A guide on HOW TO ATTEND PANELS AT LIGHTBOX EXPO
SCHEDULE
61 schedules found.
Schedules
LBX Community Picnic
Are you looking to connect with fellow LBX26 attendees ahead of the expo? 🧺 Bring your own food 🥙, a sketchbook 📘, some pencils ✏️ and join us at our Community Picnic in Pasadena Central Park! https://www.cityofpasadena.net/parks-and-rec/parks/central-park/
Skill Level: General Audience
Draw’n Together
A Pre-LBX Ice Breaker: Sketch and Chat!
If you feel shy about not knowing anyone, want to make more friends in the arts, or just want to sketch and trade stickers, then this is the event for you! Come join host Airi Pan (@pix_bun), Christina Zhang (@cronchy_baguette), Mariam Dennaoui (@miriasqa) and other friends for sketches and chats!
Skill Level: General Audience
Paint the Scene with Angela Sung and Warrior Painters
In this plein air painting experience, you will step out and recreate your memories at LightBox Expo!
Let's gather outside the iconic Pasadena Civic Auditorium, then spread out to capture the vibrant street scenes on location. Whether you’re painting a quiet architectural moment or a bustling character-filled vignette, this is your chance to observe, imagine, and create right in the heart of LA with Warrior Painter hosts!
Bring your sketchbooks, painting supplies, or digital tablets—whatever you like to work with! Artists of all levels are welcome, and professional mentors will be on-site to offer feedback, tips, and encouragement throughout the session. Every participant will also receive an official event button to commemorate the day.
Skill Level: General Audience
YouTube-First Animated Series: How to Build the Next Big IP
How do you turn a YouTube-first idea into a breakout animated IP? Emily Brundige (Strawberry Vampire), Pietro Schito (Johnny IRL), and Mary James (Run Monster Run) share practical lessons on shaping a series audiences want to follow, launching original animation online, growing a community, and building a world that can last beyond a single video. For creators developing their next animated IP directly for YouTube. Moderated by Tony Bancroft. Presented by Write for Animation.
Skill Level: General Audience
Drawing with Emotion
Come watch Esther Wu (Blue Eye Samurai, Transformers: Earthspark, Last Sentinel) talk about how they approach drawing and sketching with a focus on lines, storytelling, and narrative.
Skill Level: General Audience
The Power of Versatility
Learn how solid artistic fundamentals can be applied to keep you relevant in AAA games, film, animation, music, entertainment design, and personal projects. This talk focuses on examining various creative industries and how to use the same fundamentals of art and design, but with different goals depending on the project and the problem to be solved. You'll maintain your own artistic voice while developing the skills to become a well rounded and versatile artist.
Skill Level: General Audience
Storyboard Portfolio Reviews All Day (Storyboard Deli)
Storyboard Deli is a one-stop shop for all your story needs. Take a number and get in line for a portfolio review (with cheese), live demos (on rye), or just hang and chat story with animation industry veterans (but keep it kosher). Lead sandwich makers Michael Daley, Josh ‘Hat’ Lieberman and Christian Roman have a collective 66 plus years of experience behind the animation counter serving up story hits and comedy slices. We will also have a rotating menu of seasonal special guests. Find us in the Exhibit Hall Lobby outside ballroom doors D/E at Booth 1500. Come on down to Storyboard Deli!
Skill Level: General Audience
New Ways to Think 2D Animation with Moho
Víctor Paredes, animator and co-owner of Moho Animation Software, will explain how to create 2D animation in new non-traditional ways, while keeping total control over the final result.
With examples from Wolfwalkers, Star Wars Visions - Screecher’s Reach, My Father’s Dragon and Scavengers Reign, Víctor will showcase rigs and vector drawings that can live together with traditional animation. We will see how Moho’s rigging tools, particles, physics, flexible brushes and smart boiling not only simplify the process, but can also provide new ways to give life to the artwork.
Skill Level: Beginner
From Portfolio to Premiere: Cat in the Hat & Daffy Season
Ever wonder what it takes to build a career in feature animation? Join artists from Warner Bros. Pictures Animation working in Story, Visual Development, and Previs as they share their journeys, creative processes, and the skills that helped them succeed at a studio like WBPA.
Through behind-the-scenes insights from the upcoming releases of The Cat in the Hat and the animated short Daffy Season, our panelists will discuss how ideas evolve from early concepts to the screen, what studios look for when hiring, and how aspiring talent can stand out through strong portfolios.
Skill Level: General Audience
Making a Living in Artist Alley: How to Make it at Anime & Comic Cons
Thinking about selling your art at conventions but not sure where to start? Join Emlynn Jones of Milky Tomato and Emu of Karepango for their guide to starting Artist Alley. With tips on how to get into conventions, what products to sell, how to price your work, and how to create a standout booth. They will discuss the pros and cons of this lifestyle/career, along with practical tips for growing your brand and building a sustainable creative business. Whether you are aiming to table at your first con or looking to level up your convention game, this panel will help you succeed at conventions.
Skill Level: Beginner
Freshly Minted 3
Presented by the Concept Art Association
You took the advice of your favorite veteran artists, got good, and maybe you got your first job. Now what? Let this panel of freshly minted professionals guide you through your adventure as you delve into life as a professional artist. Industry vets have the best advice, but they’ve been doing some of these things for so long they might not realize you don’t know what you don’t know. Find out as our panel discusses ways to speed up your workflow, stay sane, keep getting hired, networking and, most importantly, teach you the secret technique of being the new kid.
Skill Level: Beginner
Birds of Prey Life Drawing
Life drawing with birds of prey hosted by illustrator concept artist Manu Carrasco
Skill Level: General Audience
Disney Recruiters Kick-off Day 1
Join recruiters from across the Disney company as they share the daily schedule of opportunities and experiences available to connect with us. Bring your questions to this interactive session.
Skill Level: General Audience
Weyland-Yutani: Designing for Science Fiction Worlds
Step inside the dark, industrial worldbuilding of one of science fiction’s most iconic corporations. 'Weyland-Yutani: Designing for Science Fiction Worlds' brings together concept designers whose work has helped shape the visual language of Weyland-Yutani, defined by its retro-futuristic costumes, spacecraft, machinery, corporate industrial design, and brutalist, utilitarian aesthetics.
Expect a deep dive into process, inspiration, and the enduring appeal of dystopian corporate futures. Featuring design work from Alien: Romulus, Predator: Badlands, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.
Skill Level: General Audience
Designing the Creatures of Avatar: Fire and Ash
Step inside the elaborate design process for the creatures from Avatar: Fire and Ash. Creature designers talk about the design evolution and process for bringing the fauna of Pandora to life.
Skill Level: General Audience
Training Tomorrow’s Visual Development and Concept Artists
Hosted by Savannah College of Art and Design, this session brings together leading names in the fields of character design, concept design and visual development for animation and video games to discuss the expanding set of core skills that students need to develop in response to these rapidly changing industries.
Skill Level: General Audience
A Conversation with Director Chris Appelhans
Join KPop Demon Hunters director Chris Appelhans for a candid conversation about art, animation, directing, and life as a creative person.
From developing your artistic voice to leading a massive animated production, Chris will share thoughts and lessons from his journey as an artist and director… experiences that shaped him, the challenges that changed him, and what he’s learned about creating work that connects with people.
Rather than focusing on just one film, this conversation will explore the bigger picture: creativity, storytelling, collaboration, career, and what it means to keep growing as an artist. Moderated by Renée di Cherri.
Skill Level: General Audience
The Influence of Anime in American Animation
Japanese animation has had a deep impact on U.S. animation, but how is it reflected in today’s shows? What was once a niche fandom storyboard artists, designers, and writers drew upon for inspiration, is now a gigantic global sensation impacting the themes and storytelling of American animation studios. Can and should the big business of U.S. animation be more like the Japanese model–using the medium of animation for more than select “marketable” genres?
Skill Level: General Audience
Picture Book Storytelling: The Techniques Nobody Teaches You
There's a huge misconception that picture book illustration is just drawing what an author writes. But illustrators are storytellers in their own right, and the visual decisions we make can completely transform a story. In this talk, Anoosha Syed breaks down the techniques that will take your picture book art to the next level: composition, pacing, page turns, creating a sense of time and more. Whether you're just starting out or have been illustrating for years, you'll leave with tools you can use straight away.
Skill Level: Beginner
How to Start Your Own Studio
In this hands-on AMA session, participants first hear best practices and then are able to workshop their business ideas with a lawyer, manager, business owners and co-op developers.
Skill Level: General Audience
Painterly Portraits in Procreate with Ryan Lang
Watch Ryan Lang bring a portrait to life in Procreate, sharing his approach.
Skill Level: General Audience
Virtual Production at Industrial Light & Magic
Step inside the technology of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to explore how their groundbreaking StageCraft technology and LED volume stages have fundamentally transformed modern cinema. Discover how the Virtual Art Department (VAD), live on-set data capture, and real-time environments are reshaping the production pipeline—collapsing pre- and post-production into a single, collaborative sandbox. Whether you are a technologist, storyteller, or visual effects enthusiast join us to see how ILM continues to blur the line between physical reality and digital imagination.
Skill Level: General Audience
A Demonstration of Traditional Hand-Drawn Animation
Rick will give a brief rundown of his career, including his exclusive works on funny sidekick characters. He will then give a demonstration of tradional , classic hand drawn animation.
Skill Level: General Audience
Illustration: Design & Entertainment Arts-Graduate’s Journey
Presented by ArtCenter College of Design, Illustration: Mastering techniques in drawing, painting, and illustrating for media, art and design brings multi-disciplined artists forward in the fields of Entertainment Arts, Publishing, Editorial Illustration, Consumer Products and more. Our graduates have sharpened their individual voices to work both independently and on dynamic team projects with leading film, television, themed entertainment, game, and commercial studios. Join a distinguished panel of alumni and recent graduates as they share how their craft moves them forward, not always in a straight line, on their creative journey.
Skill Level: General Audience
Expressive Figure Drawing for Sequential Artists
Drawing from a live costumed model, we will explore ways to bring our figure drawings to life, pulling techniques and ideas from sequential art, illustration, and classical life drawing. This presentation is for both the beginner artist eager to explore different ways of seeing things, and the seasoned professional looking to get their creative juices flowing again.
Skill Level: General Audience
Think Outside the Box with Spin Master and Launchmode Design
Great packaging does more than sell a product—it tells a story, builds anticipation, and creates an emotional connection before the consumer ever interacts with the toy. Join Launchmode Design Co. and Spin Master for a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process behind toy packaging, from concept to shelf. Discover how storytelling, illustration, branding, and consumer psychology come together to create disruptive designs that capture attention and inspire engagement. Spin Master's creative team will share insights across different toy categories, what they look for in creative talent, and how to stay on trend in an ever evolving category. Bring your questions for an interactive Q&A. Presenters: Eugenia Chen, Sebastian Cuervo, William Ortiz, Mike Petrosky, Maria Reyes, Gabriel Hernandez
Skill Level: General Audience
How to Start Writing & Illustrating Your Own Stories
From Visual Artist to Published Author: How to Start Writing & Illustrating Your Own Stories, with Susie Yi (Cat & Cat Adventures), Mia Araujo (Afia in the Land of Wonders), Victoria Ying (The Hungry Ghost), and Jen Wang (Ash’s Cabin, Stargazing)
So you want to write and illustrate your own stories, but have no idea where to start? What makes a good story? How do you come up with great characters and dialogue and how do you get through all of those revisions? Each of the panelists was a visual artist before they became a published author-illustrator and they were exactly where you are now. They will share practical advice, writing tips, and story-telling methods that they rely on to help you get started telling your own stories.
Skill Level: General Audience
Camp in Costume Design
A presentation on using wit, humor, and extravagance in costume design to create show-stopping characters. In this talk, we’ll dive into the definition of camp, the history of camp, and its relationship to concept and costume design. I'll also dive into how I've used camp in my own work, and how to create louder, confident characters.
Skill Level: General Audience
WILDWOOD: Shaping Characters from 2D to 3D
Join us for an inside look at the unique and charming characters of LAIKA's latest feature film, Wildwood, where we'll explore the highly collaborative process from early 2D character development to 3D sculpted maquette that inform our stop motion puppets.
Drawing from years of daily artistic dialogue, we’ll discuss finding character, design philosophy, translating 2D into 3D, and bringing life to an unanimated sculpture, as well as production workflow and the specific artistic world of Wildwood.
Skill Level: General Audience
Designing Worlds That Feel Real
How do you turn a single idea into a cohesive and believable world?
Join legendary concept artist Stephan Martiniere, whose blockbuster projects include Guardians of the Galaxy, Fallout 4, and Foundation. Discover the creative logic and narrative process behind building the immersive, story-driven universe of RAGE, the visually acclaimed and groundbreaking game he art directed. This is a unique opportunity to learn from one of the world's most respected and renowned concept artists and art directors.
Skill Level: General Audience
The David Movie: Designing an Epic
Join us for an exclusive behind-the-scenes exploration of the creative journey that brought David to life—one of Netflix’s #1 movies this year. Discover how the film’s unforgettable worlds and characters were built from the ground up through the eyes of the production designer, art director, head of character design, and visual development artists. From the earliest rough concepts at Sunrise Animation Studios to the final polished look on screen, you’ll gain rare insight into the world-building, character design, and artistic decisions that shaped the visual identity of the film. This is an incredible opportunity to learn directly from the film industry’s top creative minds who helped define the worlds we see on screen.
Skill Level: General Audience
Lighting the Story: Color Design Across Games & Animation
Color and lighting are essential storytelling tools that shape mood, guide the audience, and define the visual identity of a project. In this panel, six artists working across games, television, and feature animation share how they design intentional color and lighting arcs that support the narrative, and how that process shifts by medium. We'll cover the real differences between casual games, more mature games, and TV/feature work, exploring how choices in hue, saturation, and value contrast shape the emotional impact the viewer experiences.
Skill Level: General Audience
The Look of Forgotten Island: Creating Nakalimutan
Join artistic leadership from DreamWorks Animation’s latest original feature film for an in-depth exploration of the creative decisions that charted the course to the mythical and magical world of Nakalimutan. Through a combination of inspired innovations in VFX, technology, cinematography, animation, and production design, attendees will discover the means and methods that are moving the needle that brought the characters and island of Nakali life.
Skill Level: General Audience
The Power of Shape, Value and Contrast in Cinematic Imagery
Join veteran Production Designer, Visual Development Artist and illustrator Michael Knapp (Spies in Disguise, Epic, the Ice Age franchise, Robots) as he breaks down how to craft dynamic images which tell layered visual narratives and direct the viewer’s eye with strong visual hierarchy through the use of shape, value, contrast and more.
Skill Level: General Audience
Blend it All Together: Mixing Blender and 2D Workflows
This demo will cover my workflow using both Blender and Photoshop, and will demonstrate how this combination achieves results more quickly than using either software alone. In this talk I’ll be sharing every trick and clever shortcut I know for this approach!
By the end of this presentation you’ll know which stages of your creative process to lean on for Blender vs Photoshop, which elements are best resolved in 2D or 3D, and how to get the most mileage out of your models for a wide range of 2D assets for a concept pipeline.
A basic knowledge of Blender and Photoshop is ideal for this talk, but if you can add a cube in Blender and make a layer group in Photoshop that’s enough to follow along!
Skill Level: General Audience
Art of the Revival
Join us for a conversation with past and present directors of the beloved animated primetime show, King of the Hill. We’ll discuss the similarities and differences between production in 1996 and 2026, the nuances of realism in animation, and how they brought the Hill family into the present-day and beyond, without losing that unique propane flavor.
Skill Level: General Audience
Life Drawing with Karla Ortiz
Inspired by LBX and itching to draw? Then you won’t want to miss Life Drawing with Karla Ortiz! Come join us for a laid back life drawing session, complete with good music, occasional art tips and overall just a good artistic time! Come early as seating is limited!
Skill Level: General Audience
Creative World Building: Disney Lorcana TCG by Ravensburger
Step behind the curtain of the Disney Lorcana TCG and discover how the creative partnership between Ravensburger and The Walt Disney Company brings new stories, characters, and worlds to Lorcana. Join Creative Director and Illustrator Matthew Eng, Senior Narrative Designer Nicole Smith, Principal Artist John Loren, and moderator Shane Hartley, VP of Creative, Ravensburger, for an inside look at the art, storytelling, and vision behind the magical realm of Lorcana. Through concept art, behind-the-scenes development, and a look into Hyperia City, learn how Disney storytelling, original world building, illustration, narrative development, and game design come together to create immersive experiences for players and collectors worldwide.
Skill Level: General Audience
The Magic Behind Netflix’s Steps
Join Director Alyce Tzue for a behind-the-scenes look at Steps, a fresh and heartfelt reimagining of the Cinderella story from Netflix Animation Studios. Together with Shelly Wan (Production Designer) and Anastasiia Platoshyna (Art Director - Characters), the team will dive into their reinvention of the familiar tale, exploring the enchanting world of Alouette, the artistry behind the quirky cast of characters, and the healthy dose of style and technical brilliance sprinkled throughout.
Skill Level: General Audience
The Best Demo Reel (and Portfolio) I Ever Saw
As recruiters we review mountains of demo reels and portfolios every year! While we find lots of amazingly talented artists, there are a handful that we'll always remember. Join industry recruiters as they go down memory lane and discuss THE BEST DEMO REEL (and portfolio) I EVER SAW.
Skill Level: General Audience
Painting with Confidence (LIVE)
In a time where people are encouraging you to use 'TOOLS' that will help with productivity. There really only has been one tool I found works the best, confidence. Believing in yourself and what you can learn and accomplish transcends physical tools. As that landscape of our industry is ever changing your foundational skills is what will keep you relevant more than anything else.
Skill Level: General Audience
Anatomy for Artists
Join Dr. Michael Habib, anatomy professor and animation/VFX advisor, as he takes you through key aspects of human (and creature) anatomy specifically for artists in storytelling. The presentation will focus on joints, motion, and dynamic surface changes that any artist - from beginner to advanced - can use to make their characters more compelling, unique, and dynamic. Dr. Habib will leverage his 20 years of experience as a VFX and Animation Technical Advisor to provide veteran tips for how to design characters that will sculpt, rig, and animate beautifully (and realistically). Come ready to sketch, take notes, and ask all your questions about anatomy that you never got to ask.
Skill Level: General Audience
Webcomics 101: Creating Your Story
Want to make the story in your head a reality? Want to make a comic but don't know where to start? Come learn everything you need to know to make your very own webcomic, from a creator with over 15 years of experience!
Skill Level: General Audience
GXS Productions’ Animation Journey with Sonic the Hedgehog
Join GXS Productions for a behind-the-scenes look at our animation journey with the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. We'll share how a small, artist-led studio partnered with Sega to create Dark Beginnings and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, while building a streamlined production pipeline with storytelling at its core. The panel will cover our creative process, hybrid 2D/3D workflow, collaboration with international partners, production philosophy, and the techniques we use to achieve a cinematic, anime-inspired look.
Skill Level: General Audience
Movie Magic: Editing for Animated Films
In animation, the edit is the movie. Long before final frames are rendered, editors shape story, timing, and emotion using storyboards, animatics, and scratch dialogue—working closely with directors to build the film from the ground up.
But how do you cut a scene that doesn’t exist yet? And how can understanding editorial make you a stronger, more hirable artist?
Tailored for LightBox Expo’s community of aspiring and professional animators, this panel explores how animated films are crafted in the edit—how sequences evolve, how decisions impact the entire pipeline, and what skills studios are looking for today.
Featuring Bret Marnell, ACE (Ultraman: Rising, Smurfs: The Lost Village), along with editors from Netflix, Disney, and Pixar.
Skill Level: General Audience
The Great Mouse Detective 40th Anniversary!
“The game’s afoot!”
Join us for an unforgettable 40th Anniversary Celebration of Disney’s The Great Mouse Detective, the animated classic that saved Disney Animation and launched a whole new era of storytelling!
Step into the world of Basil, Dawson, Olivia, and the villainous Professor Ratigan alongside the legendary filmmakers who created them — directors John Musker and Ron Clements! Hear behind-the-scenes stories, creative insights, and reflections on the lasting legacy of the film that helped pave the way for the Disney Renaissance!
This discussion will be moderated by Nick Manfredi, host of the video podcast series Nick's Friends in Film! Come relive the mystery, adventure, and magic of The Great Mouse Detective with the iconic filmmakers who made it all possible!
Skill Level: General Audience
Before We Were Directors: Women in Animation
Everyone starts somewhere—and sometimes that "somewhere" is a portfolio you'd rather forget. Join the women leading Titmouse's most adventurous projects (Jentry Chau Vs The Underworld, Golden Axe, Niko and the Sword of Light, the upcoming Lore Olympus) as they candidly revisit, critique, cringe, and get nostalgic over their earliest work. They'll offer portfolio and hiring advice and share the lessons they learned as they climbed the ranks from PAs and Interns to Directors in a male-dominated industry. Panelists will reflect on how the animation landscape has evolved alongside cultural and structural changes, and how they managed to survive the ebbs and flows. Leave with a better understanding of what hiring teams are looking for and how to build a career that lasts.
Skill Level: General Audience
Dylan Cole – Creating Worlds
Join Academy Award nominated production designer, Dylan Cole, as he shares work and insights from his 25-year career spanning from Lord of the Rings to Avatar: Fire and Ash. This talk celebrates Dylan's new retrospective book of his work as well as offers never before seen art and process.
Skill Level: General Audience
Demo with Borja Montoro
Watch character designing legend Borja Montoro in a very special live demo!!
Skill Level: General Audience
Creating Beloved Characters with Pixar’s Deanna Marsigliese
What makes a character iconic? In this session, Pixar Character Art Director Deanna Marsigliese (Inside Out 2, Incredibles 2, Luca) breaks down her process, exploring the creation of beloved characters through thoughtful storytelling & meaningful design decisions that delight audiences worldwide.
Skill Level: General Audience
Figure Drawing – Jam Session Open to All!
Join us for a live costumed model session with quick 1–5 minute gestures and longer 10-20 minute poses. Illustrator and Disney Lorcana Art Director Andrew Theophilopoulos will be projecting their iPad painting demo while attendees are encouraged to draw along. Whether you’re working traditionally or digitally, this is a relaxed, welcoming figure drawing jam focused on gesture, observation, color and light. Artists of all skill levels are welcome!
Bring your sketchbook or tablet and hang out!
Skill Level: General Audience
Storyboard Smorgasbord: Brainstorming for Comedy & Character
In this interactive workshop, animation storyboard veterans Christian Roman (The Simpsons, Disney TVA, Pixar, Aardman), Josh Lieberman (Blue Sky, Dreamworks, Sony) , and Mike Daley (Blue Sky, Pixar) will engage with the audience using interactive exercises, tips, tricks and techniques to help you create and iterate yourself out of any story, scene or comedy rut. Bring your drawing tools of choice, be ready to draw and join in on the fun!
Skill Level: Beginner
An Artist’s Most Powerful Tool
Framestore Art Director Philippe Gaulier, will highlight the importance of the human mind in creating concept art, sharing how he remains curious and excited about the craft, after nearly 3 decades in the industry.
Skill Level: General Audience
Creative Proceduralism: The Automation Studios Actually Need
As artists, we are increasingly asked to do more in less time. How do we meet this challenge without resorting to using methods that replace artists or the intent behind our work? Creative Proceduralism! Tools and workflows you build for yourself, shaped around the way you already work, where every creative decision is still yours to make.
Join Disney visual development artist Ryan Lang and pipeline engineer Alan Wyatt as they look at what that means in practice, from the problem solving behind it, to examples pulled from real productions, and why building your own tools tends to make the work both faster and more satisfying! You don't need a technical background, this talk is about staying in love with the craft by broadening your approach to find workflow solutions.
Skill Level: General Audience
Wesley Burt Drawing Demo
Character drawing demo from concept artist/illustrator Wesley Burt, with active Q&A throughout
Skill Level: General Audience
Game Art Portfolio Secret Sauce
Trying to build a Game Art Portfolio but don't know where to start? This talk is for you! Learn insider tips on portfolios, networking, applying for, and landing your first job in the games industry.
Skill Level: Beginner
Neurodiversity in the Digital Arts and Animation
This panel brings together neurodivergent artists and their managers to explore how inclusive hiring, workplace support, and career development are strengthening the digital arts and animation industry. Industry leaders will discuss the value of neurodivergent voices on creative teams and share practical strategies for recruiting and supporting neurodivergent talent. Neurodivergent artists will learn to showcase their skills, advocate for themselves in the workplace, and navigate a rapidly-changing industry.
Presenters include representatives from Exceptional Minds, a vocational academy and professional studios for artists on the autism spectrum, independent neurodivergent artists working in the industry, and leaders committed to hiring and supporting neurodivergent talent.
Skill Level: General Audience
Building an Indie Animation Pipeline That Actually Works
Today, artists have unlimited access to creative tools for animating their own projects outside the traditional studio system. But what about the production side of indie animation? Building an Indie Animation Pipeline That Actually Works takes you through the industry standard production pipeline and shows you how to adapt it, step by step, to work for teams with smaller budgets, leaner crews, and artist led storytelling.
Skill Level: General Audience
Public Speaking for Artists
Artists in the animation industry discuss how they go about preparing and presenting to groups of people. The artists in this panel span from professionals that teach or give talks at industry conferences, to directors, storyboard, and visual development artists that pitch ideas to their colleagues in studios. The panel will share stories and tips for those who are developing or want to improve their skills in presenting artwork and storytelling.
Skill Level: General Audience
Special Screening: Ana, en passant (Animated Feature)
After her grandmother's death, Ana, a young Black French woman, follows the clues her grandmother left behind all the way to Belo Horizonte, where she finds Alice, her double, renting her grandmother's old apartment. A film about diaspora, inheritance and the distance between two continents, carried by an animation that works like a scrapbook, piecing together memories and new experiences.
Skill Level: General Audience
Animayo Internacional Film Festival of Animation
The International Film Festival Animayo presents the Official Awards. The International Jury selected 18 award winners and 3 special mentions from nearly 2,000 films submitted from 78 countries, with only 75 works reaching the Official Shortlist. Animayo is the first and only animation festival in Spain recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as an Oscar® Qualifying Festival in two categories, and since 2026 it has also joined the exclusive Annie Awards Qualifying Festival List promoted by ASIFA-Hollywood. Over the past years, films showcased at Animayo have earned 7 shortlist, 5 Oscar® nominations and 1 Academy Awards with In the Shadow of the Cypress. This screening presents the festival’s most outstanding award-winning films.
Skill Level: General Audience
