Kansas City’s Specialty School
for Animation Careers
Launch your animation career with a studio ready portfolio
WHY HAA EXISTS
Our founder, Gavin Dell, is a Kansas City native who spent decades working in professional animation — and built Hollywood Animation Academy to bring serious, studio-style training back to the Midwest.
Through our focused 1-Year and 2-Year certificate programs, students develop the skills and portfolio strength studios actually evaluate. Studios evaluate applicants based on skill demonstration through their portfolios- not degrees.
Our instructors have worked on major films, games, and television productions — and now train students to build studio-ready animation portfolios aligned with real hiring standards.
Unlike traditional colleges where animation is just one subject, Hollywood Animation Academy focuses exclusively on professional animation training. Our programs are designed by directors and senior artists who have reviewed demo reels, supervised productions, and mentored developing talent.
We train students to produce work strong enough to apply to real studios — not just pass a class.
WHAT MAKES HAA DIFFERENT
Hollywood Animation Academy is a professional animation school built entirely around studio preparation — not general education requirements. Animation is not a department here; it is the entire curriculum.
Instruction is led by working artists with real film, game, and television production experience. Students complete portfolio-ready projects modeled after real studio assignments — not hypothetical classroom exercises.
This is not about prestige. it is measurable portfolio strength and career readiness.
Is ANIMATION YOUR CALLING?
try it and find out
ENROLL BY MARCH 6 FOR OUR SPRING ONLINE COURSES!
Not ready to commit to a full certificate program? Our online animation classes provide a structured, professional introduction to industry-level training.
Discover the thrill of bringing characters to life in our Introduction to Animation courses, available for 2D Animation and 3D Animation.
Meet live online one night a week for 8 weeks, with hands-on access to industry software, learning directly from Hollywood pros, and see your skills grow fast. It’s the perfect starting point for students, creatives, and career-changers alike. Our next online courses begin in early March.
An ideal starting point to experience professional-level animation training before committing to a full certificate path.
Mentored BY INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS
You won’t just learn animation. You’ll train the way professionals train.
Our programs are designed for students serious about pursuing animation as a professional career. Our instructors have worked on major Hollywood films, television series, and games — and bring real production standards into every class. Training at HAA is built around studio workflows, deadlines, and the expectations hiring managers use when reviewing portfolios.
Our Approach
Professional-level skill develops through:
• Clear standards
• Focused repetition and revision
• Direct, honest feedback
• Personal accountability
Students create studio-quality films, game cinematics, and competitive portfolios under the mentorship of working artists.
Those who thrive here aren’t chasing shortcuts. They’re building skill the way studios expect it to be built.
Program Paths
Start where you are. Advance with purpose.
• Introductory Online Classes
• Creative Edge (Intermediate Online)
• 1-Year Foundational Certificate
• 2-Year Professional Certificate
• Mastercraft Completion (Advanced Industry Prep)
Each path leads to a studio-ready portfolio, industry connections, and the professional skill studios hire.
Explore Your Path →
We are proud to show the work our students produced this past year
These are student projects developed under professional- level guidance and studio-style critique.
When students are being taught by instructors who evaluate portfolios for major studios, it gives them direct insight into current industry standards and expectations.
LEARN MORE ABOUT:
REGISTER by march 6TH for our online introductory courses, starting in early MARCH.
Our groundbreaking CREATIVE EDGE intermediate online- program will take you beyond introductory courses and helps you create 3 industry-level portfolio pieces in 14 weeks!
7 REASONS TO CHOOSE HOLLYWOOD ANIMATION ACADEMY FOR YOUR ANIMATION TRAINING:
-
Our staff has more industry experience than any other college animation program in the country. Students need a real professional's experience to help them reach professional levels. Our connections and insight will give you a huge advantage for today's competitive market. Learn about our Faculty
-
Studios value potential employees that have experience on their animation and design software.
-
Our certificate programs are focused 100% on professional animation skills, and has far more depth than any other college teaching animation today. Check out our programs
-
Because our directors were the ones who reviewed portfolios for their teams, they know exactly what you need to succeed.
-
Kansas City is one of the nicest and most affordable cities to live in the US. You will be taught by instructors who have taught at top schools in California and New York for a fraction of the cost. Learn more about Kansas City
-
HAA gets you ready to work in half the time and for less than half of the cost of most colleges.
-
We only allow 12 students per classroom so our students get the quality of attention they deserve.
Congratulations: Our student Savannah Sallee, was recently hired as a storyboard artist at Loud Cloud Animation Studios in Oklahoma City. Go Savannah!