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California Institute of the Arts

BFA: Experimental Animation

School of Film/Video

Student working on stop-motion animation film.

Joan Hui Ko works on their stop-motion thesis film, Sweet Tooth.

Progressive concepts, professional practices

Intellectually demanding and aesthetically innovative, CalArts’ four-year Experimental Animation program immerses students in a curriculum ranging from traditional practices to contemporary digital techniques. Joining a legacy of internationally renowned, award-winning filmmakers who are widely credited with helping to define the art of animation as we know it, you’ll add your personal vision for what film can be within the ever-expanding parameters of animation.

A stop-motion film set depicting a farmhouse, barn, windmill, and tractor.

Experimental Animation film set by Jesse Korson.

Expand your vision through your practice

BFA Experimental Animation

Our internationally renowned program, uniquely located among programs that span the full range of visual and performing arts, encourages exploration, experimentation, and redefinition of the possibilities of what animation can be.

Let’s connect

The four-year BFA program in Experimental Animation emphasizes the creative development of a personal aesthetic in an interdisciplinary, artist-centered environment. Prior experience in animation is helpful but not required, and all students take courses in a broad range of animation approaches, which provides a foundation in animation techniques and concepts for you to expand upon. From handmade practices such as 2D drawing and working directly on film, to computer animation and pre-visualization skills, our courses blend practical knowledge with creative practice and critique, allowing for a detailed examination of animation art.

Mentoring is central to the CalArts experience, and you’ll work closely with a mentor from the Experimental Animation faculty throughout the program. Other members of our accomplished faculty will advise and guide you as both you and your faculty experiment with and extend your own unique artistic visions. Visiting artists provide critiques and perspectives on current animation practices, and recruitment professionals come to campus annually to review student portfolios and to offer internships and employment at leading animation studios. As a BFA student, you’ll be encouraged to study abroad in one of the program’s exchange opportunities.

To graduate, all BFA Experimental Animation students must pass a graduation review, ensuring that you leave the program as a skilled and confident animation artist, ready to make your mark in the industry.

Admission requirements

To be considered for the BFA Experimental Animation program, you must complete an application and all program-specific requirements, including an artist statement, portfolio, a brief video introduction, additional written materials, and two letters of recommendation. Before applying, please familiarize yourself with the detailed application requirements and resources available to assist you in this important process. 

Application Requirements

Degree requirements

The BFA in Experimental Animation emphasizes the creative development of a personal aesthetic in an interdisciplinary, artist-centered environment. Prior experience in animation is helpful to students entering the Program, but all students take courses in a broad range of animation approaches, which provide a foundation in animation techniques and concepts from which to expand upon. 

Each student develops a course of study in consultation with their faculty mentor, and other members of the Institute’s accomplished faculty as they experiment with and extend their own unique artistic visions. BFA students are especially encouraged to study abroad in one of the Program’s exchange opportunities. All BFA Experimental Animation students are required to pass a Graduation Review in order to complete the Program.

View BFA Character Animation academic requirements

In addition to work in your specific program, all undergraduate students must complete requirements in general education, which we call Critical Studies. This liberal arts curriculum is designed to enable students to consider aesthetic questions within larger socio-cultural, ethical, and political contexts.    

View Critical Studies requirements

Minors and interdisciplinary opportunities

CalArts offers students the chance to pursue additional interests alongside your chosen discipline, such as a minor in Digital Arts, Critical Studies, or Arts Education.

Learn more about minors and interdisciplinary opportunities 

Courses you might take

What courses would you take as an Experimental Animation student? From handmade practices such as 2D drawing and working directly on film, to computer animation and pre-visualization skills—courses blend practical knowledge with creative practice and critique, allowing for a detailed examination of animation art.

See Experimental Animation courses

Explore The School of Film/Video course catalog

Meet the faculty

At CalArts, faculty and students are collaborators, teaching, learning, and working together as members of our community of artists. 

What will you make?

Get inspired

Each year, students screen their work in the Experimental Animation Showcase, which took place in 2024 at REDCAT, CalArts’ downtown LA center for visual and performing arts.

Stop-motion animation of an ant eater sitting at a diner

Still from Phoebe Jane Hart’s (MFA 23) “Bug Diner,” winner of the Best Animated Short prize at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Some of our alumni

  • Peter Chung (81), animation director and designer, creator of AEon Flux
  • Jorge Gutiérrez (MFA 00, BFA 97), animation writer-director (The Book of Life), creator of El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera; Emmy Award winner
  • Glen Keane (74), animation maestro, character designer and supervising animator; Winsor McCay Lifetime Achievement Award; Disney Legend
  • Mark Kirkland (BFA 78), animation director (The Simpsons); three-time Primetime Emmy Award winner
  • Mark Osborne (BFA 92), animation director (Kung Fu Panda, The Little Prince)
  • Allison Schulnik (BFA 00), painter, stop-motion filmmaker
  • Steven Subotnick (MFA 86, BFA 84), experimental animation artist
  • Brian Gothong Tan (BFA 05), commercial director, multimedia performance designer

More School of Film/Video alumni

When Jorge Gutiérrez was admitted to CalArts, he resolved to stand out with his work ethic: “I’m just gonna outwork everybody.” His efforts were rewarded with a Student Emmy Award for his stop-motion thesis film “Carmelo,” which led him to begin pitching an outline of The Book of Life to different studios. He was advised to create a series before a full film, finding bursts of success with projects like his 2011 short “El Macho,” which earned 20,000 views in one night.  

As he said on a recent return to campus, “The work matters more than the results, and I love work. I love making things.” 

Jorge R. Gutiérrez, wearing a straw hat, speaks into a microphone to students in a small auditorium
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We’re number one … every year

Animation Career Review ranked CalArts first in every eligible category—six of them—for 2024, marking more than a dozen years we’ve held that honor.  

People look at animation drawings displayed on a table in a crowded room during a portfolio fair

Promo video by Josh Shaffner (MFA 15)

Gallery

Want to learn more?

We got you. Our Admissions team is all about providing the information you need to decide if CalArts is right for you. We’re excited to connect with you for a tour of our legendary campus, a virtual info session, or at one of our admissions events across the country or around the world. Take the next step—we’re here to help.