023)
Cost of program: Undergraduate (two term) Tuition: $48,942 per year
Head of animation: Paul Taylor
Head of admissions: Tom Stern, Sr. Vice President, Admissions & Enrollment Management
Time of year offered: Fall and Spring
Application deadline: Fall Term: February 1, Spring Term: October 1
Equipment available: Software: Maya, Adobe Suite, Substance
Designer, Blender, Marvelous
Designer, ZBrush, Toon Boom
Harmony, Toon Boom Storyboard
Pro, Dragon fl ame, Perforce, Unreal Engine, Unity.
Facilities: Eight fully equipped computer labs outfitted with Cintiqs (150+ workstations). Dedicated stop-motion room, Rokoko motion-capture suit and dedicated capture studio, game room, Immersion Lab with the latest in AR/VR technology including HTC Vives, Oculus Rifts, Oculus Quests, Microsoft HoloLens and Mixed
Reality headsets, 360 cameras, Leap Motions and mobile motioncapture suits. Extensive makeroriented labs offering the latest professional equipment required to complete projects in 3D printing, woodworking, metal fabrication, vacuum forming, plastic sheet fabrication, fiberglass and composite fabrication.
Notes: Come to the entertainment capital of the world and learn how to combine theory with realworld practice using industry standard software, pipelines and techniques. Our faculty are working professionals from the AAA movie, animation and gaming industries. Learn from talented peers as you strengthen your design, aesthetic and teamwork skills. Collaborate with students across multiple programs at ArtCenter including Animation, Illustration, Game and Concept Design to make entertaining, personal and socially relevant art, games and animated short stories. Faculty and former students have gone on to work for industry giants such as Disney, Dreamworks, ILM, Sony, Insomniac Games, Riot Games, Warner Brothers, Marvel, Aardman, Nickelodeon, Fox Pictures, LAIKA, Universal, Blur Studio, Blizzard, Sony Santa Monica Studio and many others.
The Bakshi School
Silver City, NM thebakshischool.com
Phone: (575) 534 9291
Email: info@thebakshischool.com
Bloomfield College
Bloomfield, NJ bloomfield.edu
Phone: (973) 748 9000
Email: admissions@bloomfield. edu
Bowie State University Bowie, MD bowiestate.edu
Phone: (301) 860-4000 / 1-877-77-BOWIE
Email: webmaster@bowiestate. edu
Bowling Green State University School of Art Bowling Green, OH bgsu.edu
Phone: (419) 372 2786
Fax: (419) 372 2544
Email: artschool@bgsu.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered: BA in Digital Arts, BFA in Digital Arts, MFA in Digital Arts, Minor in Digital Arts
Number of students in animation program: 213
Cost of program: $13,125
Head of animation: Bart Woodstrup
Head of admissions: choosebgsu@bgsu.edu
Time of year offered: Traditional academic year (Sept. - May)
Application deadline: July 15
Equipment available: Three 20seat computer labs: One PC-based 20-core/32GB/Nvidia Quatro p5000 3D animation lab, one PC-based 18-core/32GB/Nvidia Quatro k5000 imaging/illustration lab with 22” 4k Cintiq tablets at each seat, and one Mac-based 12-core/32GB/AMD Duel AMD FirePro D700 video lab.
Stop-motion animation studio with 10 iMacs running Dragonframe, equipped to teach sand, paint on glass, puppet, cut paper, object, pixilation, rotoscoping, hand-drawn, clay and mixedmedia animation.
Software: Autodesk Maya, 3DS
Max, MotionBuilder, ZBrush, Mudbox, Adobe Creative Suite with Sapphire Plugins, Corel Painter, Unity 3D, Processing and Dragonframe.
Production Studio equipped with pro level lighting (Flash Packs, LEDs, Softbox Lighting and a small infinity Wall).
Students have access to the staffed Media Center which provides professional audio and video recording equipment (DSLR cameras, HD camcorders, omnidirectional camera and light kits), large-format printing, and VR/AR gear.
Students also have access to the integrated fabrication studio with a plotter, multiple (6-8) 3D printers, a CNC router, a CNC plasma cutter and two Laser cutters.
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT animation.byu.edu | designdept. byu.edu/animation
Phone: 801 422 7323
Email: designdepartment@byu. edu
Degrees/Certificates offered: BFA in Animation, BS Computer Science with an Animation Emphasis Number of students in animation program: 80
Cost of program: $6,500 a year for LDS students, $14,000 a year for Non-LDS students
Head of animation/admissions:
Sam Nielson
Time of year offered: Fall Semester
Application deadline: June 1
Equipment available: Four labs of 20+ workstation grade machines with Cintiqs, Unreal Engine, Maya, Houdini, Nuke, ZBrush, Toon Boom Harmony and Storyboard Pro, TVPaint, Adobe suite of products.
California College of the Arts
San Francisco & Oakland, CA cca.edu
Phone: 800 447 1ART [1278]
Email: info@cca.edu
California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, CA calarts.edu
Phone: (661) 255 1050
Fax: (661) 253 7710
Email: admissions@calarts.edu
California State University Fullerton Fullerton, CA fullerton.edu/arts/art
Phone: (657) 278 2011
California State University Long Beach Long Beach, CA csulb.edu
Phone: (562) 985-4376
California State University Northridge Northridge, CA csun.edu
Phone: (818) 677 1200
Email: admissions.records@csun. edu
Cañada College
Redwood City, CA canadacollege.edu/digitalartanimation
Phone: 650 306 3330
Email: naasp@smccd.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered: AA: Digital Art & Animation, 3D Animation and Video Game Art, Game Design Certificates: Digital Art & Animation, 3D Animation and Video Game Art, Game Design, Graphic Design Number of students in animation program: Approx. 200
Cost of program: San Mateo County Residents: Free; Out-of-county residents: $46/unit
Head of animation: Paul Naas
Head of admissions: Maria LaraBlanco
Time of year offered: Fall and Spring
Application deadline: Students can enroll up to the first class meeting, and can join with instructor permission once classes begin.
Equipment available: Three fullyequipped studios: PC and Mac (digital art studio), Mac (3D studio), traditional animation desks with digital shooting stations (traditional animation studio).
Hardware: Wacom Cintiq and Intuos Pro tablets . Neat Boards for online synchronous classes, Oculus VR equipment. Software: Maya, Adobe Suite, Toon Boom Harmony, RoughAnimator
Notes: The Cañada College Digital Art & Animation program provides a cost-effective, professional level of training to its students. All faculty are industryexperienced, working at studios like Disney, PDI/DreamWorks and Maxis.
Our alumni have landed jobs at Disney Television Animation and DreamWorks, Apple, Zynga, Sony Gaming, Big Fish Games and Agora, to name a few.
Student artists have won local and national awards for their work and have had their short films screened at the Cannes Film Festival several years in a row. Cañada College: From here, you can go anywhere!
Chapman University
Dodge College of Film & Media Arts
Orange, CA chapman.edu/dodge
Phone: (714) 997 6885
Fax: (714) 997 6885
Email: dodgeadmit@chapman.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered: BFA in Animation and Visual Effects. Minors in: Advertising, Broadcast Journalism, Documentary Film, Film Studies, Production Design for Film, Public Relations, Television, Visual Effects, VR and AR.
Number of students in animation program: 128
Cost of program: Full-time Rate (12-18 units): $30,145 per semester
Head of animation: Ruth Daly
Head of admissions: Priscilla Campos, pcampos@chapman.edu
Time of year offered: Spring and Fall
Application deadline: First-Years: November 1: Early Action, Early Decision. January 15: Regular Decision Application. Transfers: Fall 2023
Deadline: Applications are due (postmarked) by February 15, 2023. Spring 2024 Deadline: Applications are due by October 15, 2023.
Equipment available: The Digital Media Arts Center (DMAC) is one of the best-equipped facilities in the nation, featuring a “virtual stage” with Unreal Engine-enabled LED wall, three motioncapture suites, a 4K stereo projection 110-seat theater, a VFX lab with dual monitors and a Northlit art studio with benches, sink and model stand.
The Animation Lab features a 4K work fl ow. Each of the 24 stations has a dual monitors, including as a 22HD Cintiq tablet on adjustable arm, usable as a drawing board or monitor. The instructor has a Cintiq, software for doing interactive “dailies” on student tests, a 2K projector for reviews. Students have 24/7 access (with online reservation capability) for 10 individual private study suites, each equipped with larger Cintiqs, dual monitors, stereo speakers for premixing, fl atbed scanners and down shooter camera stands for 2D animation tests. DMAC workstations feature over 55 different software licenses, including Maya, 3ds Max, Toon Boom, Adobe suite, substance painter, Houdini and Nuke.
Notes: Chapman’s proximity to “Silicon Beach” has made the Gaming Minor an award-winning program. The new VR/AR minor covers the latest breakthroughs in emerging technologies. Dodge College has exceptional industry connections. Students tour Southern California’s major facilities, including Disney, DreamWorks, Blizzard, The Third Floor, etc. Dodge College hosts the industry’s top talent almost weekly,
featuring lectures and presentations of unreleased material and personal interaction with the students. That list has included Brad Bird, Andrew Stanton, John Musker, Ron Clements, Glen Keane, Andreas Dejas, Rob Minkoff, Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders, Mark Andrews, Don Hahn, Randy Cook and Eric Goldberg. The college hosts an open house for prospective students in the fall as well as tours of its facilities throughout the year MondayFriday. The review process weighs the portfolio materials very heavily, but also evaluates whether applicants are a good fit for the overall University. The Senior Thesis Mentoring programs in Spring 2023 include one on one instruction from John Musker, Lauren Faust and Jan Pinkava. Comprehensive resource of admission information available at chapman.edu/dodge/apply/undergraduate/digital-arts.aspx.
Clemson University
Digital Production Arts
Clemson & Charleston, SC clemson.edu/dpa
Email: dpa@clemson.edu
Cleveland Institute of Art
Cleveland, OH cia.edu
Phone: (216) 421 7000; (216) 421 7418
College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn, IL cod.edu
Phone: (630) 942 2800; (630) 942
3000
Email: campuscentral@cod.edu
Columbia College Chicago
Interactive Arts and Media Chicago, IL colum.edu/iam
Phone: (312) 369 7750
Email: admissions@colum.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered:
Animation (BA), Computer Animation (BA and BFA), Game Art (BA), Game Design (BA), User Experience and Interaction Design (BA), Programming (BA and BS), Traditional Animation (BA and BFA)
Number of students in animation program: 320
Cost of program: Columbia’s tuition and fees — $31,026 for ‘22’23 — are among the most affordable of all private arts and media colleges in the nation.
Head of animation: Joseph Cancellaro
Time of year offered: Students typically begin in the fall semester, but may be able to start in the spring or summer semester as well.
Application deadline: Apply by Wednesday, March 29, 2023, to receive an admissions decision prior to May 1.
Equipment available: Wacom tablets, computer towers, StopMotion Lab, Maquettes Lab
Columbus, OH
ccad.edu
Phone: (614) 224-9101
Email: admissions@ccad.edu
Amherst, NY daemen.edu
Phone: (800) 462 -7652
Fax: (716) 839 - 8229
Email: admissions@daemen.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered: BFA in Animation; VFX Certificate
Number of students in animation program: 88
Cost of program: $30,360 annual tuition
Head of animation: Mike Jones
Head of admissions: Megan Beardi
Time of year offered: Fall for first year students, Fall/Spring for transfer students
Application deadline: Rolling admission
Equipment available: Three stateof-the-art animation labs running Maya, Harmony, Storyboard Pro, etc. All lab workstations have 16” Cintiqs. The senior lab has 17 workstations with 22” Cintiqs. Traditional 2D animation desks lab. Plus a greenscreen room, sound lab, stop-motion lab and a 60 seat screening room. Industry based instructors with over 65 years of professional experience.
Notes: A number of Daemen University graduates are working for major animation studios throughout the United States.
The DAVE School
Orlando, FL dave.nuc.edu
Phone: (407) 385 1100
Email: admissions@daveschool.com
Delaware College of Art and Design
Wilmington, DE dcad.edu
Phone: (302) 622 8000
Fax: (302) 622 8870
Email: info@dcad.edu
DePaul University
Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media
Chicago, IL cdm.depaul.edu
Phone: (312) 362 8381
Email: admission@cdm.depaul.edu
DigiPen Institute of Technology
Redmond, WA digipen.edu
Phone: (866) 478 5236
Text: (425) 414 3633
Email: outreach@digipen.edu
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA drexel.edu
Phone: (215) 895 2000; 800 2 DREXEL [373935]
Email: enroll@drexel.edu
East Los Angeles College
Monterey Park, CA elac.edu
Phone: (323) 265 8650
Elite Animation Academy
Orlando, FL
eliteanimationacademy.com
Phone: (407) 459 7959
Email: twest@eliteanimationacademy.com
Emile Cohl Atelier
Los Angeles, CA cohl.art
Phone: (323) 315 2323
Email: contact@cohl.art
Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY fitnyc.edu
Phone: (212) 217 7999
Email: fitinfo@fitnyc.edu
Ferris State University
College of Business
Big Rapids, MI ferris.edu
Phone: (231) 591 2420
Email: cob@ferris.edu
Forsyth Technical Community College
Winston-Salem, NC forsythtech.edu
Phone: (336) 723 0371
Fullerton College
Fullerton, CA fullcoll.edu
Phone: (714) 992 7261
Email: pdimitriadis@fullcoll.edu
Full Sail University
Winter Park, FL / Online fullsail.edu
Phone: (407) 679 6333
Email: admissions@fullsail.com
Gnomon Los Angeles, CA gnomon.edu
Phone: (323) 466 6663
Email: info@gnomon.edu
Grossmont College
Digital Art Program
El Cajon, CA
grossmont.edu
Phone: (619) 644 7000
Hampshire College
Amherst, MA
hampshire.edu
Phone: (413) 559 4600
Email: admissions@hampshire. edu
Kansas City Art Institute
Kansas City, MO
kcai.edu/academics
Phone: 800-522-5224
Email: animation@kcai.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered: BFA
Animation
Number of students in animation program: 120
Cost of program: $40,000
Head of animation: Doug Hudson
Head of admissions: Darcy Deal
Time of year offered: Fall & Spring Semesters
Application deadline: May 1, 2023
Equipment available: Adobe Creative Suite, Cinema 4D, Blender, Maya, Dragonframe, dedicated stop-motion studios, Edelkrone motion-control systems, traditional animation lightbox lab, digital pencil testers, sound mastering studio, Oculus Rift S, Rokoko Smartsuits Y
Notes: Starting with classical, experimental and analog techniques and then advancing through contemporary 2D & 3D digital/hybrid industry standards, students are exposed to the full range of approaches without any one taking precedence over another.
Instead, we lead our students to carve their own path through our unique mentor-based studioinstruction model. While creating, learning and collaborating alongside peers and dedicated faculty, our approach allows students to accumulate and master the necessary skills while receiving personal support from professionals and world-class visiting artists. Our department produces animators who define rather than recite, lead instead of follow, and go on to enjoy fully sustainable creative careers.
Laguna Beach, California, USA lcad.edu
Phone: 949-376-6000
Fax: 949-376-6009
Email: admissions@lcad.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered:
Animation, Drawing + Painting, Drawing + Painting w/Illustration Emphasis, Drawing + Painting w/ Sculpture Emphasis, Entertainment Design, Experimental Animation, Game Art, Graphic Design + Digital Media, Graphic Design + Digital Media w/Action Sports Emphasis, Graphic Design + Digital Media w/Illustration Emphasis, Illustration.
Number of students in animation
program: 186
Cost of program: $35,650/year
Head of animation: Dan Boulos
- Animation and Glen Miller - Experimental Animation
Head of admissions: Christopher Brown
Time of year offered: Fall and Spring
Application deadline: Rolling
Equipment available: Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Animator, Toon Boom Storyboard Pro, Toon Boom Harmony, OpenToonz, Maya, ZBrush, TVPaint.
Lansing Community College
Lansing, MI
lcc.edu
Phone: (800) 644 4522; (517) 483
1957
Email: lcc-recruitment@lcc.edu
Lesley University
Cambridge, MA lesley.edu/animation
Phone: (617) 868 9600
Email: admissions@lesley.edu
Living Arts College
Raleigh, NC
creative.living-arts-college.edu
Phone: (919) 488 8504
Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art
Van Nuys, CA laafa.edu
Phone: (818) 708 9232
Email: contactus@laafa.edu
The Los Angeles Film School
Hollywood, CA lafilm.edu
Phone: (323) 860-0789
Email: info@lafilm.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered:
Campus: Associate of Science in Audio Production, Associate of Science in Film, Associate of Science in Music Production, Bachelor of Science in Animation and Visual Effects, Bachelor of Science in Audio Production, Bachelor of Science in Entertainment Business, Bachelor of Science in Film Production.
Online: Associate of Science in Audio Production Online, Associate of Science in Music Production Online, Bachelor of Science in Animation Online, Bachelor of Science in Audio Production Online, Bachelor of Science in Digital Filmmaking Online, Bachelor of Science in Entertainment Business Online, Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design Online, Bachelor of Science in Media Communications Online, Bachelor of Science in Music Production Online, Bachelor of Science in Writing for Film and Television Online.
Number of students in animation program: 500+ between Campus and Online
Cost of program: Campus: $89,072.50; Online: $65,300.00
Head of animation: Campus: Robert Rowles, Associate Program Director; Online: Ken Norman, Program Director
Head of admissions: Ernesta
Mensah
Time of year offered: Monthly
Application deadline: Year-round open enrollment
Equipment available: Los Angeles
Film School’s Animation TechKit® includes animation student’s own MSI GE76 Raider laptop with Unreal Engine, Python, Autodesk Maya, Pixologic ZBrush and Nuke. Animation students also receive the entire Adobe Creative Suite, as well as a Wacom 16 Cintiq, Stealth Trooper backpack, gaming mouse and headset.
Loyola Marymount University
School of Film and Television
Los Angeles, CA
sftv.lmu.edu
Phone: (310) 338 2700
Email: sftv_info@lmu.edu
Lynn University
Boca Raton, FL
lynn.edu
Phone: 800 994 LYNN [5966]
Email: admissions@lynn.edu
Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex (MAGIC) at Miami Dade College
Miami, FL magic.mdc.edu
Phone: 305 237 3560
Email: magic@mdc.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered: Industry-focused “Animation & Game Art” and “Game Development & Design” academic programs; college credit certificate in “Virtual and Augmented Reality Technologies”
Number of students in animation program: 768
Cost of program: $7,093.20
Head of animation: Mauricio
Ferrazza
Head of admissions: Sandye Palacios
Time of year offered: Fall Term
Application deadline: Registration begins April 5, 2023
Equipment available: MAGIC is a 9,000 square feet, state-of-the-art facility designed to mirror a working animation studio. The entire facility is wireless and committed to achieving a nearly paperless status. The open lab space features 30 workstations, each with a Cintiq HD 2200 Touch. Students have access to a creative tool set that allows them to draw characters, convert the work to vector art, and work with 3D animation, compositing, modeling, simulation and rendering. The pre and post production suite includes an audio engineering booth for recording sound. The motion-capture studio has a greenscreen, motion-capture equipment and motion tracking. All classrooms have workstations equipped with industry standard technology and software. One classroom has 36 stations where students engage in project-based learning infused with the latest in the creative industries, animation, video game development, VR and AR technologies.
Notes: MAGIC was inaugurated in 2015 and is the first facility of its kind at a public higher education in Florida. Modeled after a feature production studio, MAGIC has positioned itself as a new animation and gaming industry hub and has gathered enthusiasts, studio executives, software specialists, artists and others from around the country to collaborate in different initiatives.
In 2018, The Aspen Institute and the Siemens Foundation awarded the MAGIC program at Miami
Dade College with the SiemensAspen Community College STEM Award, in recognition of the outstanding preparation and education the program provides students seeking careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
School of Journalism
East Lansing, MI comartsci.msu.edu
Email: jrn@msu.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered: Animation and Comics Storytelling Minor; Digital Storytelling Bachelor of Arts with Animation Concentration
Number of students in animation program: 300
Cost of program: In-state tuition $15,000+ for two semesters, out of state tuition $41,000+ for two semesters
Head of animation: Professor Stacey Fox
Head of admissions: Dr. Kari Lopez
Time of year offered: Year-round, all online
Application deadline: April 27, 2023 for Fall semester
Notes: The animation program at MSU is all online. With courses in 2D, 3D and stop-motion animation as well as scoring music for animation. Each course is offered twice a year in Fall or Spring and all courses are offered in the summer. The program is open to any enrolled undergraduate student.
Murfreesboro, TN mtsu.edu/programs/animation
Phone: (615) 898-5196
Fax: (615) 494-8694
Email: kevin.mcnulty@mtsu.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered: B.S. in Animation; B.S. in Video and Film Production, concentration in Motion Design N umber of students in animation program: 210
Cost of program: $9,472 instate/$29,144 out-of-state for academic year tuition; in-state tuition available in certain states through the Academic Common Market (mtsu.edu/acm/programs. php) and major discount offered to qualifying students in the Regional Scholars program (mtsu. edu/financial-aid/scholarships/ regional-scholars.php).
Head of animation: Kevin McNulty Head of admissions: admissions@ mtsu.edu
Time of year offered: Semesterbased, four-year Bachelor of Science degree. Application deadline: Fall applications are accepted through July 1 (must submit all admissions materials by December 1 for freshman guaranteed academic scholarships and February 15 for transfer guaranteed academic scholarships for the following fall). Spring applications are accepted through December 15.
Equipment available: Three highend computer labs (Boxx and Dell) dedicated exclusively to
animation, render farm, 24-inch and 32-inch Wacom Cintiq Pros, new XR stage (utilizing Disguise VX2 Media Server and Mo-Sys Startracker), Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 6K Pro cameras, 4K cameras, DSLR cameras, light kits, drone cameras, audio kits, greenscreens, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, Hololens, Magic Leap, Virtuix Omni, large-scale LED video wall systems, video/ film production studios, Autodesk Maya, Toon Boom Harmony, Autodesk Mudbox, Arnold, RenderMan, Zbrush, Adobe CC software, Unreal Engine, Unity, Red Giant Suite, Cinema 4D, Redshift, Substance Painter, Substance Alchemist, Substance Designer, Krita, Davinci Resolve Studio, Final Cut Pro, Avid, Ross XPression CG & Graphics System, and SyncSketch.
Notes: MTSU’s Animation program was one of the first in the nation and is ranked among the best in the U.S. at a public school or university. An on-campus ACM SIGGRAPH Student Chapter is only one of 15 in the world. Other relevant student organizations include the MTSU Esports varsity league, VR-AR Club, Film Guild and Cinema Club. Students have full access to LinkedIn Learning, faculty-led extracurricular programs, collaboration with outside clients, opportunities at worldwide competitions and conferences, student film screenings, and portfolio reviews. The program is NASAD and SACS accredited. MTSU alumni have worked for the
likes of Walt Disney Animation Studios, DreamWorks Animation, Blue Sky Studios, Industrial Light & Magic, Activision Blizzard Entertainment, Titmouse, Wētā FX , Warner Bros., ShadowMachine, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Netflix Animation, WB Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Rhythm & Hues, including on an Oscar winner. Students progress through advanced digital tools and techniques for careers in 3D animation, 2D animation, motion graphics and visual effects in films, series, video games and more. Rated among the best colleges in the U.S. by Princeton Review, MTSU is located in the Nashville metropolitan area.
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Minneapolis, MN mcad.edu
Phone: (612) 874 3700; (800) 874 6223
Email: info@mcad.edu
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Newark, NJ design.njit.edu/school-art-design
Phone: (973) 596 3080
Email: esi.a.sapara-grant@njit.
edu
Degrees/Certificates offered: BA
Digital Design, MS Digital Design, MFA Digital Design. Certificates in: UI/UX Digital Design, Digital Arts, Animation, Game Design and Interactivity.
Number of students in animation program: ~100
Cost of program: See njit.edu/ admissions/tuition-costs
Head of animation: Martina Decker
Head of admissions: Stephen Eck
Time of year offered: Academic year
Application deadline: Rolling admissions for Fall and Spring Equipment available: Animation labs, VR technology, motioncapture studio, physical fabrication spaces and various software needed to design, create and animate.
Notes: NJIT’s Hillier College of Architecture and Design is a comprehensive design school, in a top-tier research university, dedicated to creative design and making in physical and virtual worlds.
New York Film Academy
New York, NY
nyfa.edu
Phone: (212) 674 4300; (800) 611
FILM [3456]
Email: film@nyfa.edu
New York Institute of Technology
New York, NY nyit.edu/programs/digital_art_design
Phone: (212) 261 1508; (800) 345 6948
Email: admissions@nyit.edu
New York University
Tisch School of the Art
Kanbar Institute of Film & Television
New York, NY
tisch.nyu.edu/film-tv/animationarea
Email: dean.lennert@nyu.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered:
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film & Television
Number of students in animation
program: 1,165
Cost of program: $87,450 per year
Head of animation: Dean Lennert
Head of admissions: Courtney
Malenius
Time of year offered: Fall/Spring
Application deadline: Early Deci -
sion 1 - November 1, Early Deci -
sion 2 - January 1, Regular Deci -
sion - January 5
Equipment available: Adobe Creative Cloud CC, Toon Boom Harmony 20, Toon Boom Storyboard
Pro 7, Dragonframe, Autodesk
Maya, Pixologic ZBrush, Foundry
Nuke, Houdini Online services
(Houdini FX) (licensing), Cinema
4D Studio, Unreal Engine, V-Ray, e-on VUE. Plugins: Marvelous
Designer, Trapcode, Plexus, Paint & Stick.
Hardware: Cintiq Pro 13” and 16”
Mobile Studio Pro 13” and 16”
Cannon 7D cameras and a selection of lenses, Lowel omni light kits, Inkie lights, fluid head tripods, Oculus Headsets and controllers, Samsung Gear VR headsets.
Marquette, MI
art.nmu.edu
Email: art@nmu.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered: BFA in Art - Computer Art (animation) or Digital Cinema emphasis BS in Art - Computer Art (animation) or Digital Cinema emphasis
Number of students in animation program: ~25
Cost of program: Full time$6,200-$9,000/semester
Head of animation: Stephan Larson
Head of admissions: Gerri Daniels
Time of year offered: Fall/Spring
Application deadline: Rollingmid-August for Fall semester
Equipment available: Apple computers/laptops, Maxon Cinema 4D, ZBrush, Adobe Suite, lighting studio, greenscreen stage, RED camera, DSLR video cameras, portable light kits, wireless microphones, scanners, Wacom tablets.
Los Angeles, CA otis.edu
Phone: (310) 665 6800; (800) 527 6847
Email: digitalmedia@otis.edu
Pennsylvania College of Art & Design
Lancaster, PA pcad.edu
Phone: (717) 396 7833; (800) 689 0379
Email: admissions@pcad.edu
PennWest Edinboro
Edinboro, PA
edinboro.edu
Phone: (814) 732 2761
Email: admissions@pennwest.edu
Platt College
San Diego, CA platt.edu
Phone: (866) 752 8826
Email: info@platt.edu
Point Park University
Pittsburgh, PA pointpark.edu/animation
Phone: (800) 321-0129
Email: jtrueblood@pointpark.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered: BFA in Animation, BA in Cinema Arts with concentration in Animation
Number of students in animation program: 70
Cost of program: $44,420. With scholarships, the average cinema arts student pays $21,134.
Head of animation: Jonathan
Trueblood
Head of admissions: Troy Centofanto
Time of year offered: Fall and Spring semesters
Application deadline: Rolling application
Equipment available: Two stateof-the-art animation labs each with 20-25 PCs sporting high-end Nvidia graphics cards, top-quality Intel processors and XP-Pen 21” tablets. Software available: Adobe Suite, Maya, Cinema 4D, Toon Boom Harmony, Dragonframe. Four private animation suites and four editing suites. Sound editing and color editing rooms. Greenscreen stage for visual effects. Notes: Cinema arts has rolling admissions; however, space is limited in the program. Due to the competitive nature of our offerings, we strongly encourage applicants to submit their materials before February 1, 2023 to ensure the highest level of consideration for Conservatory merit-based scholarship(s). Candidates will be notified by email and letter of their artistic admission and possible achievement award as the academic and artistic decisions are made.
Pratt Institute
New York, NY pratt.edu
Phone: (718) 636 3600
Email: admissions@pratt.edu
Rhode Island School of Design
Providence, RI
risd.edu
Phone: (401) 454 6233; (410) 454 6100
Email: admissions@risd.edu
Sarasota, FL ringling.edu
Phone: 941-351-5100
Email: info@ringling.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered: Degree programs include Business of Art and Design, Computer Animation, Creative Writing, Entertainment Design, Film, Fine Arts, Game Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, Motion Design, Photography and Imaging, Virtual Reality Development and Visual Studies.
Number of students in animation program: 340
Cost of program: $52,836
Head of animation: Jim McCampbell
Head of admissions: Dr. Jason
Good
Time of year offered: Fall, Spring
Application deadline: November 1 (Early Action), January 15 (Regular
Application Deadline)
Equipment available: Software: Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, Unreal Engine, Maya, Rhino, ZBrush, SketchUp, Red Giant, TouchDesigner, Avid, et al.
Hardware: Labs with 550 Macintosh computers, 319 PCs, Cintiq Tablets, high-resolution laser printers, 3D printers and laser cutters. Much of this access is available 24 hours in person or remotely through the cloud-based Ringling College Athena Initiative, with high-resolution support, 3D graphics capabilities and maintained digital pen sensitivity. Students also have access to large-format printing and can use the digital checkout system to utilize high-tech gear like game consoles, video cameras and digital projectors. 3D Render Farm and data center on campus.
Notes: Since 1931, Ringling College of Art and Design has cultivated the creative spirit in students from around the globe. The private, not-for-profit, fully accredited college offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 11 disciplines and a Bachelor of Arts in two. Ringling is the only institution in Florida dedicated exclusively to teaching art and design. Many of our programs are ranked among the best in the nation, including Computer Animation (#1 in the world), Motion Design (#2 in the world) and Game Art (#3 in the world).
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY rit.edu/artdesign/school-filmand-animation
Phone: 585 475 2411
Email: artdesign@rit.edu
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design (RMCAD)
Lakewood, CO rmcad.edu
Phone: 800 888 ARTS [2787]; 303 753 6046
Email: admissions@rmcad.edu
Multiple Campuses Nationwide usa.sae.edu
San Francisco State University
School of Cinema
San Francisco, CA
cinema.sfsu.edu
Phone: (415) 338 1629
Email: cinema@sfsu.edu
San Jose State University
San Jose, CA sjsuai.com
Phone: (408) 924 1000
Email: design@sjsu.edu
Atlanta & Savannah, GA; Lacoste, France scad.edu
Email: contact@scad.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered:
Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Arts, and Master of Fine Arts
Number of students in animation program: 1,722
Cost of program: Undergraduate: $39,105; Graduate: $40,050
Head of animation: Dean of the School of Animation and Motion: Danyl Bartlett; Chair of Animation: Christopher Gallagher
Head of admissions: Jennifer
Jaquillard
Time of year offered: Year-round Application deadline: Rolling Equipment available: Software: Adobe CS5, Autodesk Maya, Autodesk MotionBuilder. Scripting taught in both majors using Python and MEL.
Facilities: Vicon Blade motioncapture studio, dedicated Cintiq homework labs, Maker lab for fabrication with 3D printing and soldering stations, recording stage with 12-bay Foley stage, recording booth and isolation booth in view of a 20-seat classroom and Pro Tools sound board; Avid editing classroom; TV and film studio with greenscreen synch wall, professor’s projector and freight elevator for large sets.
Animation software: Dragon fl ame, Shotgun, Toon Boom Harmony, Toon Boom Storyboard Pro. Animation facilities: 45 traditional drawing desks, stop-motion fabrication room and shooting stages (10 at Savannah, six at Atlanta), Stratasys fused deposition printer and PolyJet 3D printer.
Notes: Create new worlds with animation: Be a powerhouse in an industry that spans film, TV, video games, AR/VR and more Illuminate fantastical realms and characters that launch careers, bring joy to fans, and take the world by storm. Named a top animation program in the U.S. year after year by Animation Career Review, SCAD provides every resource to help you develop your signature style in 2D, 3D and stop-motion animation, digital modeling, rigging, lighting and look development. As you work with top companies and peers, you’ll become a pro at collaboration — just like in the real world.
New York, NY sva.edu
Phone: (212) 592 2100
Email: admissions@sva.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered: BFA
Animation; BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects; MFA Computer Arts
Number of students in animation
program: BFA Animation: 396; BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects: 366; MFA Computer Arts: 102
Cost of program: 2023-2024 BFA
Programs Tuition: $24,570 per semester; 2023-2024 MFA Computer Arts Tuition: $27,520 per semester
Head of animation: Hsiang Chin
Moe, Chair of BFA Animation; Jimmy Calhoun, Chair of BFA 3D
Animation and Visual Effects; Terrence Masson, Chair of MFA
Computer Arts
Head of admissions: Matthew
Farina
Time of year offered: Year-round; Fall, Spring and Summer semesters
Application deadline: BFA Pro -
grams: Rolling admissions; MFA
Computer Arts: January 15
Equipment available: Software: Adobe CC Suite, Autodesk Suite (Maya), Toon Boom Animation
Software, TVPaint, Nuke, Houdini, REDCine-X, Final Cut, AVID Media
Composer, DaVinci Resolve, VDMX, Dragonframe, plus an array of video effects plugins.
Facilities: Computer labs with HP and Mac workstations with Wacom Intuos and Cintiq tablets, greenscreen production room with motion capture and the latest VR equipment; sound mixing room, recording booth with foley pits, and color grading suite.
Equipment: Blackmagic Cinema and 4K production cameras, Canon DSLR cameras, Zeiss and Canon lenses, extensive lighting and audio equipment. Stop-motion workshop for fabrication and staging. MFA students have access to the Visible Futures Lab featuring digital fabrication tools including a 3D scanner, 3D printers, laser cutter, UV printer and CNC router.
Notes: SVA alumni are employed by prestigious studios including Industrial Light & Magic, Pixar, DreamWorks, Disney, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Rhythm & Hues, Digital Domain, Blue Sky Studios, MTV, Electronic Arts, Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network, Sesame Workshop and Nickelodeon. Others have opened their own animation companies, such as Plymptoons, Titmouse and Augenblick studios.
Named “Top Animation School in the World” by the Rookies, SVA students have earned awards in major international competitions including Student Academy Awards, Adobe Design Achievement Awards, YouTube Awards, Prix Ars Electronica, SIGGRAPH, Electronic Theater and Art Show, Webby Awards, ISEA and the Leonardo Awards for Excellence. Student works have appeared in Cannes, Tribeca, Sundance, Annecy, Ottawa and New York festivals, among many others.
School of Visual Arts
Division of Continuing Education
New York, NY sva.edu/ce
Phone: (212) 592 2050
Email: ce@sva.edu
Smorgasbord Productions Animation
Collaboration
Los Angeles, CA smorgasbord.tenzeroseven.com/ class
Phone: (323) 825 1306
Email: projects@smorgasbordproductions.com
SMU Guildhall
Plano, TX smu.edu/guildhall
Phone: (214) 768-4278
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA jefferson.edu
Phone: 215 951 2800
Email: enroll@jefferson.edu
Universal Arts School
Hollywood, CA / Valencia, Spain / Online ua.school
Phone: (310) 651 8147 / +34 963 532 069
Email: usa@ua.school / spain@ ua.school
University of the Arts
Philadelphia, PA uarts.edu
Email: admissions@uarts.edu
Degrees/Certificates offered: BFA Animation, BFA Film and Animation, BFA Game Art
Number of students in animation program: 124
Cost of program: $50,950
Head of animation: Christopher McDonnell
Head of admissions: Angela Jones-OBrien
Time of year offered: Fall, Spring, Summer semesters
Application deadline: Deadline for Fall enrollment is Aug. 11
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
School of Theater, Film & Television
Animation Workshop Los Angeles, CA animation.filmtv.ucla.edu
Phone: (310) 206 8441; (310) 825 421
Email: info@tft.ucla.edu
University of Central Florida
School of Visual Arts and Design Orlando, FL svad.cah.ucf.edu
Phone: (407) 823-2676
Fax: (407) 823-6470
Email: svadadvising@ucf.edu
When creativity is the core of who you are, your ability to work with a team, be adaptable, and build networks will propel your journey and bring your ideas to life. Your imagination is your own. It changes your outlook, communicates your confidence and connects your passion and purpose to the world.
Better is education that is bold, and puts you first. animation.sheridancollege.ca
University of Silicon Valley
San Jose, CA usv.edu
Phone: (800) 264-7955
School of Cinematic Arts
John C. Hench Division of Animation + Digital Arts
Los Angeles, CA animation.usc.edu | cinema.usc. edu
Phone: (213) 740 8358
Email: admissions@cinema.usc. edu
Degrees/Certificates offered: BFA in Animation & Digital Arts, MFA in Animation & Digital Arts, Minor in Animation & Digital Arts, Minor in Science Visualization, Minor in 3D Animation in Cinematic Arts, MA+P Interdivisional Media Arts & Practice PhD (interdivisional).
Number of students in animation program: 170
Cost of program: classes.usc.edu/ term-20231/tuition-and-fees
Head of animation: Teresa Cheng, Department Chair
Head of admissions: Susan Park, Director of Admissions
Time of year offered: Fall admission only
Application deadline: Freshman (first year) applicants & Transfer
Applicants - December 1; Graduate applicants - November 15
Equipment available: Cintiq lab, IMAX theater, motion-capture stage, professional grade sound production facilities, VR goggles, industry standard 2D and 3D animation software.
Notes: Faculty include top industry professionals from TV and feature animation, visual effects, motion graphics and design studios. Animation students collaborate with other film students within the School of Cinematic Arts and across the USC campus with the Thornton School of Music, the Roski School of Art and Design, the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, the Viterbi School of Engineering, the School of Dramatic Arts and the School of Architecture on creative projects. Students have opportunities to interview with recruiters from major studios on Studio Day, an annual career event. Graduates work at Pixar, DreamWorks, Netflix, Sony Pictures Animation, Disney, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Digital Domain, The Third Floor, Motion Picture Company, Oculus VR, Buck, Logan, Elastic and Blizzard.
Vertex School
Orange County, CA vertexschool.com
Webster University
School of Communications
St. Louis, MO webster.edu/communications
Phone: 800 981 9801
Email: admissions@webster.edu
Woodbury University
Burbank, CA woodbury.edu
Phone: (818) 252 5221
Email: admissions@woodbury.edu
Alberta University of the Arts
School of Continuing Education & Professional Development
Calgary, AB auarts.ca/continuing-education
Email: coned@auarts.ca
Degrees/Certificates offered: Various Animation Micro-Credentials, Micro-Certificates, & Animation
Certificate
Number of students in animation program: 30+
Cost of program: $1,000 - $7,500
Head of admissions: Melissa Kern
Time of year offered: All year
Application deadline: Ongoing
Capilano University
North Vancouver, BC gradshow.com
Phone: (604) 983 7516
Email: animation@capilanou.ca
Collège Boréal
Sudbury, ON collegeboreal.ca
Phone: (705) 560-6673, (800) 361-6673
Email: info@collegeboreal.ca
École NAD
Université de Québec à Chicoutimi Montréal, QC nad.ca
Phone: (514) 288 3447
Email: info@nad.com
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Vancouver, BC ecuad.ca
Phone: (604) 844 3800
Email: admissions@ecuad.ca; reception@ecuad.ca
InFocus Film School
Vancouver, BC infocusfilmschool.com
Phone: 604 915 6900
Email: admissions@infocusfilmschool.com
Degrees/Certificates offered: One-year diploma
Number of students in animation program: 8-12
Cost of program: $24,950 CAD
(Canadian Students) / $34,950
CAD (International Students)
Head of animation: Selman Kantarci
Head of admissions: Laura Nault
Application deadline: August 2023
ISART Digital
Montréal, QC / Paris & Nice, France / Tokyo, Japan isart.com
Phone: (438) 382 7466
Email: contact@isartdigital.ca
LaSalle College
Vancouver
Vancouver, BC lasallecollegevancouver.com
Phone: (604) 683 2006; 877 847 7902
Email: admissions@lasallecollegevancouver.com
Max the Mutt College of Animation, Art & Design
Toronto, ON maxthemutt.com
Phone: (877) 486 6888; (416) 703 6877
Email: info@maxthemutt.com
NBCC MIramichi Campus
Miramichi, NB nbcc.ca
Phone: (506) 460 6222; (888) 796
NBCC [6222]
Email: nbcc@nbcc.ca
Seneca College
Toronto, ON senecacollege.ca
Phone: (416) 491 5050
Email: admissions@senecacollege.ca
Sheridan College
Oakville, Brampton & Mississauga, ON sheridancollege.ca
Phone: (905) 845-9430
Email: admissions@sheridancollege.ca
Think Tank Training
Centre
North Vancouver, BC & Online tttc.ca
Phone: (604) 990-8265, (888) 990-8265
Email: info@tttc.ca
Vancouver Film School Vancouver, BC vfs.edu
Phone: (604) 685 5808
Email: applications@vfs.com
Degrees/Certificates offered: Advanced Diploma in 3D Animation, Visual Effects and Modelling; Advanced Diploma is Classical Animation; Advanced diploma in Animation Concept Art
Number of students in animation
program: 3D & Visual Effects:
180. Classical Animation: 104.
Concept Art: 108.
Cost of program: 3D & Visual
Effects: CAD $35,950 | USD $54,000. Classical Animation: USD $31,000. | CAD $25,950. Concept
Art: CAD $25,950. |. US $34,000.
Head of animation: Colin Giles
Head of admissions: Scott Williams
Time of year offered: 3D & Visual
Effects: Five start dates per year; Feb. 27, May 1, Jun. 26, Aug. 28, Oct. 23.
Classical: Three start dates; Feb. 27, May 1, Aug. 28.
Concept Art: Three start dates; Feb. 27, Jun. 26, Aug. 28.
Application deadline: U.S./Inter -
national: Eight weeks before start date. Canada: Three weeks before start date.
Equipment available: Dell Precision 5820, Intel Xeon W-2245 CPU @ 3.90GHz (8 cores), NVIDIA
Quadro RTX 5000, Wacom Cintiqs
XP-Pen Drawing Monitors.
Software: Houdini, Maya, ZBrush, Nuke, Substance Painter, Marvelous Designer, Faceware, Unreal, Adobe Creative Suite, Digicel, Toon Boom Harmony, Toon Boom Storyboard Pro.
Vancouver Institute of Media Arts (VanArts)
Vancouver, BC vanarts.com
Phone: 1-800-396-2787
Email: info@vanarts.com
Degrees/Certificates offered: 2D
Character Animation Diploma, 3D
Character Animation Diploma, Game Art & Design Diploma, Visual Effects for Film & Television Diploma (also Photography, Acting, Web Design)
Number of students in animation program: 75
Cost of program: Domestic: $28,750 / International: $36,750
Head of animation: Wayne Gilbert
Head of admissions: Alex Rusu
Time of year offered: March & September
Application deadline: Rolling admissions
Equipment available: 3D Animation: PC workstations equipped with Maya & Adobe Suite. 2D
Animation: PC workstations equipped with Toon Boom Harmony & Adobe Suite, plus Huion Kamvas 22 Plus tablets. Other gear for Game Art/VFX: VR, motion capture, greenscreen.
Aardman Academy
Bristol, U.K. academy.aardman.com
Email: academy@aardman.com
The Animation Workshop
Viborg, Denmark animationworkshop.via.dk
Phone: +45 8755 4900
Email: studieplads@via.dk
Animum Creativity Advanced School
Málaga, Spain / Online animum3d.com
Phone: +34 952 330 270
Email: hello@animum3d.com
ARTFX School
Montpellier, Lille & Paris, France artfx.school/en
Email: communication@artfx.fr
Arts University Bournemouth
Poole, Dorset, U.K. aub.ac.uk
Phone: +44 1202 533011
Email: hello@aub.ac.uk
Ballyfermot College of Further Education
Dublin, Ireland bcfe.ie
Phone: +353 1 6298500
Email: info@bcfe.cdetb.ie
BAU Design College of Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain baued.es
Phone: +34 93 415 34 74
Email: info@bau.cat
Bellecour École
Lyon, France bellecour.fr
Phone: +33 478 929 283; +33 988 288 127
Email: info@bellecour.fr
Bournemouth University Bournemouth, U.K. bournemouth.ac.uk/ncca
Phone: +44 (0)1202 524111
Email: futurestudents@bournemouth.ac.uk
Buckinghamshire New University High Wycombe, England, U.K. bucks.ac.uk
Phone: 01494 522 141
Email: admissions@bucks.ac.uk
CDCFE (Coláiste Dhúlaigh College of Further Education)
Dublin, Ireland cdcfe.ie
Phone: 01 848 1400
Email: coolock@cdcfe.cdetb.ie
ECAS
École Cartoucherie d’Animation Solidaire
Bourg-Lès-Valence, France ecas.fr
Phone: 04 28 08 02 06
Email: info@ecas.fr
Degrees/Certificates offered: Formation professionnelle rémunérée. (Paid vocational training.)
Number of students in animation program: 30 per year
Cost of program: No cost
Head of admissions: Ludovic
Guerin
Time of year offered: 10 months
uarts.edu
Current student artwork clockwise from top left: Paige Conte, Sarah Gleixner, Gavin Walters, Hail Thomas, Guy
Frazier, Joyce Lin, Jacob Kurz.
Arle, Provence, France
ecole-mopa.fr/en/3d-animationschool
Phone: +33 4 76 41 83 22
Email: contact@ecole-mopa.fr
Degrees/Certificates offered: Five-year state-accredited advanced diploma in 3D animation (Expert en Conception, Réalisation et Animation 3D) divided into two Study Cycles: Study Cycle 1 (three years) provides artistic and cinematographic foundations and 3D skills/mastery of the animated film production process. Drawing, sculpture, character design, film analysis, storyboard, scriptwriting, video, rigging, sound design, acting for animation, animation software (ZBrush, V-Ray, Nuke, Substance, Marvelous, etc.). Cycle 1 culminates in the production of a solo one-minute film by each third year student.
Study Cycle 2 has students specialize in the fourth year on image production or 3D animation and they deepen their skills in those areas with tools such as Maya, Arnold, Yeti, Speedtree and Houdini. The fifth year graduation films are completed in groups, a project that spans the academic year. Tuition is in French. Number of students in animation program: 280
Cost of program: Preparatory
Class 5,920€ / First Year & Second Year 7,750€ / 3rd, 4th & 5th year 8,350€. In addition to the tuition fees, there is a registration fee of 400€ (new student joining MoPA) or a re-registration fee of 150€. For non-EU students, a 700€ administration fee is added to the tuition and registration fees for the first year.
Head of animation: Jean-Baptiste
Trullu
Head of admissions: Stephanie
Delobelle
Time of year offered: The academic year starts in September of each year. The entrance exam for the First Cycle is open from November-February is several sessions each year. The entry into the 2nd Cycle (3rd year, 4th year) is open in Spring of each year.
Application deadline: The entrance exam for the First Cycle is open from November-February is several sessions each year. The entry into the 2nd Cycle (3rd year, 4th year) is open in Spring of each year. Write to admissions@ ecole-mopa for exact dates.
Equipment available: The computer pool is renewed regularly, each student has a dedicated workstation, all essential tools are present (3ds Max, Maya, Nuke, Substance, Houdini, Marvelous, Adobe...) and MoPA is partnered with Chaos Group. The Deadline computational management tool has been integrated into the school since 2016; the 280 student machines as well as a computational farm participate in the production of all films, this computing power is measured at 10 THz. Deadline also handles power management of all computers to save energy. The school has remote tools to schedule courses with external lecturers, to allow
students to work from home on the school’s machines or to allow sick students to continue to follow courses during the day. A stop-motion room is also made available with 12 Rostrum camera setups, this facility includes the Dragonframe software.
Notes: MoPA student films are regularly selected for and awarded prizes in international festivals such as Siggraph, Academy Awards, VES Awards, Monstra, etc, with the 2020 graduation film Louis’ Shoes notably recently winning the Student Academy Awards. Recent MoPA alumni are currently working as: Houdini FX artist, animator, lighter/compositor, character animator, character rigger, creature FX, FX lead, look developer, storyboard artist, concept artist, previs, surfacing artist, TD, et al. Alumni have worked on productions like Man of Steel, His Dark Materials, The Grinch, The Swallows of Kabul, Life of Pi, Despicable Me, Zombillenium, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Thor: Ragnarok, Doctor Strange, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Black Mirror and many more.
ESMA
École Supérieure des Métiers
Artistiques
France & Canada
esma-3d.com (English)
esma-3d.fr (French)
Phone: +33 (0) 467630180
Email: contact@esma-montpellier.com
Degrees/Certificates offered: CG
Animation & FX Master DegreeRNCP level 7 (equivalent to a french Bac + 5); CG Director Designer and Special Effects. Five years of study for the entire program.
Number of students in animation program: 1,400
Cost of program: 7,680 euros per year
Heads of animation: Benjamin Meyer, Baptiste Lebouc, Yann Pannetier, Anthony Voisin
Head of admissions: Stéphanie Legrou
Application deadline: Year-round
Equipment available: Computers, licenses (Houdini, Maya, Zbrush, Affinity, Autodesk, Marvelous Designer, Software Yeti), motion capture, amphitheaters, film studio, gym, drawing rooms, terrace, auditorium…
Notes: The Lyon and Montpellier campuses offer the program in English. Foreign students who speak English can follow the first year, the preparatory year (during which French courses are given), in France before joining the CG Animation & FX Master Degree in English for the next four years. Students can enter the second year directly (without going through the preparatory year) if their drawing skills are sufficient. This will be determined with an admission officer.
Interviews can be done remotely and will be conducted in English.
Escape Studios
London, England, U.K. escapestudios.ac.uk
Email: hello@escapestudios.ac.uk
Degrees/Certificates offered: BA/ MArt The Art of Computer Animation (3D) (Integrated Masters); BA/MArt The Art of Computer Animation (2D) (Integrated Masters); BSc/MSci Character Creation for Animation, Games & VFX; MA 3D Animation (full time); MA Character & Creature Creation (full time)
Number of students in animation program: Eight in MA and 160 in BA
Cost of program: £9,250 per year for BA/BSc and £17,995 for MA
Head of animation: Alex Williams
Head of admissions: Oliver Bowyer
Filmakademie
Baden-Wuerttemberg
Animationsinstitut
Ludwigsburg, Germany
animationsinstitut.de
Phone: +49 7141 969 82851
Email: study@animationsinstitut.de
IDEA Academy
Rome, Italy
idea-academy.eu
Phone: 0039 0642013420
Email: info@idea-academy.it
L’IDEM Creative Arts
School
Le Soler, France / Barcelona, Spain
lidem.eu
Phone number: +33 468 92 53 84 / +34 934 854 550
Email: pole-formation@lidem.eu
ISART Digital
Paris, France
isart.com
Phone: +33 1 48 07 58 48
Email: information@isartdigital. com
Lightbox Academy
Madrid, Spain
lboxacademy.es
Phone: +34 917 520 510
Email: comunicacion@lboxacademy.es
Luca School of Arts
Brussels, Genk, Gent & Leuven, Belgium
luca-arts.be
Phone: +32 89 30 08 50; + 32 2 250 11 00
Email: info@luca-arts.be / internatinoal@luca-arts.be
Lucerne School of Arts and Design
Emmenbrücke, Lucerne, Switzerland
hslu.ch/animation
Phone: +41 41 248 6464
Email: animation@hslu.ch
London, U.K. metfilmschool.co.uk
Phone: +44 20 8280 9119
Email: info@metfilmschool.co.uk
Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology Dublin, Ireland iadt.ie
Phone: +353 1 239 4000
Email: info@iadt.ie
Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, U.K. nfts.co.uk
Phone: +44 (0) 1494 671234
Email: info@nfts.co.uk
Degrees/Certificates offered: The NFTS runs more than 30 MA, Diploma and Certificate courses - as well as numerous short courses - across a range of film, television and games disciplines. We have more behind the camera courses than any other film school in the world. These include our Directing Animation MA, Visual Effects MA, Model Making for Animation Diploma and Motion
Graphics and Titles Diploma.
Number of students in animation
program: 10
Cost of program: See website
Head of animation: Robert Bradbrook
Head of admissions: Registry
Time of year offered: January
Application deadline: July
Equipment available: As a student here, you will gain access to an exhaustive range of high-end equipment relevant to your studies. This includes Dolby Atmos certified dubbing theaters, fullscale film stages, two cinemas, over 50 top-of-the-range cameras, the latest editing software, prop stores, 280-degree greenscreen room, motion and performance capture facilities, cutting-edge computer labs and Virtual Production facilities.
Each animation director, in their first year, is offered their own desk area with computer in a shared studio space. In the second year, students have their own small rooms to use as a production base. Workstations are fully equipped with the latest design and animation software.
Notes: If you want to make highquality, award-winning content for film, television and games, guided by world class professionals every step of the way, the sky truly is the limit at the National Film and Television School!
Lisbon, Portugal odd-school.com
Phone: +351 21 820 63 97
Email: secretaria@odd-school. com
Pulse College
Dublin, Ireland pulsecollege.com
Phone: +353 1 478 4045
Email: admissions@pulsecollege. com
Plymouth College of Art
Plymouth, Devon, U.K. plymouthart.ac.uk
Phone: 01752 203434
Email: hello@pca.ac.uk
Royal Institute for Theatre, Cinema and Sound
Brussels, Belgium
ritcs.be/nl/animatiefilm
Email: animatiefilm.ritcs@ehb.be
Valenciennes, France / Montreal, Canada / Pune, India rubika-edu.com
Phone: +33 3 61 10 12 20
Email: contact@rubika-edu.com
Degrees/Certificates offered: Master in 2D Animation, Master in 3D Animation (either 3D Animation or FX option)
Number of students in animation program: 355 students (110 in 2D and 245 in 3D)
Cost of program: 5,650€ per year for the Preparatory class and 8,950€ per year
Head of animation: Pierre Le Pivain, Head of 2D course; Philippe Meis, Head of 3D course
Head of admissions: Pierre Soussin, Marketing, Communication & International Development Director
Time of year offered: From September to June
Application deadline: April 5 for foreign students. For French students, registration on Parcoursup.
Equipment available: All the equipment required is provided by the school: One fixed PC with double screen, Adobe licenses and 2D/3D software, renderfarm, audio control room, two screening rooms (one of 450 seats and one of 150 seats).
The Strzemiński Academy of Art Łódź Łódź, Poland int.asp.lodz.pl
Phone: +48 42 25 47 408
Email: kancelaria@asp.lodz.pl / international.office@asp.lodz.pl
Multiple Campuses in Ireland tus.ie
Email: reception@ait.ie
Degrees/Certificates offered: Honors Degrees offered: Bachelor of Arts in Animation and Illustration, Bachelor of Arts in Animation and Motion Design, Bachelor of Science in Digital Animation Production.
Number of students in animation program: 240
Cost of program: See ait.ie/international-students
Head of animation: Mr. Michael Kiely, Dr. Yvonne Hennessy, Mr. David Phelan
Head of admissions: ait.ie/staff-
international
Time of year offered: September
Application deadline: Various dates for applications.
University for the Creative Arts (UCA)
Farnham, Surrey, U.K. uca.ac.uk
Phone: Undergraduate & Postgraduate: +44 (0)1252 416110 |
International & E.U. Applicants: +44 (0)1252 892838
Email: admissions@uca.ac.uk | internationaladmissions@uca. ac.uk
University of Gloucestershire
Cheltenham, U.K. glos.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1242 714700
Email: admissions@glos.ac.uk
University of Luxembourg Competence Centre
Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg competence.lu/bda
Phone: +352 26 15 92 17
Email: info@competence.lu
U-tad
University of Technology, Arts and Design
Madrid, Spain
u-tad.com
Phone: +34900 373 379
Email: info@u-tad.com
Degrees/Certificates offered: On Campus: BFA in Animation (Spanish or English), BA in Game Design (Spanish or English), BFA in Digital Design, BA in Visual Effects, BS in Computer Science (Spanish or English), Double BS in Computational Mathematics & Computer Science, Double BS in Physics & Computer Science. MA in 3D Character Animation, MA in Compositing for VFX, MA in Rigging and CFX, Expert Program in Character Design, MA Production Direction for Animation, VFX and Videogames, MFA in Concept Art, MFA in Story Art, MA in Motion Graphics, MA in Previs & Layout, Expert Program in Comic, MA in 3D Modeling MFA in Game Art, MA in Game Design, MS in Game Programming. MS in Graphic Computing, Simulation, VR and AR, MS in Cybersecurity.
Online: BFA in Animation, BS in Computer Science, BA in Game Design, MA in 3D Character Animation, MS in Cybersecurity.
Number of students in animation program: 900 amongst all related programs, undergraduate and graduate.
Cost of program: Price range from 6.500€ to 13.000€ per year.
Head of animation: Abraham López Guerrero
Head of admissions: José García Romero
Time of year offered: Fall
Application deadline: September 2023
Equipment available: Traditional and digital art labs. Traditional Drawing classrooms and Sculpture Studio, +200 Cintiqs, mocap equipment, VR Labs, Photography Studio. Software includes Adobe Suite, Autodesk Maya, Flash, Photoshop, Unity, Unreal Engine, Nuke, ZBrush and Shotgun, Microsoft Office.
Notes: U-tad was opened by the founders of Pyro Studios and Ilion Animation Studios in 2011. It is a higher education institution focused on educating students for the creative and technological industries. We rank in the top six worldwide and number one in Spain in game education per Gameschool rankings, and top 10 in Software Engineering in Spain per SEDEA rankings. We have a practical education model based on project development. We have +1,900 students in the different areas and +300 teaching faculty, of which 80% are active industry professionals. Our students have won over 130 awards in five years, including Annie Award winner for Best Production Design María Pareja ( Wolfwalkers ) and Best Animator Annie nominee Andrés Bedate ( The Willoughbys ). 15 Playstation Awards, 4 SXSW, 2 Game Lab Awards and 7 Fun & Serious Awards. Our students work in
major companies like ILM, Disney, Sony Imageworks, MPC, Double Negative, Animal Logic, Weta, Ubi Soft, Splash Damage, Epic Games, King, EA, and many key entertainment companies around the globe
UWE Bristol
Bristol, U.K.
uwe.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)117 656261
Email: admissions@uwe.ac.uk
Vigamus Academy
Rome, Italy
vigamusacademy.com
Phone: +39 066 177 4482
Email: segreteria@vigamus.com
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AIE Academy of Interactive Entertainment
Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra & Adelaide, Australia / Seattle, WA & Lafayette LA, U.S.A. / Online aie.edu.au
Email: international@aie.edu.au
Azpire Education
Pune, Maharashtra, India azpireeducation.com
Phone: 911 210 6555
Email: azpire.services@gmail.com
Degrees/Certificates offered: BVoc in Animation
Number of students in animation program: 50+ per year
Cost of program: RS. 125,000 per year
Head of animation: Amar S.
Head of admissions: Shikha B.
Time of year offered: June intake started
Application deadline : End of June
Equipment available: State of the art infrastructure and animation labs.
De La Salle College of Saint Benilde
Manila, Philippines
benilde.edu.ph
Phone: (63) 2 230 5100
Email: info@benilde.edu.ph
The Graduate School of Advanced Imaging Science
Chung-Ang University
Seoul, Republic of Korea neweng.cau.ac.kr
Phone: +82 2 820 6575
Email: inbound@cau.ac.kr
Griffith Film School
Griffith University
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia griffith.edu.au
Email: international@griffith.edu. au
iNurture Education Solutions
Multiple Campuses, India
inurture.co.in
Phone: +91 80 4257 6666
Email: admissions@inurture.com
Lasalle College of the Arts
University of the Arts Singapore Singapore lasalle.edu.sg
Phone: +65 6496 5000
Email: admissions@lasalle.edu.sg
Media Design School
Auckland, New Zealand mediadesignschool.com
Phone: +64 9 303 0402
Email: info@mediadesignschool.com
Ngee Ann Polytechnic
School of Film & Media Studios
Singapore np.edu.sg
Phone: +65 6466 6555
Email: asknp@np.edu.sg
North Metropolitan TAFE
Joondalup & Perth, Western Australia northmetrotafe.wa.edu.au
Email: enquiry@nmtafe.wa.edu.au
Degrees/Certificates offered: Advanced Diploma of Screen and Media (Animation & Visual Effects), Diploma of Screen and Media (Animation & Visual Effect), Certificate IV in Screen and Media (Animation & Visual Effect), Certificate III in Screen and Media (Animation)
Number of students in animation program: 90
Cost of program: Approx. AU$16,500 (includes Cert III, Cert IV, Diploma, Advanced Diploma)
Head of animation: Tanya Beeson
Head of admissions: Tom Drummond
Time of year offered: January and July
Application deadline: Sem. 1 - January 3, 2023 | Sem. 2 - June 7, 2023
Equipment available: High-end PC labs (w/
Toon Boom Harmony, 3DS Max, Maya, Nuke, Modo, Unreal Engine, Animate, Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Substance Painter, Ableton), Cintiq monitors, sound recording studio, 18 camera Motion-Capture Studio, Animation Studio for industry projects.
The One Academy
Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Malaysia toa.edu.my
Phone: +603 7875 5510
Fax: +603 7875 5508
Email: info@toa.edu.my
Degrees/Certificates offered: Diploma &
Degree Programs: Digital Animation (with Game Development), Film Visual Effects, Game Design, Computer Science, Illustration (with Movie & Game Art), Advertising & Graphic Design, Digital Media Design
Degree Programs - BA(Hons): Graphic Design, Digital Media Design.
Number of students in animation program: 281
Cost of program: Diploma: RM92,500 –RM149,000, Degree: RM126,000-RM138,000
Head of animation: Lee Hooi Ling
Head of admissions: Stephanie Lim
Time of year offered: Three intakes
Application deadline: January, April & August
Equipment available: Facilities: 3D Lab (three) &. DG Working Studio - Student
Final Project Animation Short Film. Photography Studio - Practice of Coursework. Greenscreen Studio - Student Videography Coursework. Motion-Capture Studio - Performance Capture. Sound Recording Studio
- Student Animation Short Film Coursework of Sound FX and Music. Software: Autodesk Maya, Autodesk ShotGrid, Adobe Creative Cloud, Substance Painter, Marvelous Designer, Marmoset Toolbag, Pixologic ZBrush,Unreal Engine.
Notes: The One Academy is committed to providing the best art education programs and continues to nurture its students passionately through its “Masters Train Masters” coaching philosophy, which has been practiced for over 30 years, by providing diploma and degree courses. It is an awardwinning college accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency and holds the prestigious MSC-status recognition. Having made monumental achievements in the creative education scene, The One Academy was honored as the Creative School of the Year in Malaysia for three consecutive years and ranked as the World’s No. 1 Art School by The Rookies International.
Adelaide, South Australia rsp.com.au/study-with-rsp
Phone: +61 8 8400 6400
Fax: +61 8 8400 6401
Email: learn@rsp.com.au
Melbourne, Australia
swinburne.edu.au/animation
Email: askgeorge@swin.edu.au
Degrees/Certificates offered: Various levels of courses in the areas of Games and Animation: Bachelor of Animation, Bachelor of Games and Interactivity, Bachelor of Games and Interactivity/Bachelor of Animation (Double Degree), Advanced Diploma of Screen and Media (Animation), Diploma of Screen and Media (Animation), Certificate IV in Screen and Media.
Number of students in animation program: Various
Cost of program: Various; see degree/course webpages for cost details.
Head of animation: Steven Murdoch
Head of admissions: swinburne.edu.au/ courses/applying
Time of year offered: Varies by course/ degree; the primary student intake commences March. Application deadline: Various; see admissions website. Equipment available : Windows and Mac workstations, Wacom Cintiq technology labs, stop-motion animation studio and fabrication workshop, render farm, motioncapture and volumetric capture studios. Up-to-date industry standard animation and creative software. A broad range of animation, film and creative equipment available for free student loan. Swinburne is an Adobe Creative Campus, Wacom Authorized Training Center and Toon Boom Center of Excellence.
Zee Institute of Creative Art
Pune, Maharashtra, India
zicapune.com
Phone: 911 210 4555
Email: pune@zica.org
Degrees/Certificates offered: Professional development programs; one-, two- and three-year career programs in Animation, VFX, Game Design, Graphics, Multimedia Number of students in animation program: 100+
Cost of program: RS. 100,000/- per year
Head of animation: Sachin Devare
Head of admissions: Pradnya B.
Time of year offered: Year-round
Application deadline: 30th of every month
Equipment available: State of the art infrastructure and animation labs.
Animation Campus
Montevideo, Uruguay / Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A. / Vancouver, BC, Canada campus.uy
Phone: +598 2712 6799
Email: info@campus.uy
BIOS
School of Design & Communication
Montevideo, Uruguay & Online biosportal.com
Phone: +598 2710 3373
Email: edco@bios.edu.uy
Duoc University Chile
Santiago, Chile duoc.cl
Phone: +2 2999 3862
Email: duoc@duoc.cl
Faculdade Melies
São Paulo, Brazil melies.com
Phone: (115) 573 1095
Email: joao.boldrini@melies.com.br
ORT University Uruguay
School of Communication & Design
Montevideo, Uruguay fcd.ort.edu.uy
Phone: +598 2902 1505
EIC-TV
International Film School of San Antonio de los Baños
San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba eictv.org
Phone: +53 47 383152
Excelsior Community College
Kingston, Jamaica ecc.edu.jm
Phone: (876) 928 5070
Email: info@ecc.edu.jm
The University of Trinidad and Tobago
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago utt.edu.tt
Phone: (868) 759 3777
Email: info@animaecaribe.com
University of the West Indies Jamaica mona.uwi.edu
Phone: (876) 977 0898
Fax: (876) 977 1597
Email: carimac@uwimona.edu.jm
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Learn 3D
Johannesburg, South Africa learn3d.co.za
Phone: +27 11 262 5115; +27 11 326 1520
Email: info@aie.ac
Minshar for Art
Tel Aviv, Israel minshar.org.il/animation-studies
Phone: (972) 368-7090
Email: animation@minshar.org.il ◆
The listings section of this school guide was compiled using direct information emailed to Animation Magazine by participating schools around the world. If you'd like to be included in the 2024 edition of the guide, please email schools@ animationmagazine.net.
The information found in this guide is updated by submission on the magazine's website at www.animationmagazine.net/schools.html.
