PREMIER ANIMATION SCHOOL FOR DALLAS’ FUTURE ANIMATORS
Forget the average art and animation schools near Dallas churning out predictable portfolios. At Hollywood Animation Academy in Kansas City, we're a step above. We'll equip you with the skills, connections, and industry know-how to make your animation dreams a reality, no matter where you live. So ditch the lengthy and uninspired animation bachelor’s degree and step into a world where your passion and talent takes center stage.
WHAT IS HOLLYWOOD ANIMATION ACADEMY?
While the DFW area is known for its big-city life, Dallas doesn’t offer a top animation school that rivals Hollywood Animation Academy in Kansas City. We offer students an opportunity to learn from an elite group of animation industry professionals, where the focus is solely on learning about the art and industry of animation. Our instructors have worked on the world’s favorite movies, TV shows, and video games, allowing us to offer aspiring animation artists nationwide a premier animation education program. We ensure our students have the training and skills they need to walk confidently through the doors of any professional studio.
Animation studios hire their animators based solely on their portfolio rather than their degree. This means four-year colleges and expensive art schools are obsolete when it comes to landing a promising animation career. Hollywood Animation Academy offers students a two-year program where they complete animation coursework only.
THE NUMBERS LOOK GOOD!
The animation landscape is poised for a 16% growth surge over the next decade, creating an unprecedented wave of creative career opportunities. Imagine yourself at the forefront of this evolution, transforming innovative ideas into captivating characters and immersive worlds, all while getting paid more than $45 an hour for a position in the television, film, or game industry. At Hollywood Animation Academy, we equip our students with the skills and vision to master this dynamic art form and shape the future of animation. Join us and unleash your creative potential in a field where your imagination has no limits.
Job Opportunities & Salaries for Character Animation Artists in the U.S. in 2022:
- Television Animation Artist: Yearly salary of $110,000 to $150,000
- Film Animation Artist: Yearly salary of $92,250 to $120,000
- VFX and Video Game Animation Artist: Yearly salary of $92,250 to $150,000
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Animationguild.org, talent.com, comparibly.com
Hollywood Animation Academy's 2-year animation program is a springboard to animation mastery. We offer up and coming animators from Dallas a deep dive into 2D and 3D animation, game animation,character design, directing, and more, mentored by leading industry icons. Leave our program with the skills, knowledge, and connections to land that animation job you’ve always dreamed of. You don’t need a college degree, and many animation positions start at more than $100K annually!
OUR PROGRAM
LEARN TO MAKE THE THINGS YOU LOVE TO WATCH AND PLAY!
TRAINING
Learn the art of animation alongside award-winning storytellers and animators.
CREATE
Elevate your animation to that of the pros with masterful storytelling, cutting-edge techniques, and captivating characters.
GROW
Collaborate with other talented artists and learn how the real world works, gaining priceless industry experience and training.
BUILD
Your professional-level demo reel will be built with the help of our industry experts.
TAKE YOUR FIRST STEP TOWARD
YOUR DREAM JOB!
Master the art that fuels Hollywood's blockbusters. Dive deep into character design, animation principles, and captivating storytelling with our industry-designed 2-year program. Led by professional faculty, you'll hone your skills through real-world projects and build a portfolio that shines. Developed drawing ability is a must. Test the waters with our online intro classes (for ages 14+) and discover your animation spark.
Gavin Dell
Founder and Lead Instructor
Experience the magic of animation firsthand under the guidance of Gavin Dell, a 30-year veteran who helped breathe life into iconic characters on shows like Bordertown, Central Park, Family Guy, and Scooby-Doo. Dell is also credited for his work on video games including Saints Row IV, Gears of Wars 2, and Silent Hill, as well as television shows and movies including The Pink Panther, X-Men, The Simpsons, Pirates of the Caribbean, Hercules, and more. As a former animator at Warner Bros., Disney, and Pixar, Dell founded Hollywood Animation Academy to empower aspiring artists and fuel the industry's vibrant future. His full credits are available on IMDB.com.
With Hollywood Animation Academy, you can gain hands-on mastery of both 2D and 3D animation, crafting your unique voice in this vibrant, dynamic industry. Stop dreaming of breathing life into your characters—make it your professional reality.
6 reasons to choose HAA for your animation training
- Ditch the Textbook: Gain invaluable insights from industry veterans, hone your skills in a real-world environment, and propel your animation career to new heights.
- Software Skills: We equip our students with cutting-edge software proficiency, ensuring seamless collaboration with top studios.
- Novice to Pro: Get real-world animation skills backed by industry leaders.
- Professional Portfolio: Hollywood Animation Academy's industry-renowned instructors have the inside knowledge of what makes a portfolio shine. Get hands-on mentorship, refine your work, and build a portfolio that grabs attention and lands you interviews at top studios.
- KC Fun: Drawing inspiration from the dynamic energy of the city in which it resides, Hollywood Animation Academy ignites the creative potential within aspiring animators. As one of the most affordable cities to live in the United States and the city where Walt Disney got his start, Kansas City is the perfect place to launch your career in animation.
- Get Ahead: Hollywood Animation Academy equips you for success, fast-tracking your journey into film, games, and television, without the traditional four-year commitment.
Bring your animation dreams to life at Hollywood Animation Academy. Learn from pros, build your career, and unlock your creative potential. Contact us today to learn more about coming to our Kansas City animation school from Dallas and our 2D, 3D, and game animation programs that are enrolling now!
Did you know when you are watching animation 30 frames go by per second? Did you know the voice actors act out the script into recordings for storyboard artists to then be the first to visualize the script? They say animators are actors, only with a pencil, well now they use a lot of different tools. This course will introduce you to the basic fundamentals that make animation work, and where animators fit into the process of making films, games, and television shows. We will discuss the history of animation and see where it is going. It is an eye opening introduction to the magic, the art, and the craft. Great for younger students as well ages 14 up with strong basic computer skills. On the final day of class, you will learn to animate the Iron Giant or Lego Batman!
3D Animation fundamentals will teach you how to use Autodesk Maya to create animation using character rigs. It’s like puppeting your character without drawing! You will learn the basics of weight, posing, timing and movement to create some awesome pieces for your portfolio using characters like the Iron Giant, Homer Simpson, Woody and Buzz and even Spongebob!