Tell Your Story.

Table of Contents
Welcome to Animation Mentor....................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Our Mission.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 5
Our Founders......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Our Mentors............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 7
Our Community.................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Our Graduates...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Our Courses and Workshops.......................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Character Animation Courses........................................................................................................................................................................ 11
Animation Basics...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Body Mechanics......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Advanced Body Mechanics........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 11
Introduction to Acting....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Advanced Acting..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Feature Animation Acting & Polish.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 12
Game Animation: Mechanics & Interactive Gameplay............................................................................................................................................. 13
Game Animation: Dynamic Action & Combat.................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Game Animation:Cinematic Cutscenes....................................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Game Animation Courses.................................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Creature Animation Courses........................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Creature Animation: Locomotion....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Creature Animation: Fight or Flight................................................................................................................................................................................................ 14
3D Modeling Course................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Introduction to 3D Character Modeling..................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
3D Character Modeling 02 for Games.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
2D Animation Workshops................................................................................................................................................................................... 16
2D Animation for Beginners...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 16
2D Animation: Walk Cycles and Character Movement........................................................................................................................................... 16
Animation Workshops............................................................................................................................................................................................. 17
Maya Workshop: Animation Basics.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 17
Cartoony Animation for 3D Animators........................................................................................................................................................................................ 17
Previsualization Basics for Animators........................................................................................................................................................................................... 17

2
Game Animation Workshops.......................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Game Animation Fundamentals........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Storyboarding Workshops................................................................................................................................................................................. 19
Storyboarding Fundamentals.................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 19
Intermediate Storyboarding...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Concept Art Workshops....................................................................................................................................................................................... 20
Introduction to Character Design....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 20
Introduction to Digital Painting............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 20
Visual Development: Principles of Design............................................................................................................................................................................... 20
Compare Animation Mentor to Other Schools.......................................................................................................................... 21
Your Destiny........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 22
Apply to the School.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 22

3
 Welcome to Animation Mentor

Welcome to Animation Mentor

Your dreams are our dreams.

Here at Animation Mentor, our team of more than 50 professional animators from Pixar,
DreamWorks, Industrial Light & Magic, and more are all here for one reason—to help
aspiring animators like you to achieve their dreams.

These top animators, along with our industry-savvy curriculum, help prepare you for your
career in the exciting world of animation. This is where you’ll learn to thrive in the studio
production environment, using our production pipeline in tandem with the tried-and-true
workflows used in professional animation studios today.

Animation Mentor students and alumni build lifelong friendships and working
relationships with their peers and mentors and become a part of the fiercely-supportive
Animation Mentor community. And they turn their dreams into careers—bringing to life
the incredible stories that impact audiences of all ages worldwide.

That’s our story. Now get ready to tell yours.

See you on campus,

Bobby Beck, Shawn Kelly, and Carlos Baena

Co-Founders, Animation Mentor

4
 Our Mission

Realize Your Dreams

In 2005, Animation Mentor was the first to offer a world-class
animation education online. Now, more than ever, you can count
on that same great experience with our proven mentorship
educational model, a global campus that’s always on, thousands
of hours of educational content, and our commitment to providing
you with the most personal and fulfilling learning experience on
the planet—all designed to help you, the artist, reach your full
creative potential.

No Walls
Here, we have broken all boundaries and barriers to
educational access. No longer are you required to turn
your schedule upside down to be personally mentored
by a professional animator. Animation Mentor brings top
professionals who are currently working at nearly every major
studio right into your home.

Whether you live in London, Tokyo, Albuquerque — or

anywhere in between — you suddenly have the same
opportunity to learn animation or visual effects as those living
next door to the hottest studios in the industry. Armed with
a computer, an internet connection, and the willingness to
learn, you will have access to the best possible animation
education with a click of a mouse. 5
 Our Founders

Our Founders
Carlos Baena Bobby Beck Shawn Kelly
While at Pixar, Carlos Before co-founding the Shawn currently works a
worked on Cars, Wall-E, school, Bobby worked at Lead Animator at Industrial
Ratatouille, Toy Story 3, Pixar, Tippett, and Walt Light & Magic, where he’s
The Incredibles, and more. Disney Feature Animation. He been for more than 20 years!
Currently he’s working on animated for Finding Nemo, He’s worked on Avengers:
independent projects and Monsters Inc., and The Infinity War, Jurassic
short films, including La Incredibles, and is currently World, Pacific Rim, and
Noria. the CEO of Animation Mentor. Rango just to name a few.

6
 Our Mentors

Our Mentors
More than 500 Film Credits Combined
Students at Animation Mentor can choose from the most studio-diverse roster of professional animators
at any educational institution in the world – we have over 50 mentors on our faculty! Animation Mentor
pioneered the concept of mentor-led, online education. Students in our animation program develop
one-on-one relationships with experienced professionals who work at the best studios around the
globe. Mentors lead instruction in small, intense classes with no more than nine students and provide
students with critical, up-to-the-minute insights on the industry, studio best-practices, technology tips
and workflows. You don’t need to relocate to get an education from world-class animations. Using our
cutting edge, proprietary technology, our mentors provide live instruction, offer invaluable feedback, and
build lasting relationships with their students.

7
 Our Community

Our
Community
It’s awesome!
The Animation Mentor community is made
up of more than 5,500 students and alumni,
all with unique experiences and valuable
knowledge to share! Once you’re a part of
Animation Mentor, you’re in our community
forever—and there are lots of ways to stay
connected with peers and alumni to help you
get the most out of your time in school and in
your career!

8
Our Graduates
Our Graduates
A Time to Celebrate
Our graduation ceremonies—and after parties—are
legendary. Every year students travel from around the world
to celebrate graduation, meet their peers and mentors face-
to-face, and attend the CTNX animation convention in Los
Angeles, California. Past graduation speakers have included
Pete Doctor, Lee Unkrich, and Glen Keane!

The Job Search

You know better than anyone that animation is a fulfilling yet
challenging world. The Animation Mentor team is well-versed
in the realities of the industry, and experienced mentors
are always sharing valuable career advice throughout your
courses. As an Animation Mentor alumnus, you’ll also have
access to our ongoing animation jobs board and our campus
so you can stay in touch with all the other talented people
you’ve connected with as a student.

9
 Our Courses and Workshops

Our
Courses and
Workshops
Animation Mentor offers 12-week courses
and 6-week workshops on a wide variety of
animation disciplines. Whether you’re looking
to focus your skill set, build out your generalist
skills, or just try something new—we’ve got you
covered. If you’re a beginner, our Character
Animation Program will get you started on your
journey to becoming a professional animator.
 Character Animation Courses
Character Animation Courses
12-Week Courses

AN01 Animation Basics

In Animation Basics, you’ll go beyond software to learn how to
realistically convey weight, motion, and follow-through – critical
skills on your journey to becoming a character animator. You’ll
start the course by learning how to animate a bouncing ball
and then evolve that bouncing ball through the creation of both
“vanilla” and “personality” walk cycles.

AN02 Body Mechanics

In Body Mechanics, dive deep into the physicality of animating
full body walks on both human and animal characters with our
Stella and Sloan rigs. Begin by honing your observational skills
and understanding of human and animal anatomy. Once you
understand the source of realistic motion, you’re ready to learn
how timing and spacing choices can take your animation from
realistic to stylized. Finally, finish class with workflow tips on
how to add polish and shine to your animation.

Prerequisites: AN01 or Advanced Placement

AN03 Advanced Body Mechanics

In Advanced Body Mechanics, you’ll animate more advanced
physicality with your characters. Pick a character and create
your own sequence, using cuts to help tell your story. Whether
you want to send your character barreling through a wall or
jumping out of a plane, Advanced Body Mechanics will teach
you the necessary skills to animate physicality and body
Animation Basics
mechanics believably. Body Mechanics
Advanced Body Mechanics
Prerequisites: AN02 or Advanced Placement
Character Animation Courses
12-Week Courses

AN04 Introduction to Acting

In Introduction to Acting, you tackle two of the most challenging
aspects of character animation: pantomime acting and
animating dialogue. Through pantomime acting, you’ll learn to
show the audience the character’s emotion without narration
or dialogue. Advance to the most exciting concept in character
animation: dialogue acting. In this class, you’ll learn how to
use subtlety and subtext to add complexity and depth to your
characters.

Prerequisites: Either AN03 or Advanced Placement

AN05 Advanced Acting

In Advanced Acting, you get your first taste of how to plan and
execute your animation in a studio production environment!
You’ll learn to create shots that cut together correctly, staging
your acting in the best way to support the overall story or
character arc. Your assignments will focus on two-person
dialogue shots and you’ll learn how to find the balance of giving
each character life without losing the focus on the core beats of
your shot.

Prerequisites: AN04 or Advanced Placement

AN06 Feature Animation Acting & Polish

In this final course, you’ll produce at least 15 seconds of Introduction to Acting
polished feature animation level shots for your demo reel. Learn Advanced Acting
Feature Animation Acting &
the best practices for what to include and what not to include on Polish
your demo reel, and get valuable insights into the hiring process
at top animation studios.

Prerequisites: AN05
 Game Animation Courses
Game Animation Courses
12-Week Courses

GA04
Game Animation:
Mechanics & Interactive Gameplay
In Game Animation: Mechanics & Interactive Play, delve into the
intricacies of interactive gameplay. Learn the fundamentals of
character movesets and environmental interactions, essential
for creating an immersive gaming experience. Gain hands-on
experience with Maya and Unreal Engine, crafting mesmerizing
character movements that elevate your game animations.

Prerequisites: Either AN03 or Advanced Placement

GA05
Game Animation:
Dynamic Action & Combat
Game Animation: Dynamic Action & Combat. Learn the core
principles of animating combat sequences to intensify your
game animations. Master choreographing dynamic fights
with fluid movements and impactful hits. Elevate your Maya
and Unreal Engine knowledge, crafting captivating combat
animations that keep players engaged.

Prerequisites: GA04 or Advanced Placement

GA06
Game Animation:
Cinematic Cutscenes
Learn to craft captivating cinematic moments in Game Game Animation: Mechanics & Interactive
Gameplay
Animation: Cinematic Cutscenes. Learn the art of storytelling
Game Animation: Dynamic Action & Combat
through animation as you delve into creating captivating Game Animation:Cinematic Cutscenes
cinematic moments. Master the techniques of scene
composition, camera work, and pacing to evoke emotions and
immerse players in your game world. Use industry-standard
tools like Maya and Unreal Engine like a pro and bring your
cinematic visions to life.

Prerequisites: GA05 or Advanced Placement

 Creature Animation
Courses
12-Week Courses

WCL01
Creature Animation:
Locomotion
Learn the essence of animal and creature
locomotion—how a creature runs, walks, senses,
stops, and turns. Challenge yourself to animate
believable creatures with the help of top creature
animators who’ve worked on Guardians of the
Galaxy, Game of Thrones, Star Wars, and
more!

WCF01
Creature Animation:
Fight or Flight
Learn how to train your own dragon and
animate fight scenes like the pros! This
advanced workshop takes your skills to the
next level by teaching you how to integrate
believable creature animation with live-
action background plates. Learn what
makes a good action sequence, with tips
on planning and pacing physical animation
— and learn how to work effectively with
live-action footage.
Creature Animation Courses

Creature Animation: Locomotion

Creature Animation: Fight or Flight
 Character Modeling
12-Week Course

WCMOD01
Introduction to 3D Character
Modeling
Learn from a veteran professional 3D modeler
from Blizzard Studios. This course teaches
beginner and intermediate modelers the best
practices and workflows every character artist
needs to successfully develop their skill set and
portfolio of work. Students will develop core
skills within the character creation pipeline, from
base mesh to character sculpting, UV character
mapping, functionality, texturing, and basic
rendering for presentation.

3D Modeling Course

WCMOD02
Introduction to 3D Character Modeling
3D Character Modeling 02 for Games
3D Character Modeling 02
for Games
This course teaches intermediate and advanced
modelers the skills and workflows needed to
create high-quality character models for games,
based on current real-time technical production
requirements. Students will build on their existing
skills while learning retopology theory and best
practices for real-time, UV workflow and setup,
and high quality texture and material creation.
 W2DANIM01
2D Animation for Beginners
The course will teach you the fundamentals of
2D animation, and give you the skills to bring
your ideas to life. Through in-class examples and
homework assignments, the course will present
modern digital workflows and techniques useful
to all animators. Whether you’re interested in
the roots of animation, telling your own story, or
enhancing your 3D character animation skills -
there’s something for you in this course.

2D Animation Workshops

2D Animation for Beginners

2D Animation: Walk Cycles and Character Movement

W2DANIM02
2D Animation: Walk Cycles
and Character Movement
This course builds upon the fundamentals of 2D
animation and focuses on character locomotion.
Students will learn to effectively animate
walks, runs, and physical activities to help
bring characters to life with proper mechanics.
Through in-class demonstrations and homework
assignments, students will follow along with
their mentor to create believable performances
using a mix of traditional and modern animation
workflows.
Workshops
6-Week Courses WMAYA01
Maya Workshop:
Animation Basics
This is where it all starts! This workshop
is designed especially for beginners. Get
comfortable with the Autodesk® Maya® user
interface and the basic software tools for
animators and set yourself up for success in our
Character Animation Courses!

WTOON01
Cartoony Animation
for 3D Animators
Push your 3D skills by drawing simple 2D
animation sketches and learning to exaggerate
your animation! You’ll start with hand-drawn
master studies of great animation to start Animation Workshops
learning effective cartoony techniques. You’ll end
up creating a simple cartoony animation following
the traditional workflow and then re-creating that
animation and workflow on a 3D character.
Maya Workshop: Animation Basics
Cartoony Animation for 3D Animators
Previsualization Basics for Animators

WPREVIS01
Previsualizaton Basics
for Animators
Previs Artist starts with rough building blocks—
just the storyboards or script—which they
interpret into a 3D space. In this workshop, you’ll
learn how animation and camera work are used
to help take a project all the way from script to
screen! You’ll also end up with 15–30 seconds of
animation for your demo reel.
 Game Animation Workshops

Game Animation Fundamentals

WGA01
Game Animation
Fundamentals
Want to know how to break into the game
industry? Now’s your chance to learn from
pro game animators who will help you learn
the essential techniques, workflow, and tools
necessary to get your animation skills ready for
the game industry. Learn the Maya to Unreal
Engine 4 workflow and use your game controller
or keyboard and watch your animation come to
life in real gameplay!
WSBOARD01
Storyboarding
Fundamentals
Round out your animation skills by learning the
foundation for staging, clarity, and emotion for
visual storytelling! Learn why “Story is King” in
Storyboarding Fundamentals with Mike Kunkel,
who has pitched stories for Walt Disney StudiosWorkshops
Storyboarding
and Nickelodeon. Create your own simple short
story and board it to completion.

Storyboarding Fundamentals
Intermediate Storyboarding

WSBOARD02
Intermediate Storyboarding
Go beyond the basics of storyboarding and
create your own story. This workshop will build
on the fundamentals of visual storytelling and
help you refine and advance your storyboarding
abilities to the next level! Through in-class demos
and hands-on assignments, the course will help
you fine-tune your storyboarding techniques and
create a foundation for your own portfolio, while
preparing you to generate and present your own
stories.
 WDESCHAR01
Introduction to
Character Design
This course teaches the basic fundamentals
of character design. Students will explore
these fundamentals and apply them to their
own design. Each week students will continue
to refine and develop their character design,
including learning about clear silhouettes and
readability, color and value, facial expressions,
and turnarounds.

Introduction to Character Design

Introduction to Digital Painting
WDPAINT01 Visual Development: Principles of Design
Introduction to
Digital Painting
The character, creature, environment, and
background designs that determine the look
and feel of your favorite movies, TV shows,
Concept Art Workshops
and games all started with a painting! Learn the
basics of what makes a successful painting and
how to apply these skills to your own career path.
Storytelling is essential in any visual medium,
and you’ll learn to use your digital paint brush to
share your own characters and stories.

WVISDEV01
Visual Development:
Principles of Design
Vis Dev Artists—also called Concept Artists—
determine the tone and mood for all the
characters and environments in a film, TV show,
or game. Visual Development Artists have a huge
impact across the entire entertainment industry,
from animation, to live-action films, to video
games, and beyond! In this workshop you’ll get
started with the basics.
Compare Animation Mentor to Other Schools
 Your Destiny
Apply to the School

Your Destiny.
Character Animation Workshops and
Courses Creatures
Start your epic animation journey Focus or round out your animation
with Character Animation Courses knowledge and learn new skills in less
and learn from the pros at Pixar, time with our 6-week workshops.
DreamWorks Animation, and Industrial
Light & Magic.

Apply Now! Learn More