program paths
HAA is a Certified Proprietary School with the State of Missouri.
Where Animation Tradition Meets the Future of Animation.
We offer three paths for aspiring animators designed to provide instruction levels ranging from beginner to the highest level skill and polish for graduates and professionals.
Below you will find a description of all of our programs both in person and online. If you have any questions feel free to ask by text or email anytime.
exploratory path:
INTRODUCTORY PROGRAMS
“Every legendary animator started exactly where you are — with a dream and a pencil. The only question is: What do you do next?”
INTRODUCTORY online COURSES
Live Instruction | Online Only | 6-Week Classes
There is no better way to learn if animation is the career path for you than to try one of our Introduction to Animation courses. Choose a 2D or 3D class. 3D requires no drawing.
Students will learn:
How to animate characters they love
What it takes to become a pro animator
How to design and create characters
How to storyboard a scene
Classes are taught live online, one night per week for 6 weeks. Most online animation schools provide recorded lessons with limited instructor feedback. We help our students live every time!
Click the button below to read specifics about these popular beginner to intermediate level classes!
professional skill-building path:
CERTIFICATE PROGRAMs
Two YEAR ANIMATION CERTIFICATE
Taught in person with limited online seats | 9:30 to 5:30 Monday - Friday Now enrolling for Fall 2026 | Enroll by June 1
Early Commitment Scholarship Information
Our Two-Year Animation Certificate program is at the core of Hollywood Animation Academy. It is an intensive, studio-focused course of study designed to help students build real professional skills through sustained practice and professional feedback. Learning animation to a professional level takes time, focus, and strong guidance. You cannot expect to be competitive in today’s job market through one semester of training per subject. HAA goes 4 courses deep in animation and story in this program.
The curriculum includes rich foundational animation coursework and includes both 2D animation and 3D workflows. Students also receive instruction in character design, storyboarding, and filmmaking from real working studio animators. There is no comparison to learning from mentors who have made the shows you want to work on.
We teach the most needed skills commonly hired across animation, film, and game production.
By the end of the program, students leave with a body of work that reflects their effort, growth, and a portfolio that demonstrates readiness for entry level professional roles within a range of studio types. Skill development is directly tied to consistency and work ethic, with clear expectations throughout the program.
3D Animation Only Path
We encourage students without intermediate drawing skills to learn 3D animation only. This is for students who want to pursue character animation and filmmaking in the movie and gaming industries.
mastercraft | Advanced Portfolio Development
““If you are offered the opportunity to do something that you don’t know how to do- say yes, dive in and do it anyway””
MASTERCRAFT program
Taught online with live instruction | 3:30 to 5:00 Tuesday + Thursdays. Now enrolling for Fall 2026 | Core or Complete Track | Enroll by June 1
Advanced Portfolio Development
For students ready to move beyond foundational training, Mastercraft provides advanced, studio-level portfolio development that takes animators and story artists to major studio levels. Work is focused on the areas of greatest interest to the student, with enrollment in either the 3D Character Animation Track or the 2D Storyboard & Visual Storytelling Track.
Mastercraft is designed to be flexible to accommodate HAA grads and professionals who want to change career tracks, graduates of traditional four-year university programs who need to acquire professional portfolio work.
Students may enroll in the Core Track (one day a week) or continue through the Complete Track (two days a week), based on their level of commitment and desired pace. Both tracks are taught live by working industry artists and require a time commitment of 2 days a week of project work per class.
The Complete Track includes Career Launchpad, supporting portfolio presentation and job application readiness. A mentor will walk you through applying for jobs, refining your website and reels, writing cover letters, networking and interviewing. A huge asset for artists entering the professional world!