Animation

Discuss, share content and offer advice or tips regarding technique, trends, software, advice, tips and all other pertinent issues related to animation

We're Building a Creative Army (And We Want You In It)

We're Building a Creative Army (And We Want You In It)

Week 2: Bring Two

This week's prize: a FREE Stage 32 Pitch Session. A live pitch to a working executive with notes and feedback on your project. Hone your pitch under real conditions, gain professional insight from someone who knows today's market, and expose your work to a working pro who can ask to read more if the project interests them.

WEEK 2: BRING TWO
Monday, September 7 through Sunday, September 13

Your mission: personally invite two friends or collaborators who haven't joined Stage 32 yet. A text, an email, a DM. The two people you'd actually want in your corner here. You can send invites at https://www.stage32.com/invite

To claim your Pitch Session, comment on the Week 2 Creative Army post and tell us who you're bringing into the fold. Ashley will send your code directly. Prefer to keep it private? Email Community@Stage32.com instead. One prize per member per week.

Week 2 post: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/producing/Why-Your-Creative-Community-Is-Your-Career-Creative-Army-Drive-WEEK-2

The Creative Army Drive runs all September. Five weeks, five missions, a prize every single week, and a Grand Prize drawing at the end for members who complete three or more: a FREE Stage 32 Career Development Call.


Liked by Shaxrizoda Taniqulova and 5 others

Joshua Powell
Stage 32 Animation World Cup — Pixar: Round 1: Part 2

(2) Toy Story vs. (7) Monsters, Inc.

Toy Story — The film that changed animation forever. Woody, Buzz, friendship, jealousy, growing up, and the beginning of one of Pixar’s defining franchises.

Monsters, Inc. — A wildly creative world built around screams, anchored by the friendship between Mike and...

Expand post

Geoff Dickheiser

Toy Story by a mile.

George Ruiz

MONSTERS, INC. I love TOY STORY.

Laurie Ashbourne

What are the parameters? Monsters has a lot going for it from a pure entertainment (animation, production, and character perspective). Toy Story obviously changed the face of animation, and was ground...

Expand comment
Edward Hawley

Toy Story. The GOAT.

Alan Raum

Toy Story — because it showed how original characters and a unique world can grow into a lasting family franchise.

Liked by Federico Alerta and 3 others

Cyrus Sales
I guess the moral of this story is… just release it?

A low-budget animated film about a cow called Niu Lai somehow went from barely making an impact at the box office to becoming a viral sensation in China. Now theaters are adding screenings and because the film didn’t even have an official press kit, some theaters are literally drawing their own post...

Expand post

Cyrus Sales

Bob Harper Absolutely! I’ve learned that with my own content too, sometimes you just have to release it and let the audience find you. Release it and they shall come!...

Expand comment
Kevin Jackson

Don't wait for permission.

Wyman Brent

Cyrus Sales, I certainly did not intend to put pressure on anyone. I am excited about the future, but do understand that things take time. The important thing is to get it right instead of rushing thr...

Expand comment
Cyrus Sales

Kevin Jackson Exactly.

Cyrus Sales

Wyman Brent I understand, and I didn’t mean to imply that you were putting pressure on anyone. I was simply highlighting the differences between the two situations. I’m excited about the future too, a...

Expand comment

Liked by Federico Alerta and one other

Jason McArdle
BOTCO WIP Fenra

Animation has to be one of the hardest things I've done in my life. I feel like I'm getting better, but at the same time it just doesn't look as good as I want xD Is this a normal feeling for any animators? https://youtube.com/shorts/OsA8rCXuLXA?si=uHFl3gIZZMPejqBy...

Expand post

BOTCO WIP - Fenra
BOTCO WIP - Fenra
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
Jason McArdle

Kevin Jackson Sure, any tips to help I'd be grateful for as long as it's not AI-related please xD

Kevin Jackson

No, not AI related LOL. That wouldn't be a tip. That would be an opinion. And it wouldn't be animating; it would be generating. You are trying to learn to animate not generate.

I am noticing a lot of m...

Expand comment
Kevin Jackson

Are you using Poser for the characters and Blender for animation?

Jason McArdle

Kevin Jackson Thank you for the advice. I’ll try to adjust it. It’s very hard, though they always seem to come out robotic. But what you’re saying does make sense it’s just about adding those little d...

Expand comment
Jason McArdle

Kevin Jackson And I animate everything in Daz. I do wish I had learned Blender, though, as I’ve been told it has better animation tools.

Mike Boas
Who submits their animation to film festivals?

I have found it to be a great experience to show my work at festivals, especially when I can attend and talk with other filmmakers and audiences. I'd recommend submitting to fests, and find ones in your area where you can go in person.

I frequently recommend festivals to my students, and now my colle Expand post

Clarke Keaton

Mike Boas I really like this question because I think animation sometimes gets put into a strange box when it comes to festivals. A lot of general film festivals will have an animation category, but t...

Expand comment
Bob Harper

My latest short has been accepted into 16 festivals, with four wins so far. If nothing else, they serve as a litmus test for whether your concept appeals to some audience.

Maurice Vaughan

Congratulations to you and everyone who worked on the short, Bob Harper!

Kevin Jackson

I have not submitted in a while but I am working on some new stuff for 2027

Kevin Jackson
Have you been pitching your animated project?

Have you been pitching your animation project?

And I don't mean thinking about pitching it, tweaking the deck for the 47th time, or waiting until everything is “perfect.” Have you actually put your project in front of producers, studios, investors, broadcasters, streamers, or potential partners? If y...

Expand post

Chase Carmichael

I'm just focusing on writing more animation pilots involving bipedal animals. I'm considering doing a space opera like Star Wars based philosophy featuring seven foxes based on a rainbow. But it takes...

Expand comment
Maurice Vaughan
Chase Carmichael

Maurice Vaughan Thank you for mentioning and I purchased the free webinar. Now I can focus on that webinar either shortly or sooner.

Maurice Vaughan

You're welcome, @Chase. Hope you feel better soon and that webinar helps you with your pitches!

Bob Harper

I'm done with pitching. I'm all abbout producing - no more waiting for "permission" to do my thang!

Kevin Jackson
14 years in the making Solo hand drawn animated feature
Michel Gagné's Long-Awaited 'The Saga Of Rex' Trailer
Michel Gagné's Long-Awaited 'The Saga Of Rex' Trailer
'The Iron Giant,' 'Ratatouille,' and 'Spider-Verse' veteran Michel Gagné created, directed, and animated the 60-minute feature almost entirely by himself.
Joshua Powell

Kevin Jackson I saw this!!! I got chills. Seriously, this looks so good! I cannot wait to see it. Thanks for posting Kevin!

Bob Harper

Michel is one of the greats! He's a nice guy too!

Chikadibia Uchegbu
Introducing My Animated Series “The Naija Kids

Hi everyone! I’m developing an animated multiverse comedy series called The Naija Kids

The show follows ten Nigerian‑American siblings living in Queens whose scientist parents invent the QUADNAV, a machine that lets them travel to alternate realities (superhero worlds, zombie apocalypses, anime unive...

Expand post

Bob Harper

Do you have any visuals to show?

William Goeyns
What Makes an Animated World Feel Truly Alive?

A city can float. A character can transform mid-scene. Mythology can become physical. Color, movement, sound, and design can tell parts of the story before a single line of dialogue is spoken.
That freedom fa Expand post

Kyle Chavira

Okay, so my favorite moments in animation are the ones that can really express a character's emotions through the world itself. A warrior struggling with people seeing him as useless gets chi-blocked...

Expand comment
William Goeyns

Exactly. That’s when animation hits different. It’s not just showing movement, it’s showing emotion through the rules of the world. One limp arm can tell you the character’s confidence got crushed, th...

Expand comment
Bob Harper

Backgrounds that have a personality and characters that actually interact with the elements of their surroundings instead of just standing around waiting to talk.

Kevin Jackson
Which country or region do you think is producing the most interesting animation right now?

We all think about the US and Japan, when it comes to animation but are they making the most interesting animations right now? Which other regions should we be looking at?

Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

I don’t know about right now but I saw some Russian animations from the 1970s that looked pretty cool. Otherwise I’m gonna be biased as hell and say Japan lol

Bob Harper

Europe always has solid animation, like Spain and France.

Joshua Powell
The Stage 32 Animation World Cup — Disney Classics: Round 1, Part 2

(4) Aladdin vs. (5) Lilo & Stitch

This one feels especially tough because these films suceed in very different ways.

Aladdin brings the music, spectacle, comedy, romance, and one of Disney's most unforgettable performances with the Genie, Robin Williams.

Lilo & Stitch is smaller and more intimate, a s...

Expand post

Jaspreet Kaur

Lilo & Stitch for me. Aladdin is iconic, but I love how Lilo & Stitch builds such a big emotional story around loneliness, family, and belonging. The quieter character moments are what stay with me.

Joshua Powell

This was a very close one. Down to the wire. But Aladdin ended up with the near victory! Thank you again for the amazing activity. Check out this weeks round... Toy Story vs. Monsters inc.!

Ashley Renée Smith

Wooohooo, Aladdin!

Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

Aladdin!

Barry Goldblatt

Still going with Aladdin. == B-)

Leonardo Ramirez
Stage 32 Community Open House FREE Webcast: Wednesday, September 23rd at 12pm PT

Join our Head of Community, Ashley Smith as she helps us get the most out of everything Stage 32 has to offer. She’ll walk us through resources available to you, how to use them, and how to build real connections here.

It's free, and registering gets you the full recording even if you can't make it...

Expand post

register for stage 32 Register / Log In