Which are top schools or Universities for Animation in the world?

Asked by prasad (3859

) July 8th, 2010

1. Which are top schools or Universities or Institutes for animation in the world?
2. And which of these offer financial aids?
3. When to get admission? Which is regarded probably a good time? And, how long would it take if I plan backwards from date of admission?

Can I get admission as I have no background in arts? Is there any age limit? I am already 25.
Supposing, I can get admission, then, I have following queries.
If I want to study at one of these, what things should I have to do? How do I plan it? Details follow:
Portfolio (of drawings &/or paintings)? Is it the only requirement?
I am an engineer, and completed masters. I am doing a job in a good automobile company, and earning well, as considered here in India. I have also been doing a part time course in animation (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, and 3DS Max completed). I am thinking of changing career for I like drawing & animation. So, I have two options-
1) Complete a course (here still degree in animation is not offered, you have to complete a course from an institution, and get a certificate, and a job/job assistance from them) here in India, and start a job in animation here itself. However, animation industry is just booming, and it doesn’t stand that much compared with US or Canada. Also, number of studios are not many. Jobs start from low pay, but it is said you can catch up sooner, 1 or 2 years.
2) Get admission into a good University abroad, and pursue animation study there. However, I will not be able to pay fees there; so, I will have to opt for financial aids. Now, I don’t know much, so I need your advice.

Thank you for reading through this lengthy description! Any advice regarding the subject is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

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14 Answers

I hear Full Sail University in Orlando is good.

CMaz (26313

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Current animators at Pixar attended, School of Visual Arts in New York City & California Institute of the Arts. One of their animators doesn’t even have a degree from art school, but was taken in because of their talent. Pixar also offers classes/training within their company.

rpm_pseud0name (8208

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@ChazMaz Thanks! They have all the syllabus up on their website, and good information regarding financial aids too!
@rpmpseudonym Thanks! How can get information regarding Pixar or getting in there? I don’t know anyone in Pixar.

prasad (3859

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CalArts is the school that Walt Disney founded to teach his original animators. An extremely large percentage of animators for Disney, Pixar, and other companies are graduates of CalArts (next time you’re watching an animated movie, look for a reference to “A113” – it’s a reference to one of the main animation classrooms at CalArts that graduates like to include in their films).

MrItty (17416

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@prasad, How it usually goes is, at the end of college, you put together a demo reel of your animation & send it out to the companies you would like to work for (Pixar, DreamWorks, BlueSky, etc) & the companies will contact you about employment.

@MrItty, They almost always use A113 as a license plate. It’s easy to spot most times.

rpm_pseud0name (8208

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@rpmpseudonym no, not always. In the Toy Story trilogy, yes, A113 is Mom’s license plate. In the other 8 Pixar movies, no. Off the top of my head, in Up it’s the courtroom that Carl goes to near the beginning. In Wall-E, it’s the serial number of the auto pilot. I don’t remember the rest of them, but I bet Wikipedia would know.

MrItty (17416

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A113#Pixar_films Ah, there they are.

MrItty (17416

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I count 11 movies (could be wrong) A113 was used as a license plate. But yes, Pixar exclusive, only 4 films use it as a license plate. Thanks for the list though, now I can re-watch some movies with a scavenger hunting list. :)

rpm_pseud0name (8208

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Ringling College of Art in Sarasota, FL.

perspicacious (10987

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In the UK, Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design is considered the best.

aprilsimnel (30754

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@rpmpseudonym if you’re watching Pixar movies as a scavenger hunt, make sure you also look for the blue & yellow ball with a red star, Luxo, the Pizza Planet truck, and characters from other – past and future – Pixar movies :-)

MrItty (17416

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