Studio AKA and The Future of Animation

Philip Hunt, Marcus Armitage and Kevin Richards

On Tuesday 12 May animator and director Philip Hunt, the creative director and founder of the Emmy and BAFTA-winning Studio AKA, and Marcus Armitage, animation director at Studio AKA, gave a talk to students at Escape Studios in London. 

Studio AKA is one of London's most innovative animation studios, and one of our long-standing industry partners.   Philip Hunt and Marcus Armitage talked about the work of Studio AKA, the current state of UK animation - and how animation graduates can flourish in a rapidly-changing industry. 

Festivus is Back Thursday 11 June in London

Festivus is back in London on Thursday 11th June from 6pm at the Betjeman Arms on the Euston Road, N1C 4QL. 

London's regular animation networking event is an opportunity for our students and recent graduates to get to know people in the animation industry, find out who is hiring, and where the jobs are. 

Festivus is all about meeting people in our industry, networking, and - of course - enjoying a drink with friends.

Festivus is an opportunity to meet people from animation studios in the UK and overseas, see what job opportunities there are, and maybe even get some showreel feedback.

London Animation Club Returns 27 April 2026

London Animation Club meetup on Monday 27 April 2026

Calling all our London-based students and alumni! Why not come to the next London Animation Club meetup on Monday 27 April 2026 at The Green Man pub, 36 Riding House St at 7.30pm.

To find out more, visit the London Animation Club Facebook page here. 

London Animation Club is Back Monday 23 Feb

London Animation Club meetup on 23 February 2026

Calling all our London-based students and alumni! Why not come to the next London Animation Club meetup on 23 February 2026 at The Green Man pub, 36 Riding House St at 7.30pm.

To find out more, visit the London Animation Club Facebook page here. 

Happy Birthday Blue Zoo!

Blue Zoo 25th Anniversary Party

Last week the BAFTA-winning animation studio Blue Zoo celebrated their 25th birthday with a huge party that brought together past and present team members, collaborators, and friends of the studio.

The event celebrated a quarter-century of award-winning creativity, from groundbreaking children’s TV shows to acclaimed commercials.  

Blue Zoo has mentored many Escape Studios' animation students at both undergraduate and graduate level, and many Animation Apprentice graduates have begun their animation careers at Blue Zoo.

Aardman Workshop at Cartoon Museum 30 Oct 2024

Feathers McGraw modelling workshop 30th Oct 2024

Aardman animation are coming back to London's Cartoon Museum, bringing a "Feathers McGraw" model making workshop on Wednesday 30th October 2024.

The Cartoon Museum is welcoming Aardman Animation to celebrate the Thirtieth Anniversary of Wallace & Gromit, The Wrong Trousers.

You can make your own "Feathers McGraw" character to take home with you, assisted by Aardman Animation's own modelmakers. 

"A Moment in Time" at the BFI on 22 Sept 2024

A Moment in Time at the BFI Sunday 22 September 2024

Richard Williams' unfinished masterpiece The Thief and the Cobbler - A Moment in Time - will be screened at the BFI on Sunday 22 September 2024, with a Q&A with producer Imogen Sutton.

To buy tickets to see this rarely-screened (only the 3rd UK screening) unfinished film, follow the link to the BFI website here.

"Young Animator of the Year" Awards Closes 4 Sept

Young Animator of the Year Competition

There is still time to enter the Young Animator of the Year Competition.  The Competition, created by Access VFX and supported by Screen Skills, BAFTA and the BAA Awards, is judged by professional animators, winning films will be announced and premiered at

Entry must be completed by September 4th. You can find more about it here: https://younganimator.uk/competition #animation #YAYUK

VFX Festival in London 9-10 March 2022

VFX Festival 2022

Escape Studios' VFX Festival is back in London from 9-10 March 2022. This year the VFX Festival is taking place as a hybrid event, both online and also in person.

Escape Studios will host the event at their midTown Campus at 190 High Holborn, also streaming the events for a live online audience.

To book your tickets, follow this link to thevfxfestival.com.

Get Ready for Cartoon Movie 8-10 March 2022

Cartoon Movie, the pitch-fest for animated films, is now taking applications.  The Deadline to submit a feature film project to Cartoon Movie is 17 November 2021. 

Cartoon Movie takes place in Bordeaux from 8-10 March 2022, and is now open for applications.

Animation Careers Event on 5 August 2021

We're recommending that all our animation students and recent graduates sign up for this free Animation and Careers Event on 5th August at 4.30pm.

Hosted by Escape Studios, this free online Animation Careers Evening includes animation industry leaders Blue Zoo and Jellyfish Pictures.   To sign up for this free event, follow this link.

James Baxter Animation Webinar 30 June

James Baxter

On 30 June at 6pm Escape Studios is hosting a live animation webinar with legendary Disney and DreamWorks animator James Baxter.  

The event is free, and we are recommending that all our students register and sign up. 

James began his animation career on Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and has since worked on dozens of animated films.  

Cartoon Springboard 2021

Save the date! Submissions will open soon for Cartoon Springboard, the annual pitching event that takes place from October 27-29 in Valencia, Spain. 

Successful projects will pitch to industry delegates, including producers, broadcasters and sales agents, as our students seek ways to capitalise on the festival success of their films. 

Webinar with Disney Writer Evgenia Golubeva

Evgenia Golubeva

Join me on 13th August at Noon for an animation webinar with Evgenia Golubeva, one of my former students, who is now a writer at Disney Animation.

In this free webinar I'll be asking Evgenia some questions about her remarkable career in animation.

Evgenia is an award-winning animator, writer and director who is currently working as a writer at Walt Disney Animation in London.

Evgenia took my animation course, and has since forged a career as a writer and independent film-maker, entering her animated films in festivals around the world and winning international prizes for her work. You can sign up for the webinar here.

"Charlie & Yip" in Neum Film Festival

My short film "Charlie and Yip" is a finalist in the Neum Animated Film Festival which runs from June 27th to July 2nd.

Charlie and Yip is a short film about a kid who takes his pet to school for Show and Tell, which turns out to be a bad idea. It's a really a teaser for my indie feature film project "My Haunted House", which is still in development.

Funding feature films isn't easy in the current business climate, but it's important to remember that, despite all the troubles caused by the Corona virus, the animation industry continues to thrive.

Even as live action shoots have been closed down around the globe, animation keeps on going, as studios have moved to a purely online business model.

Animation Industry Post-Covid 19 - Free Webinar

Paul Wilkes - Technicolor

Tomorrow Friday 17th April at 12.30pm Escape Studios is hosting a free "work fitness" webinar. The webinar, with a panel of six industry guests, will focus on networking in the animation, games and VFX industries, and what the work landscape will look like once the Corona Pandemic is behind us.

At "Work Fit Townhall: Networking Part 2" Escape Studios will engage in a virtual conversation about making and nurturing professional networks in the Covid-19 era.

Subjects will include soft skills, networking - and (of course) how to find work in a disrupted industry. As ever, we recommend that our students attend events like this one - which is completely free.

Cartoon Forum 2020: Deadline 6 May

Cartoon Forum 2020

Cartoon Forum is Europe's biggest TV pitch-fest for animation, and takes place in Toulouse, France, from 14 – 17 September.

If you have an idea for a TV series in your head, Cartoon Forum is the place to pitch it.

The deadline to submit your series project this year is 6 May. So, you have a little more time to sharpen your pencils, fill out some forms - and make your pitch perfect.

BYOA In London Tonight 17 February

BYOA

BYOA (Bring Your Own Animation) is back - taking place in London on Monday 17th February.

Organised by the London chapter of SIGGRAPH, BYOA is an animation event that takes place every month at a pub in central London, always on the third Monday of the month, and almost always at the same location.

This month BYOA is taking place in a new location, The Newman Arms, Fitzrovia, near Goodge St and Tottenham Court Road Tube stations.

For any of our students or recent graduates in the neighbourhood, BYOA is a great way to get feedback on your reel.

How to Get Ahead in Animation - Tonight

Tonight in London the Royal Television Society (RTS) are hosting a free event titled "How To Get Ahead in Animation".

A panel of animators will discuss the wide variety of options open to those with a passion for animation.

Members of the panel during this event will share stories of their careers, the highs points (and the low points) and how to land that crucial first job in the industry.  To book your free place visit https://rts.org.uk/event/how-get-ahead-animation for more details.

Stratostorm Animation Comes to London

Tomorrow night in London the founders of Stratostorm are making a presentation about the creation of their award-winning animation company.

The event takes place at Escape Studios, and is completely free. As always, we recommend our students attend events like this one; it is a great opportunity to find out how the industry works and also an opportunity to develop industry contacts.