Young Animator of the Year Awards Are Back for 2026

Young Animator of the Year Awards 2026

The Young Animator of the Year Awards are back, with a remit to foster and encourage emerging animation talent in the UK. 

This free nationwide competition invites young animators aged 11-22 to showcase their skills in stop-motion, 2D or 3D animation. The deadline is 1 Sept 2026. 

The successful winning films will premiere in November at the Manchester Animation Festival, the UK’s largest animation event.  As always, we encourage our students here at Escape Studios to enter competitions like this one. 

Free Webinar "Test Before You Invest" on 26 May 2026

Tuesday 26th May: webinar on creative entrepreneurship 

Join us on Tuesday 26th May at 6:00pm BST for a free webinar on creative entrepreneurship with Escape Studios tutor Glyn Fairweather. 

Find out how successful creative entrepreneurs minimise their risk and test their ideas before committing significant resources. 

Got an idea for a startup? Find out how to stress test your project. 

Escapee Nick Criucovcenco Joins Framestore

Nick Criucovcenco joins Framestore

Many congratulations to Escapee Nick Criucovcenco who joined Framestore’s Immersive department as an intern after graduating from Escape Studios, and later moved into a Technical Artist role.  

Storyboards Evening Class Returns 23 June 2026

Our Evening Class in

Giles & Rupert's Prehistoric Predicament - Storyboards

Storyboarding returns on 23 June 2026.  This evening class in storyboarding is an online class, taught from 7-10pm, and runs for ten weeks.

Storyboarding is a growing area of the animation industry; one which has recorded significant skills shortages in recent years.

Our storyboard students have gone on to successful careers at studios such as Walt Disney, Brown Bag Films and Blue Zoo Animation.

Undergraduate Open Day on Saturday 20th June 2026

Undergraduate Open Day on Saturday 20th June 2026

Escape Studios is hosting a new Undergraduate Open Day on Saturday 20th June 2026. There are two sessions available: Morning: 10:30am - 1:00pm, Afternoon: 1:30pm - 4:00pm.  Escape Studios' Open Days are a chance to find out about our undergraduate degrees.

A J Bleyer and The Future of AI in Film

A J Bleyer and The Future of AI in Film

At the "Adobe Next Live" event last week at London's Tate Modern, software giant Adobe presented their insights into changing technology and how educators and creatives can take advantage of the big changes currently facing the creative industries.  

LA-based Commercials director A J Bleyer explored "The Future of AI in Film", using Adobe Firefly.

Undergraduate (UG) Taster Day 16 May 2026

Undergraduate (UG) Taster Day on Saturday 16 May 2026

Join us on on Saturday 16 May 2026 for our next Undergraduate (UG) Taster Day for an introduction to our undergraduate degrees in animation, games and vfx.  Come along and find out what it's like to study at Escape Studios. 

Int'l Student Webinar Wednesday 13th May 2026

International Student webinar on Wed13th May 2026 

Join us for our International Student webinar on Wednesday 13th May 2026 (from 12pm to 1.30pm) for a chance to learn more about our creative degrees, discuss student visas and answer questions in a Q&A session.  To sign up or learn more about the event, follow this link. 

Escape Studios Visits Electric Theatre Collective

Escape Students Visit Electric Theatre Collective 

Many thanks to our industry partners Electric Theatre Collective (ETC) for hosting our students at their Brick lane premises.  

ETC have been generously mentoring our final year students on their graduation projects, helping our students to strive for industry standards of quality. 

MoGraph Evening Class Returns 7 July 2026

Our Motion Graphics 12 Week Evening Class returns on 7 July 2026.  The course is taught by experienced industry professionals, and aims to prepare students for careers in the motion graphic and motion design industries.

The market for skilled motion designers has never been bigger, and London is host to the world’s largest motion design community.   To find out more, visit the official course page here.

Adobe Next at Tate Modern - AI and Creativity

Technology Evangelist Emily Bisset at Adobe Next Live

At today's "Adobe Next Live" event at London's Tate Modern, software giant Adobe have been presenting their insights into changing technology and how educators and creatives can take advantage of the big changes currently facing the creative industries.  

"Technology Evangelist" Emily Bissett gave the keynote speech exploring how creatives can learn from and embrace the change.  She was followed by Laura Jordan-Bambach, founder and CCO of the creative agency "Uncharted".

Escapee Jordan Roles Joins Framestore

Escapee Jordan Roles joins Framestore 

Many congratulations to Escapee Jordan Roles who has joined the VFX house Framestore as an Environment TD.   Jordan Roles completed an MA in Visual Effects at Escape Studios, graduating with a Distinction. 

The Art of Creating Believable Characters 6 May 2026

"The Art of Creating Believable Characters" Wed 6 May

Join us for a free webinar with Escape Studios tutor Aidan Lonergan on "The Art of Creating Believable Characters" on Wednesday 6th May at noon, via Zoom.  Learn about the theory of character design, what makes a character design special, and how to create your own unique characters.

Studio Visit to Framestore 22 May 2026

Escape Studios visit to Framestore

We're delighted to announce a new studio visit to the London VFX house Framestore for our second year undergraduate animation students. 

This studio visit has been co-ordinated with Escapee Ana Erbasu who studied the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios, graduating Master of Arts, and went on to join Framestore as an animator. 

The studio visit takes place on Friday 22 May from 11am to 2pm at 28 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1LB. 

"Producing 2D Animation" for the Animation Library

We've acquired a copy of Producing Independent 2D Character Animation by Mark Simon for the Animation Library at Escape Studios.   

Producing Independent 2D Character Animation is an important resource for any of our students interested in the production side of creating 2D animation.

Producing animation is an increasingly important part of what we teach at Escape Studios, as our students collaborate on short film projects, entering festivals and winning awards.

Being a successful animator isn't just about being good at animation; you also need to understand how group projects work, and learn how to collaborate with other artists in a studio environment.

Many Escapees have gone on to fill production roles at animation, games and VFX studios in recent years. 

Producing for VFX Returns 23 June 2026

Producing for VFX returns on 24 March 2026

Our Evening Class in Producing for VFX is back, starting on 23 June 2026.  Producing for VFX is an eight week evening class, taught two nights a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-10pm). 

Producing for VFX is designed to give students a thorough understanding of how the VFX production pipeline works, and how to apply it in practice.  VFX Producers and Line Producers remain a critical skills gap in industry. 

Character Design Evening Class Returns 24 June 2026

Character Design by Luzia Soares

Our 2D Character Design evening class returns to Escape Studios on 24 June 2026. 

Character Design is an eight week evening class taught by industry veterans.

Steve guides students through the principles of character design, building up to an industry brief.

3D Animation Evening Class Returns 23 June 2026

Chameleon by Dave Novis 

Our 3D Animation Evening Class runs for 20 weeks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 7-10pm, and is taught online by veteran animator Matteo Sanna.

Students start with basic exercises and build towards an industry-ready demo reel.

The 3D Animation Evening Class returns on 23 June 2026. 

Escapee Emily Newton Joins Untold Studios

Emily Newton joins London VFX house Untold Studios 

Many congratulations to Escapee Emily Newton who has joined the London VFX house Untold Studios.  

Emily Newton studied the Art of VFX at Escape Studios, contributing to a number of award-winning short films including "AFK" and "Odd Socks". 

"An Evening With..." Neil Boyle & "Kensuke's Kingdom" on 19 May 2026 at 5.30pm

Join us on Tuesday 19th May at 5.30pm for our latest "An Evening With..." event - with Neil Boyle, director of the BAFTA-nominated 2D animated feature film "Kensuke's Kingdom" released in 2023. 

Neil Boyle will talk about the making of Kensuke's Kingdom, and also discuss the state of 2D animation in the UK and - as always - explore the latest opportunities for Escapees and recent graduates.  Note that this in-person event is open to our currently enrolled students only.