SCAD Animationfest’s Virtual Edition To Feature Guests From Pixar, Nickelodeon, Fox, And More

SCAD Animationfest, the annual festival hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design’s SCADFilm department, is returning for its fifth edition on September 23–25. Events will be held virtually.



The festival will feature talks and panels with industry experts alongside screenings and presentations of works produced at the school. Passes are available to the general public for $40 ($20 for non-SCAD students and educators) — more information here.



This year’s lineup features an enticing roster of speakers from studios including Pixar, Nickelodeon, Fox, Dreamworks, Bento Box, and Stoopid Buddy Stoodios. Below are a few highlights; check out the full program here.

• The Lighting of Pixar’s Soul: Max Bickley, SCAD alum and a lead technical director of lighting at Pixar, will discuss the artistic and technical approaches used by the studio’s lighting team to bring New York City and the Astral Plane to life in Soul.
• From 2D to 3D: A Look into the Evolution of Two of Nickelodeon’s Biggest Titles: Artists will explain how they helped adapt Spongebob Squarepants and Rugrats to cg animation for new Paramount+ originals, staying true to their iconic models while pushing the limits of computer-generated expressions.
• Disney+ Presents Star Wars: Visions: The Disney+ series Star Wars: Visions features nine animated shorts created by renowned anime filmmakers. Co-executive producer Justin Leach will describe how Lucasfilm worked with various animation studios to bring the series to life.
• An inside look at Netflix’s We the People: SCAD Animationfest will present an exclusive screening and presentation on the new show. One of its directors, Everett Downing Jr. (Hair Love), is the recipient of this year’s award of excellence, which will be presented to him during the festival.
• SCAD Animation Studios Presents Hex Limit: In this not-so-classical broom chase, three characters race through a cyber-fantasy city to win the title of champion. SCAD chair of animation Chris Gallagher will guide viewers through the film, the second from SCAD Animation Studios.