Top 10 Professional Animation Training Programs in Canada - 2021 School Rankings

Vancouver Film School (VFS) opened its doors in 1987 to a class of just 12 Film Production students. The school went on to introduce the world’s first fully dedicated production training center for New Media in 1991. Today, Vancouver Film School is considered a global leader in Entertainment Arts education, offering 15 programs to more than 1,000 students across eight campuses, including Shanghai VFS (SHVFS), launched in 2014.

Vancouver Film School offers Diploma Programs in Animation Concept Art, Classical Animation, and 3D Animation & Visual Effects with Specializations in 3D Animation, 3D Modeling, and Visual Effects. A two-day, 3D Animation & Visual Effects Workshop is also available.

The 12-month Animation Concept Art Program explores the fundamentals of drawing, digital painting and design, character design, storytelling, worldbuilding and more. Students will graduate with a professional pitch-package and portfolio to help them compete in the Comic Arts, Film, Games, Illustration, Interactive Media, and Television industries.

Students in the Classical Animation Program will learn all about animation, art direction, drawing, storyboarding and background design, character animation, and digital ink and paint. In the final few months of this 12-month program, students will complete a final project and assemble a traditional animation portfolio.

The 3D Animation & Visual Effects 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.

Students in all programs will have access to the VFS Alumni Directory + Job Board, and attain industry connections that will help guide their careers. Graduates of the programs are often hired by major studios locally and internationally.

In Vancouver alone, more than 60 studios make up the VFX and Animation industry, comprising the world’s largest cluster of domestic and foreign-owned studios.

Combining career and professional skills training with theoretical knowledge, Seneca provides a polytechnic education to 30,000 full-time and 60,000 part-time registrants. With campuses in Toronto, York Region and Peterborough and education partners around the world, Seneca offers degrees, graduate certificates, diplomas and certificates in more than 300 full-time, part-time and online programs, now most of them virtually. Seneca’s credentials are renowned for their quality and respected by employers. Co-op and work placements, applied research projects, entrepreneurial opportunities and the latest technology ensure that Seneca graduates are highly skilled and ready to work.

Located on the grounds of York University, the Seneca@York Campus houses the School of Creative Arts & Animation. Pathways include an Advanced Diploma in Animation (ANI) and Graduate Certificates in 3D Animation (DAN), and Game Art and Animation (GAA).

The three-year Advanced Diploma in Animation covers Traditional and Computer Animation. Students will learn to animate characters and scenes, design, and draw storyboards, and practice applying theories of motion, timing, storytelling and digital technology to produce “high-quality” animations and designs, says the school. Students will also receive hands-on learning that will enable them to “utilize the equipment, facilities and computer software currently used in the industry.” Graduates of the program are prepared to pursue careers in feature film and gaming studios as an animator.

In the eight-month 3D Animation Graduate Certificate, students will develop skills in Animation, Compositing, Lighting, Modeling, Rendering, and Rigging. They will also learn project management skills and storyboard drawing techniques. Graduates can pursue careers such as 3D Painter/Texturing and Lighting Specialist, Character Rigger, Digital Animator, Modeler, and many others.

The Game Art and Animation Graduate Certificate covers Animation, Design, Lighting, Modeling, Scene Staging, and Texturing. Art Direction and Production Management are also part of this eight-month  program. Graduates are prepared to pursue careers such as Animator, Level Builder, Level Designer, Lighting Artist, Modeler, Prop Artist, Texture Artist, and many others.

Students in all programs benefit from internship opportunities and Seneca’s affiliations and associations with ACM SIGGRAPH, Computer Animation Studios Ontario (CASO), Toon Boom Centre of Excellence, and Toronto Animation Arts Festival International (TAAFI).

Capilano University (CapU) was founded in 1968 by the school boards and residents of North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Howe Sound. When it opened, the school (then a college) had 784 students enrolled in night classes in the classrooms of West Vancouver Secondary School. The main campus opened in North Vancouver in 1973.

Today, Capilano University serves approximately 12,700 students each year across two campuses in North Vancouver and scenic Sechelt, and the new extension center—CapU Lonsdale, in The Shipyards development in Lower Lonsdale.

CapU houses the Faculty of Fine & Applied Arts in the School of Motion Picture Arts (SMPA). Located in the Bosa Centre for Film and Animation, the School offers a range of programs for artists seeking careers in Animation (2D and 3D), Costuming, Documentary, Filmmaking, Games and Virtual Reality, Lighting/Grip Work, and Visual Effects (VFX). The SMPA at CapU offers one of the only Indigenous filmmaking programs in North America.

Programs for aspiring animators include Full-Time Diplomas in 2D Animation & Visual Development, 3D Animation for Film and Games, and Digital Visual Effects. An Animation Fundamentals Citation of Achievement is also available.

Programs cover areas such as Traditional and Classical Animation techniques through hands-on exercises as well as Drawing, Design, Digital Visual Effects, and Creating 3D Computer-Generated Characters. Students in all programs have access to facilities including virtual reality and motion capture-equipped studios, Cintiq drawing tablets, high-speed render farms, professional filmmaking equipment and 3D printers.

Diplomas take two years to complete and the Citation takes just one year. Depending on the program, graduates will complete a practicum at a local studio and/or a professional-quality demo reel.

“With more job openings in Vancouver than talent to fill them, there are unparalleled opportunities for skilled people,” says the school. Graduates of the CapU Animation Programs have access to opportunities at more than 250 local production studios, creating entertainment properties for film, TV, console, mobile and streaming services.

Max The Mutt College Of Animation, Art & Design (Max the Mutt) was founded by artists and animators in 1996. The school highlights small class sizes, individual instruction by working professionals in the field, and workshops and programs that prepare graduates for careers in animation.

Max the Mutt offers an Animation Diploma (Classical & Computer Animation & Production), and two Diploma programs that are unique in Canada: a four-year Diploma in Illustration & Storytelling for Sequential Arts (ISSA); and a four-year Diploma in Concept Art for Animation & Video Games.

The Animation Diploma is a three-year program. Students will take both Classical and Digital Animation courses, as well as Drawing classes, Acting for Animation, Background Painting/Design, Character Design, Cartooning, and a sequence of Storyboarding, Storytelling, and Visual Language courses. In the third year, students will produce an original short, using 2D Computer Animation.

In the final year, students will move on to advanced courses in 3D Animation and, in groups, they will participate in a simulated 3D production experience directed by an industry professional.

Maxx the Mutt hosts an Industry Event that showcases graduating students and their work. The event is “well attended by representatives from animation and gaming companies,” says the school. In addition to the opportunity to showcase their best work in the final year of the program, students will put the finishing touches on their professional portfolio, demo reel, and online profile page.

Graduates have been hired at Disney Design Group, Guru Studios, Mercury Films, Pipeline Studios, Pixar, See Creatures, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Warner Bros. Games, and many others.

The ISSA Diploma Program (formerly three years) has been enhanced to include an extra year that includes a “two-semester graphic novel development course that will leave each graduate with a package that can be pitched to publishers,” says the school. The program covers Adobe Suite, Creating Mobile Comics, Digital Media, Graphic Design, Illustration, and Storyboarding for Advertising. Core courses for the three-year Diploma remain a part of the new Diploma Program.

Courses cover creating, penciling and inking comics, storytelling and scripting for comics, and children’s book illustration. Graduates are prepared for a variety of positions in Advertising, Animation, Gaming, Multimedia, Publishing, and more.

The Concept Art for Animation & Video Games Program provides an “in-depth curriculum based on suggestions and portfolio requirements” from major animation companies and game studios. The program includes a mix of Animation, Cartooning, Fine Art, and Illustration courses, as well as concept courses and instruction “in all necessary computer software from Photoshop to Maya.”

Graduates of the program have been hired at Corus/Nelvana, Guru, Portfolio Entertainment, UbiSoft Toronto, Warner Bros. Games, Yowza Animation, and many others.

Founded in 1967, Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (Humber College or Humber) is known for its “Centres of Innovation (COIs),” which “reinforce the interdisciplinary collaboration the college is known for in five areas,” says the school. This includes Creative Business, Entrepreneurship, Health and Wellness, Social Innovation, and Technology.

When Humber opened, it had just few hundred students enrolled in classes in the skilled trades. Today, the school has three campuses that serve more than 80,000 full- and part-time students enrolled in over 150 programs in a number of faculties and schools. The Faculty of Media & Creative Arts offers an Advanced Diploma in 3D Animation.

Students in the program will “develop a blend of the most relevant digital and analog 2D and 3D art skills, as well as an understanding of creative and technological processes,” says the school. Students will also “learn to translate traditional art and design into models of characters, objects, scenes and virtual worlds,” and “develop cinematography and design skills.” During the final semesters of the program, students will complete an Internship, Capstone and Portfolio.

In just six semesters, animation students will be prepared to pursue roles in the Advertising, Animation, Film & Television, and Video Game industries.