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What are the top animation training programs in England?
| Ranking | School | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Film and Television School | Buckinghamshire |
| 2 | Aardman Academy | Bristol |
Our 2024 rankings of the top animation training programs in England.
For this ranking we only consider professional training programs, that is, non-degree programs such as certificate, diploma, and similar programs that are not formal 4-year bachelor's degrees. For an explanation of our ranking criteria, click here.
1. National Film and Television School, Beaconsfield – Buckinghamshire, England
National Film and Television School (NFTS) is the only film school in the UK with its own in-house television and film studios known as Beaconsfield Studios. This allows the school to operate like a major studio, with professional state-of-the-art production facilities for animation, film, television, games, design, and more.
NFTS has several paths to study animation including a two-year Directing Animation MA; a one-year Model Making for Animation post-graduate diploma; and the three-week Storyboarding for Animators program. The MA and diploma program are delivered at the main campus (Beaconsfield Studios).
Funded by ScreenSkills Animation Skills Fund, the Storyboarding for Animators program explores film language; storyboarding for the animated TV series; acting; storyboarding for audio; Storyboard Pro; and pitching and revising. The program culminates with an online networking event.
Across all programs, students benefit from interactions with guest speakers such as Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings, The Boxtrolls) and Glen Keane (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast); courses taught by instructors who are active in the industry; participation in workshops and student showcases; and partnerships with Prime Video, the Film Distributors Association, ITV, The National Lottery, BBC, the UK Cinema Association, and many others.
The Directing Animation MA is delivered in module format, with the opportunity to choose a specialization from the following options: Producing, Screenwriting, Production Design, Cinematography, Sound Design, Editing, and Composing. Modules include: 1 - Animation Screen Language with Sand; 2 - From Ideas to Animatics; 3 - Character of Place; 4 - The Character Film; 5 - Animation Techniques and Sound; 6 - Animation Graduation Film: Ideas; and 7 – Animation Graduation Film.
The film consists of three stages: Pre-Production, Production, and Post Production. Final films are presented in Central London in front of a live audience at the end of the school year. Films are also entered into major festivals. In addition to the final film NFTS MA students will complete a dissertation consisting of a written piece or video essay.
The Model Making for Animation diploma program is the only UK-based program of its kind located in a dedicated film studio environment. Provided in partnership with Mackinnon & Saunders (animation producers), the program features courses and modules created by the professional animators from Aardman Animations. Examples include Miniature Set Building to Scale; Stop Frame Animated Puppet; Introduction to Pattern and Mouldmaking; and 1:1 Propmaking.
Other program features include the opportunity to collaborate with students from other NFTS programs to create films and complete projects; participation in the Screen Arts Program and Cinema Club; and masterclasses at NFTS and venues in London. Diploma students may also have opportunities to obtain work experience at places such as Warner Brothers, Aardman Animations, Mackinnon & Saunders, Arch Model Studios, and BGI Supplies.
Graduates of the NFTS Model Making for Animation program have gone on to work as prop artists, animators (traditional, puppet, etc.), and modelers at places such as Aardman Animations, Factory Create, Arch Film Studio, and Mackinnon and Saunders. Program alumni have worked on productions such as Spitting Image, Wicked, Dune 2, Wonka, Masters of the Air, Pinocchio, Barbie, Chicken Run 2, Isle of Dogs, and The House.
Overall, graduates of the Animation programs at National Film and Television School enjoy a 90% employment rate. Other studios that have hired NFTS animation alumni include Blue Zoo, Jellyfish Pictures, Blinkink – London Animation Studio, and Animortal - Stop-Motion Animation Studio.
National Film and Television School launched in 1971 as The National Film School. Today, the school provides more than 30 MA, diploma, and certificate programs; short programs across the games, film, and television disciplines; and specialized programs in cinematography, script supervision, directing, and production accounting. Serving more than 700 students each year, National Film and Television School was awarded both the BAFTA for Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema, and the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2018.
2. Aardman Academy, Bristol, England, UK
Aardman Academy has partnerships with a number of top universities and art schools—a testament to the value of this hands-on training school. In 2024, the academy signed a five-year partnership with University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand to train students in its’ signature stop-motion animation style.
Other Aardman partners include the experimenta.l. animation lab at the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology (BAHT) at the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas); Northern Art School (est. 1874); University of the West of England (UWE); Salford School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology; and the Animation Department at the University of Westminster.
Aardman Academy also provides in-studio training; remote industry training programs; online foundation courses; and short courses (events) such as Animated Insights (online guest speakers from the animation industry) and the Lecturer Development Program (two-day event). Online foundation courses are four weeks and include Stop Motion; Model Making; and Storyboarding Foundation. Courses are taught by industry professionals and consist of practical masterclasses, weekly assignments, and core principles.
Remote industry training programs are 12 weeks and are delivered using Aardman’s online, immersive teaching platform. Other features include individual mentors for the entire program; live online lectures; meet-ups and drop-ins; and 24/7 access to a community of Aardman Directors, Animators, Producers, Artists, and other program participants.
Programs include Stop Motion 1: Character Body, Mime and Pantomime; and Stop Motion 2: Full Face & Body Character Performance. Upon completion of the programs, all students will have the opportunity to participate in a formal graduation event at Aardman’s Gas Ferry Road Studios.
In-studio training at Aardman Academy includes the five-week, full-time Stop Motion Character Animation program, and the seven-month Stop Motion Film Production program. Both options feature hands-on training, projects, and coursework led by Aardman staff. Stop Motion Character Animation students will complete a professional body of work, culminating in an industry-ready showreel.
For the Stop Motion Film Production option, students will spend six of the seven months of the program at Aardman studios. For five days a week, every week, students will learn from Aardman staff and work with the team to produce individual short animations. The final month of the program will be spent finalizing student shorts.
The Stop Motion Film Production program at Aardman Academy provides the same number of teaching weeks as a standard master’s degree.
Upon completion of the Animation programs at Aardman Academy, students are prepared to pursue titles such as Director, Animator, and Model Maker across the animation, film, games, television, and advertising industries.
Aardman began as a short animated sketch created by teenagers Peter Lord and David Sproxton. The piece was purchased by the BBC for their Vision On series. When the duo received their first check from the BBC, they registered their bank account under the name Aardman Animations. The duo went on to produce Oscar winning shorts and famous productions such as Chicken Run, Wallace and Gromit’s World of Invention, and Shaun the Sheep: Adventures from Mossy Bottom.
Aardman Animations launched Aardman Academy in the late 1990s, when the studio needed more animators to work on Chicken Run. Today, Aardman Academy provides independent animation programs of all kinds at Gas Ferry Road Studios (headquarters) in Bristol, UK. Some Aardman programs are also provided online.