Top 10 Animation Training Programs in Canada - 2020 School Rankings

Vancouver Film School (VFS) opened its doors to a class of 12 Film Production students in 1987. Today, this entertainment arts school has eight campuses that serve more than 1,000 students enrolled in what the school describes as 15 “signature post-secondary programs — spanning every aspect of the entertainment arts — that are developed and taught by award-winning industry professionals.” Each program’s “intensive curriculum evolves along with demands of the industry, and the best, current industry practices.”

Among these programs is a Diploma in 3D Animation & Visual Effects with Specializations in 3D Animation, 3D Modeling, and Visual Effects. The program begins with the basics of the 3D pipeline, and progresses to the studio component of the program. Students will work with faculty, industry mentors, and other students to complete a professional-level portfolio or reel. Students will also benefit from career guidance and expertise from industry mentors, instructors, and guest speakers, as well as partnerships with corporate leaders such as Adobe, Autodesk, Final Draft, HP, and Pixologic.

 The VFS Diploma in 3D Animation & Visual Effects takes just 12 months to complete.

Seneca College was established in 1967. Serving more than 30,000 full-time students annually, the school provides 300 programs leading to a degree, diploma, or certificate. The school lists the following animation offerings: Graduate Certificates in 3D Animation, Game Art and Animation, and Visual Effects for Film and Television, and an Advanced Diploma in Animation. Offered through the School of Creative Arts & Animation, the programs covers traditional and computer animation, game art, and visual effects. The school says students will “learn to draw storyboards, design and animate characters and scenes, and practice applying theories of motion, timing, storytelling and digital technology to produce high-quality animations and designs.” Hands-on learning enables students to “utilize the equipment, facilities, and computer software currently used in the industry.” Students will leave the programs with the skills needed to produce animations for the web, television, games or film.

Established in 2005, Think Tank Training Centre offers a 16-month Specialized CG Training Program (Asset Creation), which covers Texturing and Look Development, Modeling for Film, Character Modeling for Games, and Environments for Games. The program, offered online and on campus, leads to a Diploma. For each course, students receive access to a weekly training video and each week, required assignments build upon the lessons – contributing to the term project. At the end of each term, students walk away with a term project that will help build a polished portfolio. Students will earn a Diploma upon completion of the program.

Think Tank also offers a 12-month Computer Animation, Visual Effect and Game Design Program (an intensive program that specializes in the latest software, techniques and technologies used in the film, television, and gaming industries) and a four-month Mentorship the results in a completed portfolio reel.

Think Tank graduates have been hired by Industrial Light & Magic, EA, Digital Domain, Animal Logic, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Double Negative Visual Effects, Rainmaker, BioWare, and many others.

Max The Mutt College Of Animation, Art & Design was established in 1996. The school offers a four-year Diploma in Classical & Computer Animation & Production, and two Diploma programs that are unique in Canada: a three-year Diploma in Illustration for Sequential Arts: Comic Books & Graphic Novels; and a four-year Diploma in Concept Art for Video Games & Animation.

Animation students will take both classical and digital animation courses, as well as drawing classes, cartooning, acting for animation, character design, background painting/design, and a sequence of visual language, storytelling and storyboarding courses. In the third year, students will produce an original short. In the final year, students will move on to advanced courses in 3D Animation and participate in a simulated 3D production experience directed by an industry professional. Graduates will leave the program with a solid portfolio, a demo reel, and an online profile page. Graduates have been hired at Pixar, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Disney Design Group, Pipeline Studios, Warner Bros. Games, and many others.

The Centre for Arts and Technology was established more than 30 years ago “by leaders in both media training and educational excellence,” says the school. Today, the school is recognized as one of the few institutions that “continually graduate successful students in the areas of filmmaking, animation, audio engineering, interior design, photography, graphic design, and network security.”

The school offers a 2D Animation & Digital Art Diploma that offers an accelerated format that covers all areas of animation in just five semesters (15 months). Students will move from an initial Character Animation course to Life Drawing, then Digital Character Animation and Traditional Mixed-Media. The program ends with a final project, professional demo reel, and portfolio. Graduates of the program can be found working on projects such as Rick and Morty, Rocket Monkeys, Camp Lakebottom, Teen Titans GO, and many others. Some have gone on to establish careers at studios such as Yeti Farm Creative, Bardel Entertainment, and Disney.

In addition, the school offers a 3D Animation diploma that focuses on both modeling and character animation over 24 months.  Students are immersed in the fundamentals through the first year and then specialize in the second year, leading up to producing a professional demo reel and portfolio.  Graduates of this program have worked on projects such as Lego Movie 2, the Emmy award winning 'King Julien', Detective Pickachu and many more.  Some grads are now established leads and supervisors at many major studios in BC, Canada.