Top Ten Animation Art schools

Sheridan College, Canada

One of the most famous animation schools in the WORLD is Sheridan College located in Oakville, Ontario. Sheridan prides itself on a reputation for leadership in the field of digital media studies. Sheridan College has different interesting courses related to 2d and 3d animation. The most interesting point about Sheridan is the fact that it was one of the first schools in the world that offered animation course. Some of classical animators on Walt Disney's classic features are Sheridan grads! Sheridan graduates include Academy Award nominees (three) and winners (two), and an Emmy Award winner. In 2005, animation professor Kaj Pindal won an Emmy Award. Sheridan film students have picked up awards at festivals around the world.
www.sheridaninstitute.ca

Vancouver Film School, Canada

Located in Vancouver, British Columbia, VFS is very well known for the 3d animation and visual effects course. It is a post-secondary entertainment arts school. In just one intensive year at VFS you receive a comprehensive education balancing theoretical instruction and hands-on production. VFS is known as the studio that teaches. At VFS you will receive a one-year education equal to four years at other schools. Whether you are making films, designing video games, or bringing animated characters to life, you will create a body of work to showcase your abilities and launch your career. There are lots of good demo reels coming out of VFS every year.
Their alumni work for leading companies worldwide, win awards for their projects, and have their films screened at international film festivals. VFS, like the entertainment industry, values the ability to produce quality results above all else.
www.vfs.com

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

The innovative School of Art, Design and Media of NTU was set up to educate creative art, designer and media professionals. The School offers studies in traditional, experimental and technological forms of art, design and media. ADM's courses are designed to develop creative individuals from artists to designers to animators to new media performers. The courses are visually and conceptually biased as the products students will make are visual and creatively conceptual rather than text based.
www.ntu.edu.sg

National Institute of Design - Ahmedabad, INDIA

NID is internationally acclaimed as one of the foremost multi-disciplinary institutions in the field of design education and research. The Business Week, USA has listed NID as one of the top 25 European & Asian programmes in the world. The institute functions as an autonomous body under the department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India. NID is recognised by the Dept. of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR) under Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India, as a scientific and industrial design research organisation. NID's graduates have made a mark in key sectors of commerce, industry and social development by taking role of catalysts and through thought leadership.
www.nid.edu

Gnomon Institute of visual effects, USA

Considered an advanced study institution, Gnomon was founded by a former Applications Engineers from Alias Wavefront who saw a need for a school that taught the tools and techniques necessary to produce high-end digital content. Gnomon's curriculum and facilities have been designed to constantly evolve to reflect any new demands that may arise from the entertainment industry.
www.gnomon3d.com

School of Visual Arts, USA

SVA is considered a primary source of animation talent for both coasts. Their graduates work at Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks skg, Blue Sky Studio and Nickelodeon. Legends and prominent animators like Yvette Kaplan (Beavis and Butthead Do America, Ice Age) are here to give you instruction, feedback and to nurture your artistic vision. SVA is in the forefront of offering best-of-breed, state-of-the-art technology to beginning animators.
www.schoolofvisualarts.edu

Royal College of Art, UK

The RCA is the world's only wholly postgraduate university institution of art and design - fine art, applied art, design, communications and humanities - offering the degrees of MA, MPhil and PhD. The student’s work is nourished by the vibrant, creative environment and is particularly supported by the close links with the Drawing Studio. Mark-making and drawing, abstraction, creative narrative and exploration of the material of film are explored by Master’s students and provide a stimulating environment for animation research. Research students are encouraged to question and reflect on their own practice and that of others at a deeper level.
The teaching staff have their own areas of research, which include the representation of water and cloth in three-dimensional animation, the creative slip between film and digital methods of production, devising a creative editing toolkit, exploring the relationship between painting and writing, and animation and psychoanalysis.
www.rca.ac.uk

Academy of Media Arts, Germany

The Academy of Media Arts is a teaching and research institution for audio-visual media in Cologne, Germany. It offers an undergraduate degree program, as well as post-graduate and further education programs.
www.khm.de

University of The Arts, USA

The University of the Arts (UArts) in Philadelphia is one of the nation’s oldest universities dedicated to the arts. UArts College of Art and Design programs are tailored to your talents. If you want to master your discipline, you can. If you want to experiment with other art forms, you can. If you want to learn how technology can modify your work, you can.
www.uarts.edu

Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemburg, Germany

In the space of only fifteen years has won the right to count itself amongst the very best film schools. The Baden-Württemberg Film Academy as a whole is rightfully held in the highest regard by the film and media industry.
www.filmakademie.de

Animated Movies Release (2009)

Coraline (Laika Entertainment/Universal)

Release Date: 6 February 2009 (USA)

Plot Summary :
A young girl walks through a secret door in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life. On the surface, this parallel reality is eerily similar to her real life - only much better. But when her adventure turns dangerous, and her counterfeit parents (including Other Mother) try to keep her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness, determination, and bravery to get back home - and save her family.

WATCH TRAILER : :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO3n67BQvh0


Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (SonyPictures Animation)

Release Date:

18 September 2009 (USA)

Plot Summary :The most delicious event since macaroni met cheese. Inspired by the beloved children's book, the film focuses on a town where food falls from the sky like rain
WATCH TRAILER :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP9wtdwgeok

Disney's christmas carol (Imagemovers Digital/Disney)

Release Date: 6 November 2009 (USA)

Plot Summary :Charles Dickens' timeless tale of an old miser who must face Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet-to-Come, as they help to bring kindness to his otherwise cold heart. The Ghosts remind him of the man he used to be, the hard truth of what the world is today, and what will happen if he does not strive to be a better man. Set around Christmas, the most joyous day of the year, Scrooge realizes the sharp contrast of his own personality.

WATCH TRAILER :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV7SwUmSuvc


Planet 51 (Ilion Animation/Sony)

Release Date: 20 November 2009 (USA)

Plot Summary :American astronaut Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker lands on Planet 51 thinking he's the first person to step foot on it. To his surprise, he finds that this planet is inhabited by little green people who are happily living in a white picket fence world, and whose only fear is that it will be overrun by alien invaders...like Chuck!
WATCH TRAILER : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n8PGnc_cV4

The Princess and theFrog (Disney)

Release Date: 11 December 2009 (USA)

Plot Summary :A fairy tale centered on a young girl named Princess Tiana who lives in New Orleans' French Quarter during the Jazz Age.

WATCH TRAILER :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8N-kIiELUA

What is Animation

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. It is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in a number of ways. The most common method of presenting animation is as a motion picture or video program, although several other forms of presenting animation also exist.

Basic Bouncing Ball Tutorial

Principles of Traditional Animation

The following principles were developed and named:

1. Squash and Stretch - defining the rigidity and mass of an object by distorting its shape during an action
2. Timing and Motion - spacing actions to define the weight and size of objects and the personality of characters
3. Anticipation - the preparation for an action
4. Staging - presenting an idea so that it is unmistakably clear
5. Follow Through and Overlapping Action - the termination of an action and establishing its relationship to the next action
6. Straight Ahead Action and Pose-to-Pose Action - The two contrasting approaches to the creation of movement
7. Slow In and Out - the spacing of the in-between frames to achieve subtlety of timing and movement
8. Arcs - the visual path of action for natural movement
9. Exaggeration - Accentuating the essence of an idea via the design and the action
10. . Secondary Action - the action of an object resulting from another action
11. . Appeal - creating a design or an action that the audience enjoys watching