Animation turns 50: Looking back on a half-century of promise and progress

At first glance, the hallways of Sheridan’s Animation wing could be mistaken for that of any other school. Lockers line the cinder block walls, and students rush by, cradling coffees as they head to their next class.

But pause for a moment, and you’ll realize that this place, tucked in the far corner of Sheridan’s Oakville campus, is special. Elegant art decorates the walls; classrooms are epicentres of creativity and expertise, and the students there are following the legacy of Oscar winners and Hollywood directors.

Annika Ah-Chow, along with the rest of her fourth-year classmates, is spending much of her semester in this wing, working intently on her thesis film, a project that will compile the techniques and lessons she’s been taught over the past four years. She’s mindful of the successful alumni that have graduated from the program in years prior, but she’s not intimidated — there’s strength in knowing that she’s getting the same, uncompromising education as the animators she’s admired for so long.

Graduates of Sheridan’s Animation program have produced some of the most beloved characters on screens big and small. Six alumni have won Oscars, beginning with Jon Minnis, a 1983 graduate who won in 1985 for a film he began as a student. More recently, Chris Williams took home best animated feature in 2015 for directing Big Hero 6, and Alan Barillaro (‘96), won in 2017 for his short film, Piper. Plus, other grads have found success in fields like illustration, including Jon Klassen (‘05), who was named to the Order of Canada in 2018 for his contributions to children’s literature.

Now, as Animation at Sheridan celebrates 50 years of success, Angela Stukator, Associate Dean, Animation and Game Design, says the milestone offers the opportunity to look back and think about the promise of the future. After all, graduates from the past decade are already making their mark in the industry. Domee Shi (‘11) was just seven years out of school when she became the first woman to direct a short film at Pixar. Her delightful dumpling-inspired tale, Bao, received wide acclaim this summer when it played in theatres in advance of Incredibles 2. In 2016, Taha Neyestani (‘15) won best student film at the Annie Awards – a top animation industry honour. Classmate Melody Wang’s film was also nominated for the Annie prize that same year, and she went on to win the Toronto International Film Festival’s top student film for 2015.

“For me, 50 years is the excitement of watching something mature and grow, and to anticipate the future,” Stukator says. “It’s an opportunity to reflect on our past successes, and to become excited about our current students and where they will be in the future.”

“For me, 50 years is the excitement of watching something mature and grow, and to anticipate the future. It’s an opportunity to reflect on our past successes, and to become excited about our current students and where they will be in the future.”

– Angela Stukator

The early years

The program began in the 1960s with the vision of Jack Porter, Sheridan’s first president, and George “Marty” Martsegis, a Hollywood animator, who had been recruited to teach a course in classical animation. He realized there was nothing similar offered anywhere else in the world, and he proposed that Sheridan develop a full-grown program.

“We had a head start. We were first out of the gate, to develop educational programming at the college level in Animation,” explains Ronni Rosenberg, Dean, Faculty of Animation, Arts & Design. “This was in the late ‘60s when Sheridan was first founded, and there was no animation industry in Ontario, or much of one in Canada. As a result, we were in a position to co-create the industry by building the educational foundations.”

Check out a full list of major milestones from Sheridan’s Animation program.

The decades that followed were a period of rapid growth. In the 1970s, the program became three years long. The International Summer School of Animation opened its doors in 1978, attracting the likes of Dean DeBlois (’90), who went on to direct the How to Train Your Dragon films at DreamWorks. The Computer Animation program began in 1981 – a forward-thinking move at a time long before anyone was hiring computer animators. Stukator says those early students paved the way for Sheridan’s success.

“It was the people who graduated in the ‘70s and ‘80s who went on to make their mark in the industry. They have become leaders in animation, story and production,” she says.

Those grads also helped build the foundation of the industry. Michael Hirsh, the co-founder of Toronto-based animation company Nelvana, hired the first crop of Sheridan animators to work at his nascent company in 1971. Duncan Marjoribanks (‘73) went on to be named one of Disney’s 50 most influential animators. Steve “Spaz” Williams (‘84) revolutionized the special effects industry by creating Jurassic Park’s epic Tyrannosaurus Rex.

These alumni were part of the program’s appeal for Ah-Chow, who says she had her sights set on Sheridan early on.

“[My classmates and I] are inspired by the successful grads who have come out of Sheridan, but I don’t feel pressured to measure my success against theirs,” she says. “It’s just great to know there will be a place for us in the industry.”