Academy's Aaron Horvath - Director - Super Mario Bros Movie

I've posted many times on the Academy's blog over the years showcasing our fantastic students and their amazing accomplishments. This is by far the greatest of them all.

Aaron Horvath. He was a student enrolled in 2002 - 2003. He was a standout and eventually became  an instructor. He got his break with Comedy Central in 2003. He went on to become the producer / director / writer / executive producer of Teen Titans Go!. 

Now we're celebrating him as a director on the blockbuster animated feature Super Mario Bros Movie. The top movie in the world for over three weeks. Critically acclaimed as well.

Click on this link to see Aaron's student work.

I'm making a prediction. A year from now the Super Mario Bros Movie will have won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature and our own Aaron Horvath will be an Academy Award winner.

Anna Duck's "Sammy Summers Space Marine" semi-finalist at OIAF Pitch THIS!

 

 

Another one of our talented students has achieved something we're all celebrating.

Anna Duck is developing a personal project and decided to enter it into the "Pitch THIS!" contest at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. Pitch THIS! is a competition that aims to kickstart a new animated series concept. The event has been part of the OIAF lineup for over 15 years and has helped launch many projects.

I'm happy to report that Anna's "Sammy Summers Space Marine" has made it to the semi-final stage and will now be vying for the attention of industry professionals.

https://www.instagram.com/sammysummersspacemarine/

Winning Pitch THIS! sparks key creative dialogues with the nation’s leading production companies and broadcasters and is instrumental in initiating negotiations for a development deal.

The annual OIAF is the largest of its kind in the western hemisphere and among the most significant animation festivals in the world. We're very excited for Anna and are wishing her all the best as she enters into the final phase of the contest next week. Good luck Anna!!

Understanding Color Theory For Animated Characters by Jacob Lipman

Jacob Lipman is one of our many talented students. In his latest video he helps describe the color theory behind animated content in ways that we normally wouldn't think of. Jacob produces videos that are zany, educational and enlightening. Check out his latest...

 

The Animaton Academy - 22 Years !!

It was on this evening at this very hour in 1998 in the back room of the Coral Cafe in Burbank California that The Animation Academy held its first session. We had a sold out class of 20 students.

The Academy has been a major influence in the animation industry in that time. We continue to have a positive impact in many ways. Especially in people's lives.

Thank you for for 2 decades and 2 years of great experiences!

Keep Creating!! 

Merry Christmas 2019

Greetings to our current and former students and to everyone associated with The Animation Academy in Burbank over these many years! Wishing you and yours a Happy and Creative Christmas and a joyous Holiday Season! 

Tyler Mahn's "Pumpkin Man" - Digital Time Lapse Painting

This is a recent work created by Tyler Mahn for the Visual Development 2 class he's attending at the Academy. He saved the experience as a time lapse video and posted it to his YouTube channel "Mahnster Art". Take a look and see how he progresses from his initial gray scale version of the composition  to final color...

Shine On ArtShark

Our mascot character ArtShark has been representing the Academy since 1998. He has an interesting history and is always fun to draw and illustrate. Here's his latest manifestation. To see the creative progress behind the image follow this link.

David Gemmill Directs the New Looney Tunes

He was a local high school student when he enrolled at the Academy in our early years. Today he is a director at Warner Bros Animation in Burbank heading up the revival of the New Looney Tunes animated series. 

I'm happy and proud to share the news of David Gemmill's great accomplishments as he emerges as one of the leading talents in the industry. Not only has he established himself as a creative force he is also a mover and shaker in efforts to fight for the concerns of studio artists through his activities with the animation union.

Take a look at this video released yesterday by Warner Bros Animation. It's a teaser trailer for the new series entitled "Dynamite Dance" featuring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. Written, storyboarded and directed by David Gemmill.

Congratulations David!

Chris Collins Character Designs

I first met Chris Collins in a class I was teaching even before I started the Academy in 1998. Chris is a unique artist. A very talented designer with a distinct design sense. Yet he works in animation at a local studio in Burbank as a Line Producer (which is similar to a Production Manager) and he's a good one at that.

Chris used to be a student here in our early days. Now he attends class twice a week as an assistant instructor giving demonstrations in both Character Design and Visual Development. Here's a series of quick sketch material he came up with recently. His medium was Procreate software on an iPad Pro.

Luke Kim's Art

Luke Kim has been a dedicated ongoing student at the Academy and always comes up with unique and interesting concepts and designs. Over time he's developed his own style and is distinguishing himself by virtue of the unusual art he creates. Here's a sampling of some of his impressive work...