The Best UK Animation or VFX Courses

The animation and VFX scene is growing everyday with almost all feature films now containing some clever CGI.  Even the movies with no monsters or other worlds have cleverly swapped out landscapes and beautiful scenery usually changed or added after filming that you would never notice was not real.

The United Kingdom has a booming scene with studios such as MPC , Framestore, Dneg, Passion Pictures and many more, even Industrial Light & Magic have set up shop in London while working on Star Wars. With artists from around the globe coming to the UK to work in an historic city, full of different cultures, London is an attractive experience for any budding artist.

With that in mind it’s no wonder international students also love to study here amongst the best, and here in England we have some of the best full time degree courses to study animation and VFX. One renowned training school Escape Studios even offers online training.

To help with the huge task of choosing not only the right course, but city to start your journey we have created a list of the top Universities and colleges in the UK to launch your career in animation or VFX.

We interviewed the best to ask interesting facts like what their students went on to create and a showreel, and put them all together on one page to get you going.

Escape Studios

Escape Studios are a specialist VFX training facility in London. They are an industry standard in the world of VFX’s I attended myself many years ago, but since then they were acquired by Pearson College London and offer undergraduate, postgraduate degrees, and short-courses.

What animation courses do you offer?

• BA (Honours)/MArt The Art of Visual Effects (Integrated Masters)
• MA Visual Effects Production (3D)

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

Students from Escape go onto work at all the large post houses:

• ILM
• Bluebolt
• Unit
• Framestore
• Climax
• Pixar
• The Mill
• Double Negative
• MPC
• Cinestite

Read about success stories here.

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

It can safely be said that any block buster you see at the cinema has had an “Escapee” work on it, spanning back years to today’s feature films and Many TV shows, Commercials. Recent features are:

• Paddington
• Thor Ragnarok
• Fantastic Beasts
• Coco

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating?

We have over 100 alumni that have worked on films that were nominated for at least one BAFTA, Oscar, VES, or Golden Globe award in 2018.

We had many alumni working on the following winners:

• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Golden Globe Best Motion Picture Drama, BAFTA Best film, BAFTA
• Outstanding British Film
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 – VES awards
• Star Wars the Last Jedi – VES awards, BAFTA Special Visual Effects
• Paddington 2 – BAFTA Outstanding British Film

How would you describe your courses?

We’ve been developing VFX talent since 2002 and we’ve helped thousands of students break into the industry.

Do you dream of working in the Visual Effects (VFX) industry on the latest commercial or next blockbuster? Our course is perfect for those looking to gain knowledge of 3D VFX and Compositing, the degree will provide you with the professional skills that the industry is looking for or even to start your own studio.

Learn to be a creative artist from day one – working in industry-style studio’s using the latest tools and techniques and working as part of a team on high quality creative projects. You’ll have intensive, hands-on tutorials with industry-trained tutors, who alongside practising professionals will provide regular feedback on your work.

You’ll graduate studio ready with a professional portfolio of work to show employers and a degree validated by the University of Kent – known as the UK’s European University, it is ranked 23rd in The Guardian University Guide 2017.

UCA Rochester

What animation courses do you offer?

• BA (Hons) Computer Animation Arts
• BA (Hons) Games Design

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

• FrameStore (Fantastic Beasts 2) – Rob Shears
• TT Games (Lego) – Lewis Blythe
• Supermassive Games (Until Dawn and Rush of Blood) – Charlie Scott
• Two Point Studios – Prem Fatek
• Splash Damage – Oskar Woinski
• SEGA PlaySport
• Playground Games – Razvan Pajanu
• Lost Forest – James McAndrew

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

• Scott Dawkins – Star Wars Rogue One and Avengers: Infinity War
• Anthony Faulkner – Avengers: Infinity War and Pacific Rim: Uprising
• Rob Shears – Fantastic Beasts 2

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating?

Guns Goats & Glory has bane shortlisted for the new TRANZFUSER Surrey dev hub (set up by the UK Games Fund) for the national competition, which will run for 3 months in June, July, August 2018. Their game will be showcased at the national games conference EGX at the Birmingham NEC.

University of Middlesex

What animation courses do you offer?

• BA Hons – Animation
• BA Hons – 3D Animation & Games
• BA Hons – Visual effects

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

• Natalia Biegaj (Charles Howarth – Art Director and Animator, The School of Life – Freelance Animator and Art Director, NB Animation – CEO)
• Kuba Ba Lu (Treatment Visual Productions Ltd – Junior Animator, Sherbet – Flash Animator)
• Luke Curtis (Brewery – 3D Visual Effects and Animation, Treat Studios – Animator)
• Lana Simanenkova (Animade – Senior Creative)
• Rebecca Balint (King Rollo Films – 2D Animator, Kavaleer Productions – Animator, Cloth Cat Animation – Animator)
• Harriet Titlow (Sherbet – Assistant animator, Cartoon Network – Design Assistant)
• Alex Crowley (Sweet Take Studio – Motion Graphics Animator, Aardman Animations)
• Eleonora Quario (Lupus Films – Assistant animator, Passion Pictures – Assistant animator, Blinkink – Assistant Animator, Studio Aka – Assistant Animator, IOD productions – 2D Assistant Animator on ‘Isle of dogs’)
• Greg Haworth (Hibbert Ralph Animation Ltd – Storyboard Artist, RM2 – Animator/ Creative Editor)
• Antonia Diakomopoulou (Brilliant PR – Creative and Motion Designer, Vivliokid – Project Manager, Animator and Illustrator)
• Adara Todd (Ladybird Films Ltd – Production Assistant, Tiger Aspect – Animation and Kids Department Assistant)

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

• Rebecca Balint: 2D Animator on ‘Poppy Cat’ children’s television series
• Izabela Barszcz:  Sherbet – Animator on ‘The Banana Massacre’; Freelance animator on music videos including ‘Hiatus – Night Jar’
• Harriet Titlow:  Assistant Animator on ‘The Hunger Strikes’; Design Assistant working on ‘The Amazing World of Gumball’ children’s television series
• Alex Crowley: Aardman Animations – Assistant Animator on feature film ‘Early Man’
• Tom Jarrett: Worked on music videos for ‘Showtek & Moby – Natural Blues’ and ‘Age of L.U.N.A – Sweetness’
• Eleonora Quario: Assistant animator on titles including ‘Ethel & Earnest’ and ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’; Assistant animator on ‘Gorillaz – Saturnz Barz’; Assistant Animator on ‘Elton John – Rocket man’; 2D Assistant Animator on ‘Isle of dogs’

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating?

• Adara Todd’s graduation film ‘Twiddly Things’ was awarded the prestigious Best of the Fest award at TriForce short film festival.
• Graduates Mads Ogaard and Katie Wyman won the Undergraduate Craft Skills – Production Design award for their film, I Am Dyslexic, at the Royal Television Society (RTS) Student Television Awards 2017.
• Antonio Busto’s graduation film ‘The Day I Killed My Best Friend’ short listed for international animation festivals.
• Lana Simanenkova’s graduation film ‘Heads and Tails’ shortlisted in animation festivals internationally.
• Giulia Riva’s 2nd year film ‘Do you Remember’ – Short listed in international animation festivals.

How would you describe your courses?

You will hone your skills through demonstrations and practical work in our studios and workshops, as well as lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials, visits and your own personal research. You will also have the opportunity to attend presentations by professional animators and interview them to learn more about their work. You will give presentations, take part in class discussions and work on group projects, essays and practical assignments.

We take pride in our approach to teaching on our BA Animation degree. In a 2016-17 external examination, we were praised for the use of clear language in our briefs, assessment criteria and learning outcomes, and for the way we support our students’ learning.

Student Testimonial

Being part of the course helped me to realise my potential and gave me some great work experience opportunities. I worked on the visuals for The Who’s US Tour 2011 and also went to Milan for the Design week in May 2012 to work on the live visuals for Bombay Sapphire Gin. After graduating, Kuba joined Treatment Studios, a collaborative association of designers, directors and content producers who create visuals for live music tours, concerts, events, award ceremonies, large-scale theatre productions and operas.

Southampton Solent University

What animation courses do you offer?

• BA (Hons) – Animation
• BA (Hons) Digital Animation

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

Pretty much everywhere. Graduates have ended up in all the main houses in Soho working on VFX, some have gone to Aardman, some worked with Sylvain Chomet, a couple ended up at Weta in New Zealand.

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

Basically everything you see in the cinema, you can be sure some of our grads have worked on it, but Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc.

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating?

Various RTS awards, and screening a competition success round the world. Several films screened at Annecy etc.

How would you describe your courses?

BA Animation classically trains animators for the boutique industry, and or graduation as film making auteurs. BA Digital Animation is more targeted at producing people who want to work in the Big vfx houses on block buster projects. Both courses classically train them with sculpting, painting, and drawn animation on paper.

Student Testimonial

I am ever-grateful for the tuition and support received on the Southampton Solent animation degree. The course structure gave an insight into what is required as a professional and also focused on the fundamental principles needed to be an animator. Without this vital training I would have struggled to forward my career and pursue my ambition.

—Ryan Herbert, Graduate

UWE Bristol

What animation courses do you offer?

• BA (Hons) – Animation
• MA Animation

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

Blue Zoo, Framestore, Aardman, BDH, Lupus, Cartoon Network, Brown Bag, Richard Purdum, Astley Baker Davies, Cloth Cat, A Productions, Hello Charlie.

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

Shaun the sheep, Pirates, Early Man (Aardman), Frankenweenie, Life of Pi, Isle of Dogs, Chuck Steel Night of the Trampires,

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating?

Many regional RTS student animation awards over the last 10 years. Special awards for craft and audio.
Representation at international animation festivals.

How would you describe your courses?

This practice-based production course not only develops your creative flair but also provides you with highly sought-after technical skills.

Learn through making using industry standard equipment. Practical work is balanced by theoretical study, work experience and research activities, all deigned to prepare you for work within a commercial environment. Live briefs, work based placements and networking events assist the transition from education into professional practice.

Join a long-established, highly creative animation community in which students are known and valued for their individual creative flair. You’ll be taught by a team with extensive commercial animation experience, with regular contributions from commercial practitioners. This, coupled with our strong links with the UK’s major animation companies, will ensure you benefit from professional expertise throughout the programme.

Kingston University London

What animation courses do you offer?

• Digital Media Technology BSc(Hons)
• MA Animation

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

• Double Negative
• MPC
• Framestore
• Prime Focus
• BBC
• Many smaller tv and video production companies

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

Avatar, Gravity, Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy, Mowgli, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, John Carter, Dunkirk, Star Trek…lots more mostly in compositing.

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating?

Whilst at university – final year project and best academic achievement awards.

How would you describe your courses?

Due to restructuring we have merged several courses into new one, called Digital Media Technology starting Sept 2018 and so are able to offer more option modules through pathways. This course will teach specialist skills needed for this highly competitive media and VFX areas. These include fundamentals of media, 2D and 3D computer graphics, introduction to computer programming, motion graphics, UX design, visual effects and much more through the option modules such as digital games creation.

In addition to the formal teaching on the course, students will also have the opportunity to participate in industry visits in central London – the home of many digital media and creative companies.

Central St Martins

What animation courses do you offer?

• MA Character Animation

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

Nexus, d-neg, MPC, Cinisite, Rushes, Passion Pictures, Lupus, Illuminated, Moth Collective, Blink, Blue Zoo, Framestore, Disney, DreamWorks, Blue Sky, The Mill, Milk, Picasso Pictures, Weta digital, Peerless, Sony.

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

Jungle Book, Ethel And Earnest, The Snowman And Snowdog, The Illusionist, Lord of the rings, Harry Potter, John Carter, Exodus, Blade Runner, Iron Man. Sherlock Gnomes, Paddington 1 and 2, War Horse, Fantastic Beasts, Gladiator, Alien Covenant, Frozen, Zootopia, Wreck-it Ralph, Big Hero 6, Kung Fu Panda, etc.

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating?

Audience award: Zagreb. “Leave A Print”.

How would you describe your courses?

We are an animation course that puts the emphasis on story and performance. We provide training and guidance for complete beginners and the very experienced. If you want to act with animation, come to us.

Student Testimonial

It has helped me to learn more about my craft, to really immerse myself in it for a year, and make several contacts that have been invaluable to my professional career after the course.

— Carlos Fraiha, alum

Ravensbourne

What animation courses do you offer?

• BA(Hons) Animation

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

We have students at: Framestore, Dneg, ILM, The Mill, Smoke and Mirrors, MPC, Bluezoo and JellyFish.

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

Films: Star Wars The Last Jedi, Jungle Book, Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-man into the Spider-Verse. TV: Dennis and Gnasher, Diggby Dragon, Floogals.

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating?

Most recent, Xanthe Sinclair, a level 3 student has come runner up in the “Search for a Star” competition hosted by the games industry.

How would you describe your courses?

Focusing on fundamental animation skills in both 2D and 3D software, students will also explore storytelling techniques through layout and cinematography, whilst exploring roles in modelling, rigging and basic code throughout the three levels. Primarily vocational, levels 4 and 5 will nurture students to integrate and collaborate with other disciplines both internally and externally, to help prepare students to advocate and apply their original thinking and ideas to a more personal approach in level 6.

Ravensbourne animation course has established strong ties and working relationships with some of the top animation companies, including Framestore, Double Negative, Blue Zoo and Jellyfish to name a few. With a growing alumnus in the animation industry, this has given the course further recognition and the opportunity to build new relationships. Students visit working studios, attend industry workshops, receive industry mentoring and feedback on their work, whilst working on live projects and briefs throughout their studies. The course aims to continue building on this success, by exploring new and upcoming sectors including, medicine, forensics, education and charity work, whilst building new internships and work placements within the industry. Alongside this, students are encouraged to enter competitions and attend industry events to gain recognition and build industry contacts early on in their education, to help prepare for life after Ravensbourne.

UAL London College of Communication

What animation courses do you offer?

• BA(Hons) Animation

How would you describe your courses?

BA (Hons) Animation is a practice-led course, enabling you to choose one of four specialist pathways that reflect industry specialisms: Animation Arts, 3D Computer Animation, Visual Effects (VFX) and Games Arts.

Learn the fundamental skills and principles of animation in an intensive and collaborative setting where you’ll develop knowledge and understanding of the whole production process.

After your first year you’ll choose one of four specialist pathways:

• BA (Hons) Animation: Animation Arts
• BA (Hons) Animation: 3D Computer Animation
• BA (Hons) Animation: Visual Effects (VFX)
• BA (Hons) Animation: Game Arts

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