At SVA, you not only have a carefully designed palette of courses within animation, but also the resources the Fine Arts, Illustration and Computer Art departments of a college that has been in the forefront of the arts for decades.

Our animation program is not only the largest on the East Coast, but also the one most noted for developing animators with their own styles and strengths. Our instructors are experienced and respected experts, drawn from the ranks of New York’s vital animation industry. They will show you how it’s done, share their insight—and make sure you do it your own way. You will become a connoisseur of animation styles—from McCay to Miyazaki—while developing your own aesthetic.

•  You will gain an unparalleled foundation in drawing (life drawing and animal), anatomy, movement, composition and color.
•  Your focus will be on character and storytelling, assisted by top-notch screenwriters and actors, and work with cutting-edge software in our state-of-the-art facilities.
•  You can learn Photoshop, Flash, Maya, After Effects, Toon Boom and Director. You’ll work in our HD digital compositing lab and in our Pro Tools recording studio to design sound, create sound effects and mix soundtracks.
• You’ll have extraordinary-opportunities for internships and employment before and after graduation because of our special relationships with alumni-owned studios, like Titmouse, Plympton and Augenblick.

Your experience builds to your thesis animation, which will debut at the Dusty Film and Animation Festival—before an audience of industry insiders as well as friends and family. Cartoon Brew has called the best of our thesis animation “jaw-droppingly spectacular.”

SVA animation students and graduates have won international awards and are the stars of nearly every major animation festival, including ASIFA. Our graduates work in well-known studios and companies, and have pioneered some of the most successful startups and companies of their own.