"Spark" Wins "Best Animation" at EE Film Fest

Congratulations to "Spark", the new animated short created at Escape Studios by MA animation student Nimisha Manjunathan, which has won "Best Animation" at the Eastern European Film Festival. 

 "Spark" was written and animated by Nimisha Manjunathan who is studying for her MA in Animation with Escape Studios' animation tutor Lee Caller.  "Spark" tells the story of a girl who dreams of athletic success. 

This is the film's first festival award. 

Toonboom Harmony Evening Class Returns 5 Oct 2026

Evening class in Toonboom Harmony returns 26 March 2026

Our 2D Animation Online Evening class in Toonboom Harmony returns to Escape Studios on 5 October 2026.

Learn the fundamentals of 2D animation over 20 weeks, two evenings a week (Mondays & Thursdays 7-10pm GMT) using Toonboom Harmony, one of the leading software packages for the creation of 2D animation.

The class is taught by experienced industry professionals.

Industry Feedback with Max Howard 14 May 2026

Max Howard

Veteran Animation producer and former Disney executive Max Howard will join us on Thursday 14 May 2026 at Escape Studios, giving feedback to our second year animation students on their short film projects.

Max has many years of experience of animation production, having run animation divisions at Disney, DreamWorks and Warner Bros Feature Animation.

Industry feedback is at the heart of what we do at Escape Studios; one of the Five Pillars of the Escape Method.  Our second year animation students are currently working in groups on their short film projects, part of Module PR5001. 

Undergraduate Open Evening 9 April 2026

UG Open Evening Online via Zoom

Escape Studios is hosting an Online "Open Evening" on Thursday 9th April (online via Zoom).

An Open Day is an opportunity for potential students to find out how they can follow in the footsteps of our award-winning alumni and to find out more about our courses. To sign up, follow this link. 

The Art of Manga Storytelling 8 April 2026

The Art of Manga Storytelling with Elena Vitagliano 8 April

Join us for a free webinar 8 April 2026 at 6pm on The Art of Manga Storytelling with Elena Vitagliano.

Elena Vitagliano was the first European manga artist to be published on Shonen Jump Plus and creator of Miriam of the Skulls.  In this webinar Elena will explain how she developed one of her own manga stories from the initial idea through to the finished page.  She will also do a short live exercise during the session, followed by a Q&A.  To sign up follow this link. 

"Producing Animation" For the Animation Library

We've acquired new copies of "Producing Animation" by Katherine Winder and Zahra Dowlatabadi for the Animation Library at Escape Studios.   

Producing Animation is an important resource for any of our students interested in the production side of creating 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. 

Mock Interviews at Escape Studios 23-24 April

Interview, by Mikkel Okholm and Mikkel Brons-Frandsen

On Thursday 23 April and Friday 24th April we're hosting a series of mock interviews for our animation students at Escape Studios.  

The purpose of mock interviews is to prepare our students for a real-life job interview.  What questions will you be asked? And how should you answer them? What should you say (and also not say)?  Interviews will be held with our industry partners both online over Teams and in person at Escape Studios. 

Freefolk "Futurefolk" Internship is Back for 2026

"Futurefolk" is back, and now accepting applications

VFX House Freefolk has announced that their paid internship scheme, "Futurefolk", is back, and is now accepting applications. 

Freefolk's talent team is now "ready to spot the skill, creativity and enthusiasm required to kick-start the careers of the next generation of VFX stars".  The deadline for submissions is midnight on Friday 17th April 2026.  You can apply via the Freefolk website here.

AnimBot Licenses for Escape Studios Animators

AnimBot for 3rd Yr UG Animators at Escape

Escape Studios has acquired a number of "animbot" licenses.  animbot is a plugin for Maya, formerly known as "aTools", described as a "utility belt" for animators; it helps to speed up the animation workflow with a number of clever tools. 

The animbot licenses are intended for our third year undergraduate animators, helping them to complete their graduation films swiftly and efficiently.

Meet Will Hughes - Talent Development Manager

Will Hughes (4th from right) with Escapees at BlueBolt VFX

Will Hughes is the Talent Development Manager at Escape Studios.  One of Will's key roles is to meet with our students, recent graduates and Escapees to help them to establish their careers in the animation, games and vfx industries. 

At a time of anxiety about opportunities in the creative industries, we asked Will to tell us about his work and what, exactly, he does to support our students and Escapees. 

"Prepare To Board" for the Animation Library

We've acquired new copies of the storyboarding classic Prepare to Board! by Nancy Beiman  - the main book we recommend to our students studying the art of storyboarding here at Escape Studios.  

Prepare to Board! is an excellent book from a master animator and Disney Animation veteran.  We now have several copies in the Animation and VFX Library at Escape Studios. 

Nancy Beiman was a supervising animator at Disney (most notably on Hercules) and (like many 2D animators) she does storyboards and character design as well as animation.

Storyboarding is the vital starting point for all our students' short films; without a solid story few films will enjoy a successful festival career.  

Young Cartoonists of the Year Awards

Young Cartoonists Awards at the Cartoon Museum

Thursday March 26th was awards night for the Young Cartoonists of the Year Awards, the annual competition hosted by the Cartoon Museum and the British Cartoonists' Association. 

This year the YCOTY Awards were presented by cartoonist and BCA Chair Nicola Jennings.  The awards were sponsored by Léonie Wykes-Mahood in memory of her late husband, the cartoonist Ken Mahood. 

"Night Terrors" Wins "Best VFX" in Makizhmithran

"Night Terrors" wins "Best VFX" in Makizhmithran  

Congratulations to the makers of the VFX short film "Night Terrors", which has won "Best VFX" at Makizhmithran Film Festival.  

Directed by Erminas Surgautas and produced by Xhoana Tola, "Night Terrors" was a collaboration between undergraduate animation students and VFX students at Escape Studios, working together to create an original story.  

The Art Director was Ruby Ebbs, Yusuf Saddique was the 2D VFX Lead, and Samuel Greer was the 3D VFX Lead.  This is its third festival award. 

Escape Studios 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus

Our brand-new Undergraduate Prospectus for 2027 is here.  Download your copy of interactive guide or grab a physical copy at our upcoming fairs and events. 

The Escape Studios Undergraduate Prospectus explores our courses, outlines careers in the creative industries, and shows the pathways into those careers. 

The Escape Studios Undergraduate Prospectus is free to download. You can find it here:  https://bit.ly/4ui1vw1

Escapee Giovanni Nuzzo Joins Outpost VFX

Giovanni Nuzzo joins Outpost VFX.

Many congratulations to Escapee Giovanni Nuzzo who has joined the London VFX house Outpost VFX.

Giovanni Nuzzo studied the Art of Visual Effects at Escape Studios, and worked on two award-winning short films: "Cursed Bond" and "AFK".

"Shapla" Finalist at The 2025 Rookies

Shapla was a finalist at the 2025 Rookies

Many congratulations to the makers of "Shapla", which was a Finalist at the 2025 Rookie Awards.

"Shapla" was created by our graduating class of animation students. "Shapla" was directed by Ruksar Rowza Aziz and produced by Charlie Seeviour.  Erica Sanches was the art director and Tom Price composed the original score.   Shapla has won many festival awards. 

"Night Terrors" wins "Best VFX" Award at the CEFF

Congratulations to the makers of the VFX short film "Night Terrors", which has won "Best VFX" at the Cinematic European Film Festival (CEFF).  

Directed by Erminas Surgautas and produced by Xhoana Tola, "Night Terrors" was a collaboration between undergraduate animation students and VFX students at Escape Studios, working together to create an original story.  The Art Director was Ruby Ebbs, Yusuf Saddique was the 2D VFX Lead, and Samuel Greer was the 3D VFX Lead.  This is its second festival award. 

Escape Studios' Jobs & Careers Playlist at YouTube

Jobs & Careers at our Animation & VFX YouTube Channel

Calling all Escapees: Don't forget our Our Jobs & Careers Playlist at our Animation & VFX YouTube Channel - a key resource for Escapees and graduates seeking their first job in the industry. 

Some of the videos are long form but most are shorts - around one minute long - exploring themes like how to cut a great demo reel, how to manage a job interview, and how to apply for jobs at animation and vfx houses.  It's a useful resource and one that is constantly growing as the needs of industry shifts and changes over time.   

Aardman Workshop at the Cartoon Museum 1 April

Aardman model-making workshop 1st April

The Cartoon Museum in Fitzrovia is hosting an Aardman Animation model-making workshop on April 1st, demonstrating how to make your very own "Sean the Sheep" plasticene model.  

For animation students at Escape Studios this is a rare opportunity to engage with the stop-motion pipeline, learning to make a physical maquette suitable for animation. 

Get yourself a tripod and a smart phone - now you're ready to animate.  You can sign up for the workshop here - it costs just £18.86. 

New Copies of the Animator's Survival Kit

Animator's Survival Kit

We have three new copies of Animator's Survival Kit - our most popular book on animation - for the Animation & VFX Library on the 11th Floor at 6 Mitre Passage.

The Animator's Survival Kit is now the standard textbook for animators and the most comprehensive book available for learning animation.  

We have many copies of the Animator's Survival Kit in the 11th Floor Animation & VFX Library at 6 Mitre Passage.  The ASK can also be bought as an eBook download for the iPad.  

For all our students learning animation, we recommend this book as the principal animation textbook.  And don't forget to make use of our Tutorial Channel - with many hundreds of video tutorials on animation and VFX.