The goal of the Animation Program is to have students graduate with the skills necessary to meet the high standards required to gain meaningful employment in the demanding animation industry.

Performance Based

We are first and foremost a performance based animation school with the emphasis on acting and body mechanics. The first year of the three-year advanced diploma program concentrates on essential traditional Animation and Design principles as well as classes in Life Drawing and Visual and Environmental Problem Solving.

Traditional or Digital
Students have an option in second year of concentrating on the Traditional Drawing performance based animation stream or the 3D digital stream. Both streams share Drama and Life Drawing classes so all students continue to develop drawing and performance skills so vital to communicating visual ideas in animation. During the second year Traditional Drawing students learn more advanced animation and design principles with an emphasis on character performance and timing in both drawing and computer classes. 3D digital stream students apply the basics of animation to pre-rigged digital characters and continue on to more complicated performance based animation. Digital students also cover the basics of modeling, character design, lighting and rendering. All students are taught Toonboom’s Harmony software as well as Flash through out the second and third year.

Creating Films
Third year students continue to build upon their animation and design skills by developing and producing individual or group films. Traditional Drawing and 3D students are encouraged to work together so both streams get hands on experience working on combined 2D /3D projects. Classes of Life Drawing continue and students are prepared for the business side of the animation industry with a Business Studies course specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Animation Program.
Work placement in a studio is an option for the sixth semester and articulation agreements are offered and being negotiated for our students to advance to a Fine Arts - Animation Degree.

Local and International exposure
A Graduation Show that is attended by local and international studio personnel and Fine Tooning, a compilation book of students’ work that goes out many studios, has helped our program maintain a very high rate of student employment and employer satisfaction after graduation.

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Our program is offered internationally

The Algonquin Animation Program is being offered in India through a partnership with the Manav Rachna International University where our program is offered as a four year degree with an articulation agreement for our students to continue on to get their Degree in Fine Arts - Animation.

We are also being offered in South Africa through NEMISA and, through collaboration with the University of Shanghai, in China. Plans are also underway to make the program available in Dubai and Singapore with further articulation agreements between other animation schools are in negotiation.

We are extremely pleased to be chosen to participate to help develop quality animators around the world.