Animation
Character, motion and storytelling for film and games.
What this major can become
Real roles our students grow into, the industries that hire them — and why this path is a good bet.
Jobs you can do
- 2D / 3D Animator
- Character Designer
- Story Artist
- Rigging & Layout Artist
- Motion Designer
Industries that hire
Film & TV animation, game studios, streaming, advertising, VFX houses
Why it’s a good bet
- Storytelling skills transfer across film, games and advertising
- Studios hire on portfolio and reel — not just the degree
- Remote and freelance friendly once you have credits
Recommended schools
Programs our Animation students most often apply to — and get into.
What you'll learn
A staged path — fundamentals first, then specialization, then the portfolio itself.
Foundation training
The non-negotiable base every admissions committee looks for.
- Observational drawing from life — the single most weighted skill
- Gesture and figure drawing; anatomy and construction
- Perspective and spatial construction
- Value, light and shadow
- Colour theory and mixing
- Composition, staging and visual hierarchy
- A daily sketchbook and visual research habit
Animation specialization
Applying the fundamentals to motion and character.
- Character design, model sheets and expression sheets
- The 12 principles: timing, spacing, squash & stretch
- Storyboarding and building an animatic
- Walk cycles and acting for animation
- Backgrounds, layout and colour script
- Short-film or sequence project
Portfolio & application
Turning strong work into an admitted portfolio.
- Curating 12–20 pieces that show range and depth
- Sketchbook and process documentation (often required)
- School-specific requirements — CalArts, Sheridan, Gobelins, SVA differ
- Artist statement and written supplements
- Photographing, scanning and SlideRoom presentation
- Mock interviews and portfolio reviews
Why students choose NPC
Portfolio prep is crowded. What is rare is a twenty-year record of actual offers, and mentors who have done the job.
20+ years and 3000+ graduates
Offers from Harvard, Cornell, RISD, Carnegie Mellon, Parsons, ArtCenter and USC — 590 offers and $19.6M in scholarships in the last six years alone, published school by school.
Mentors from the industry
Art directors and artists whose work spans Disney and Nickelodeon films, LEGO films, Tencent and AAA games — people who know what a portfolio has to survive.
Fundamentals first, always
Admissions committees reject weak drawing before they ever reach your concept. We build observation, perspective, value and colour before specializing.
Built to each school’s requirements
CSM, Parsons, RISD and Sheridan all ask for different things. We build to the schools you are actually applying to — not a generic portfolio.
Animation — made by our students
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Start with a portfolio assessment
Portfolio and AP tracks are by enquiry only. We look at your goals and current work first, then plan the course and hours around you.