Top 10 Professional Animation Training Programs in Canada - 2022 School Rankings

The Animation & Visual Effects Program at Vancouver Film School (VFS) is one of the school’s 15 programs that lead to careers in Animation, Design, Film & Television, and Games. Animation & Visual Effects consists of three 12-month, six-term Diploma programs: 3D Animation & Visual Effects, Animation Concept Art, and Classical Animation.

The 3D Animation & Visual Effects Diploma Program explores areas such as the basics of a 3D pipeline, storytelling, production, and lighting and rendering. Students will graduate from the program with a master demo reel of their final project.

The Animation Conception Art Diploma explores drawing, digital painting, storytelling, and creating characters, environments, and worlds. Graduates will leave the program with a portfolio of their best work. Career possibilities include Comic Arts, Film and Television, Games, Illustration, and Interactive Media.

The VFS Classical Animation Diploma Program consists of coursework that explores the basics of animation, background design, animating characters (conveying thoughts and emotions), rendering, creating storyboards, layout, and art direction. Students will graduate from the program with a master demo reel and a traditional art and animation portfolio.

Established in 1987 and serving more than 1,000 students across eight campuses, Vancouver Film School provides access to workshops, studios, theaters, film sets, motion and performance capture facilities (among the largest in North America), production spaces, and screening rooms. Students also have 24/7 access to state-of-the-art computer labs equipped with industry standard software. VFS facilities and studios are housed across eight campuses that consist of more than 42,000 sq. ft. of space.

All Vancouver Film School students will graduate with industry connections thanks to VFS’s partnerships with corporate leaders such as Pixologic, Dell Technologies, Unreal Engine, NVIDIA, Unity, Beyond Capture Studios, Final Draft, Adobe, HP, Autodesk, and 5Alarm Music. Graduates also have access to career services through the VFS Alumni Directory & Job Board.

alumni have gone on to establish careers at top studios around the world. They have worked on films and games such as Halo Infinite, The Grinch, Spider-Man, Toy Story 4, Overwatch, Luigi’s Mansion, League of Legends, Free Guy, Justice League, God of War, and Ghostbusters, among others.

Seneca College was established in 1976. Serving 20,855 students, the school provides  numerous opportunities to gain work experience and immerse in other cultures around the world. Examples include co-op experiences, field placements, work terms, and the study abroad program. Seneca College also participates in a number of associations and groups such as Polytechnics Canada, Colleges Ontario, and Colleges and Institutes of Canada, and it is the only college in Ontario to have programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

The School of Creative Arts & Animation at Seneca College has an Animation Program that takes three years to complete. Leading to the Ontario College Advanced Diploma, the program explores both computer animation and animation production. Course examples for the program include History of Animation, Character Design, Storyboarding – Film Structure, Storytelling, Character Development, Animation Applications, Character Acting, and Layout – Environmental Design.

Beginning in the semester five, students will choose a focus area or “stream.” Options include Digital Animation, 2D Animation, and Gaming. Across streams, course examples include Advanced Lighting, Texturing, and rendering, Advanced Animation Tools, Storyboarding for the 3D Environment, Introduction to MEL Scripting, Advanced Digital Tools, Game Engines and Development, 3D Modeling for Games, Game Animation, Systems and Rigging for Games, Digital Storytelling, 2D Effects Tools for Animation, and Animated short Film Production.

All focus areas include portfolio preparation and development courses. Graduates of the Seneca College Animation Program are prepared to pursue careers in all areas of animation for film, the web, games, television, advertising and marketing, and education. Program alumni also go on to enroll in Animation BA programs at partner schools such as University of Gloucestershire and Munster Technological University (MTU). The program at MTU is a BA (Hons) in Animation, Visual Effects, and Motion Design.

The Faculty of Fine & Applied Arts at Capilano University (CapU) houses the School of Motion Picture Arts (SMPA). Located in the Bosa Centre for Film and Animation, SMPA has options in 2D Animation & Visual Development, Visual Effects for Film, Streaming & Immersive Media, 3D Animation for Film and Games, and Animation Fundamentals. This program takes eight weeks to complete and it leads to a Citation of Achievement. All other programs take two years to complete and lead to a Diploma.

Founded in 1968, Capilano University (CapU) has grown from 784 students to more than 12,700 today. Students in all programs have access to state-of-the-art facilities and resources across two campuses in North Vancouver and Sechelt. In addition, CapU students have access to workshops, internship opportunities, and study abroad programs.

Course examples across CapU SMPA Programs include Studio: Gesture and Form, Digital Matte Painting, Animation: Timing and Principles, Visual Effects Modeling and Texturing, Character Animation, Visual Effects Animation, Visual Effects Production, Advanced Production Design for Animation, Visual Storytelling, Visual Development and Concept Design, Animation: Emerging Technologies, 3D Animation I-IV, Look Development and Lighting, 3D Design for Production I-IV, The Art of Visual Storytelling, Technical Direction and Rigging, and Animation Action Analysis. The programs also provide entrepreneurship and business courses such as Business Writing for Digital Visual Effects and Entrepreneurship in the Animation Industry.

In the final year of the SMPA Programs, students  will have the opportunity to complete a professional demo reel and/or a practicum at a local studio. Graduates of the SMPA Programs at Capilano University are Animators, VFX Artists, Texture Artists, 3D Modelers, Storyboard Artists, and Layout Artists, among others.

The Animation Diploma Program at Max the Mutt College of Animation, Art & Design (Max the Mutt) explores storytelling, drawing, background painting and design, cartooning, visual language, and acting for animation. Courses explore both classical and digital animation and include Production Process, Design & Composition, Digital Background Painting, Structural Drawing, Cartooning for Animation Storytelling & Story Development, 2D Computer Animation: Introduction (Harmony), 3D Animation Software, 3D Film Development & Pre-Production, and Layout for 3D Development.

Students in the Animation Diploma Program will complete several animated productions across four years and a professional portfolio of their best work.

Established in 1996, Max the Mutt has an additional program option that is suitable for students interested in animation. The Concept Art Program combines animation, fine art, cartooning, concept art, and illustration courses. The first year of the program consists of Visual Arts Literacy (VAL) coursework.

Throughout the program, students will develop advanced skills in software programs such as Maya and Photoshop.

Course examples include Artistic Anatomy, Environment Visualization, Advanced Environment Design & Painting in Photoshop, Painting the Costumed Mode, Traditional & Computer Illustration, and Creature Design. Students will leave the Concept Art Program with a professional portfolio.

Students in all Max the Mutt Programs have opportunities to participate in the Annual Industry Open House and Annual Showcase, art, animation, gaming, portfolio development and other workshops (on campus or online), and the internship program.

Graduates of the Animation and Concept Art Programs at Max the Mutt have been hired at studios such as Pixar, Warner Bros. Games, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Guru Studios, Disney Design Group, CMJ Productions, Nanomyte Productions, Mercury Filmworks, See Creatures, Elliott Animation, Pipeline Studios, and Legend 3D.

The Animation Programs at Vancouver Animation School (VANAS) can be completed 100% online or online + onsite (hybrid). Students who choose the hybrid option will spend three hours each week in onsite sessions where they will interact with industry professionals and other students.

Established in 2010, Vancouver Animation School has Diploma and Introduction Programs for Animators. Diploma Programs are 12 months and include 2D Computer Animation, 3D Computer Animation, and Animated Short Films. All Diploma Programs have three-month Introduction options. Short or Introduction Programs include Introduction to Digital Art and Writing for Animation. A Professional Career Development Program is also available and it takes one month to complete. At the end of this program, students will receive a Certificate.

Graduates of the Animation Programs at Vancouver Animation School work in a variety of positions at studios and game software developers such as Ubisoft, Zynga, Bethesda Game Studios, Double Negative, Epic Games, Framestore, Gameloft, Reel FX Animation, and Gearbox Software.