Best Animation Schools In The World: Complete Guide Over Choosing Animation College

To stay ahead in the animation industry, getting skilled is very important for survival. And to get skilled having a degree from any of the World’s Top Animation Schools is a gateway to a successful career. So if you are looking for an article where you can learn about top art schools. This article is for you.

There are 2 ways to get admission in those amazing 3d animation schools. First is, Either you should have attended any art school or university. Learned and mastered the basics of art, graphics, and animation  Or You should have a good amount of working experience like 3-4 years. And then join any of the Advanced course for animation and get trained by one of the best masters of animation, come out with a solid demo reel and you will get a good job.

Best Animation Schools in the world
Image Source – Flickr

There is a huge demand in the entertainment industry for highly skilled talented people to fill the gap of talent which can be learned and mastered by joining any good art school.  There are numerous Animation universities all over the world that can provide high-quality education as well as add a lot of value in terms of knowledge and skills. The United States is considered as the best country for animation studies having top universities like the School of visual arts but Online education is changing things and making it easy for many students who are not having big budgets.

With too many exciting career options available for aspiring young people all around the globe, there is one industry that is creative, full of rewards and challenges, fun, and offers great perks. That industry is the Animation industry which is having one of the most skillful jobs in the world.

Read more: Skills needed to become an animator

Best Animation Schools In The World

Top Animation Schools In The World
Image source – Flickr

Here is the list of the topmost schools for 3d animation which not only have gained reputation but their students also have managed to enter Big production houses. Becoming an Animator and working for a top studio is always a dream for many animation enthusiasts.

Gobelins.

Gobelins Animation school is located in Paris, this school has been on the market for around 50 years and has produced one of the best artworks and students in the market of animated filmmaking, graphics and motion design, photography, interactive design, printed and digital communication, video gaming, video, and sound.

They also offer Masterclass animation series and summer animation courses for students as well focussing on animation education only. Entering into Gobelins is very hard due to its very tough entrance criteria and the quality of education taught there is considered as one of the best in the world.

Their students has also showcased their movies at many Top Animation festivals and getting good jobs in this tough industry.

Website: https://www.gobelins-school.com/

Courses available: 

  • 1 Year 3d Character Animator Program.
  • Master of Arts in Character Animation and Animated Filmmaking (2 years).
  • Master class in Character Animation.

Location: Paris.

Animation Mentor.

In 2005, 3 Pixar animators, Bobby Beck, Carlos Baena, and Shawn Kelly formed the world’s first Online Animation School, With the head office located in California, Animation Mentor is among the world’s popular choice for anyone who is looking forward to a career in the Animation Industry as a Character Animator. The best thing about Animation Mentor is this is an online 3d animation school, which means leaving your country is not necessary and working professionals can join it along with the job. Regarded as the best online animation schools, Animation Mentor was the first school that introduced the concept of online animation education.

Website: https://www.animationmentor.com/

Courses available:

  • Character Animation Program.
  • Creature Animation: Locomotion.
  • Creature Animation: Flight or Flight.
  • Maya Workshop: Animation Basics.
  • Game Animation: Fundamentals.
  • Game Animation: Combat Attacks.
  • StoryBoarding Fundamentals.
  • Cartoony Animation for 3D Animators.

Location: Online.

Ianimate.

ianimateIAnimate is the second best online school for animation after Animation Mentor. Opened by industry veteran Jason Ryan. It has been providing one of the top-notch 3d animation education at a reasonable price. Ianimate offers several courses ranging from Character animation from Games to Feature films. The good thing about both schools is that teachers teaching at these schools are working with brands like Pixar, Dreamworks, Bluesky Studios, etc. They know what is working in the industry very well.

Website: https://www.ianimate.net/

Courses available:

  • Feature Animation.
  • Game Animation.
  • Creature Animation.
  • Lighting and Compositing.
  • Motion Capture.
  • Rigging.
  • Pre-Visualisation.
  • Modeling and Maya Introduction.

Location: Online.

Gnomon.

Gnomon School of Visual Effects was founded in 1997 and is regarded as one of the great schools for art and animation in California. It offers both Online and Offline courses and its course content is regarded as one of the best courses content when it comes to the competitive market of animation.

Website: https://www.gnomon.edu/

Course offered:

  • Digital production BFA (4 year Degree program).
  • Entertainment Design and Digital Production (3-year Program).
  • Digital Production for Entertainment. ( 2-year Full-time Program).

Along with this, Gnomon offers a wide range of online courses over Digital Computer Graphics including Digital Sculpting, Digital Painting, Hard Surface Modeling, Texturing and Shading, Matte Painting, Games Tools, and Techniques etc.

Location: Online and California.

Vanarts.

When it comes to one of the best education institutes over Animation,  Vanarts cannot be ignored. With the Entertainment industry booming in Canada and Vancouver considered as one of the best cities for working professionals in the entertainment industries. Canada has a huge demand for skillful professionals. VanArts offers some great programs from Computer graphics to Web Design, Photography and Game Arts. With one of the best faculties for animation Like Wayne Gilbert as their Animation Head, It is among the best places in the world to learn Animation. Along with Diploma programs for one year and short courses, VanArts also offer Degree Pathway Programs which open doors for their students in media, tv series, movies, and the video game industry.

Website: https://www.vanarts.com/

Programs offered:

  • 2d/ 3d Character Animation.
  • Acting for Film and Television.
  • Broadcasting and Online Media.
  • Professional Photography.
  • Game Art and Design.
  • Visual Effects for Film and TV.
  • Web Design and Interactive Design.

Location: Vancouver, Canada.

Full Sail University.

Full Sail University offers online and campus programs related to a lot of courses from various industries like Art and Design, Business, Film and Television, Sports, Technology, Games etc. Full Sail University has good courses which have high demand and exposure in Full Sail is quite good as well. Along with that they also offer scholarships which can be around 20,000 Dollars. Students looking forward to making a career in Animation can also ask direct questions to chat support and get their questions answered.

Website: https://www.fullsail.edu/

Programs Offered:

  • Computer Animation Bachelor’s (20 months).
  • Creative Writing for Entertainment (20 months).
  • Digital Art and Design’s Bachelor’s (20 months).
  • Film Bachelor’s (20 months).
  • Film Production MFA (12 months).
  • Game Art Bachelor’s (20 months).
  • Game Design Bachelor’s (20 months).
  • Game Design Master’s (12 months).
  • Game Development Bachelor’s (20 months).

Location: Winter Park, Florida, United States.

IDeATe

The Integrative Design, Arts, and Technology Network connects diverse strengths across Carnegie Mellon University to advance education, research, and creative practice in domains that merge technology and arts expertise.

Best 2D Animation Schools In The World

One of the benefits of having knowledge of 2d skills in art and animation is that they understand better about space, timing, poses and movement of animation. Here is the list of top animation schools for 2d.

Cal Arts.

Located in the United States, Cal Arts offers 4 Year BFA in Character Animation is provided in this university. Based on various modules in their curriculum, CalArts is one of the most reputable colleges in America. More information about this amazing program can be found out below.

Website: https://calarts.edu/

Courses available: 

  • 4 year BFA in Character Animation.
  • BFA and MFA in Experimental Animation.

Location: California, United States.

Sheridan College.

Located in Ontario, Canada. Sheridan College is one of the most reputable colleges in Canada. Anyone who wants to enroll in this college must have a strong portfolio of art pieces as entering into this college is not easy. More information about their college can be found on their website regarding campus, reputation, faculties, fees and previous work of students.

Website: https://www.sheridancollege.ca/

Courses available:

  • Computer Animation.
  • Computer Animation – Digital Character Animation.
  • Digital Creature Animation – Technical Direction.
  • Game Level Design.
  • Honors Bachelor of Animation.
  • Honors Bachelor of Game Design.
  • Music Applied to Stage, Screen, and Interactive Visual Environments (MASSIVE).
  • Visual Effects.

Location: Ontario, Canada.

Benefits Of Attending Animation School.

Every year many young, talented, and passionate people to come and join hands in this Computer Graphics and Visual Effects Industry. And with too many studios producing movies, games and music videos, there are requirements of artists that can produce stunning 3d artwork in companies like DreamWorks Animation.

  • Networking opportunities in the animation industry.
  • Big exposure to quality education.
  • Animation Degree from a reputable organization.
  • Reference letter.
  • Placement opportunities after a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Animation.

Animation University Rankings

How we have determined Animation university rankings for this article depends on the following factors:

  • Reputation and information are available in Google search engine over that particular school.
  • The information mentioned about colleges is found out from the respective websites of their organizations.

Final thoughts:

So, This was the awesome guide for Choosing Top Animation schools in the worldAnimation industry gives the opportunity to have one of the most demanding jobs ever both in and outside the United States Of America.

We hope you loved this article and we will try our best to keep updates you with the latest college rankings and reputation and other information related to it.

Tarun
I am a former Animator and Graphic Designer who has worked on many International and Domestic projects and Tv series and E-learning projects. I created Animation Alerts so that people who are struggling to learn animation can learn this craft and grow together.