The Animation Academy is 20 Years Old Today !!

A very special day as The Animation Academy in Burbank California celebrates our 20th anniversary! We conducted our first class on January 19 1998 with a group of 20 students in the back room of a local restaurant. Twenty years later the legacy of our school still plays a significant part in the history of the animation industry and more importantly in the lives of the many students we've had who've gone on to great creative careers.

THANK YOU to all the wonderful people and all the talented artists who've made this possible!

Nazil Collins - Emerging Artist

Here's a spotlight on Nazil Collins who has grown into a very promising talent. He's been with us for nearly 2 years and has developed a unique look and style to his work. Nazil is currently preparing his submissions to some choice universities and art school colleges in the area. We're confident he'll find a great place to exhibit his skills while he continues to be involved with the Academy in days ahead.

The Animation Academy in Burbank - Now and Then

Happy New Year to you! Thanks for checking in and for following the Academy's blog. Looking forward to featuring more great student art and other items of education and interest in 2018. This year will mark our 12th complete year in maintaining this blog.

Here's a special treat. Let's ring in the New Year by taking a rare look at the past. The Animation Academy has been operating at our current location in Burbank for several years now. Locals tell us that at one time there was an ice cream parlor where our building now stands. As fate would have it a few days ago I discovered a photo of our location dating way back to 1976. Take a look at the series of transitional photos and see what was here once upon a time.

Here's the Academy's building in a photo taken over the weekend on January 6 2018...

Here we are as the present slips away...

...and we start to get a glimpse of the past.

We can now see that at one time...

...there was a Fosters Freeze at our currently location in 1976.

The stories the locals told about what was once here have been proven to be true!