Launch your career in Animation and Film
The Animation and Film programs at Ringling College prepare graduates for existing and emerging career opportunities across the ever-evolving landscape of animation, motion media design, and film production.
Through four distinct Bachelor of Fine Arts majors—2D Character Animation, 3D Character Animation, Film, and Motion Design—students develop both technical mastery and conceptual thinking to become industry-ready creative professionals.
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Students blend traditional draftsmanship with modern tools to create original characters and stories across media.
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Students master the full animation pipeline, from modeling to VFX, while producing original films.
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Students become filmmakers through hands-on production, collaboration, and professional mentorship.
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Students combine animation, graphic design, film, VFX, and sound to create visual media across every platform.
Animation and Film Majors Overview
| Area | 2D Character Animation | 3D Character Animation | Motion Design | Film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skills / Disciplines | ||||
| Acting / Performance | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Branding / Advertising | ✓ | |||
| Character Animation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Character Design | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Filmmaking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Graphic Design | ✓ | |||
| IP Development | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Narrative Storytelling | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Persuasive Storytelling | ✓ | |||
| Storyboarding | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Video Production | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Visual Development | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Techniques / Methods | ||||
| 2D Animation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| 3D Animation | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Interactivity | ✓ | |||
| Stop Motion Animation | ✓ | |||
| VFX | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Software | ||||
| After Effects | ✓ | |||
| Avid Media Composer | ✓ | |||
| Cinema 4D / Nuke / Houdini | ✓ | |||
| DaVinci Resolve | ✓ | |||
| Maya | ✓ | |||
| Premiere Pro | ✓ | |||
| Pro Tools | ✓ | |||
| Rive / TouchDesigner | ✓ | |||
| Toon Boom | ✓ | |||
Faculty
2D and 3D Character Animation Faculty, Animation Director, Storyboard Artist, Previs Artist, Content Developer
- Directed multiple episodes of Netflix’s Stranger Things: Tales from ’85
- Storyboarded on the television and streaming series: Jentry Chua vs. The Underworld, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Turtles, DC Superhero Girls, Glitch Techs, Ben 10: Omniverse, Powerpuff Girls, and Ultimate Spider-Man.
- Animated on the feature animated films: High in the Clouds, Disney’s Mulan, Tarzan, Lilo and Stitch, Everyone’s Hero, and Paws of Fury
Film Faculty, Filmmaker
- Directed and co-wrote Blue Desert, starring Courteney Cox and Philip Baker Hall
- Directed and co-wrote The Joyriders, starring Martin Landau, Elisabeth Moss, and Kris Kristofferson
- Directed and co-wrote Red Letters, starring Peter Coyote and Nastassja Kinski
Motion Design Faculty, Director, Digital Artist
- Directed branded motion and 3D campaigns for Nike, Google, Adobe, BMW, Gucci, STARZ, Audi, and Air Jordan
- Created visuals for Skrillex, Drake, Amon Tobin, Scott Storch, and Diplo’s Mad Decent
- Created immersive visuals for Google and Coca-Cola on the Las Vegas Sphere, the world’s largest LED screen
2D and 3D Character Animation Faculty, Former Pixar Animation Studios Animator
- Animated on the feature films: Brave, Monsters University, Toy Story of Terror, Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, Lou, Cars 3, and Incredibles 2
- Animated on commercials for Inside Out, Finding Dory, Cars 3, and recently animated on Cars On The Road, a Disney+ series
Motion Design Faculty, Senior Art Director, Art Director, Packaging Designer, Graphic Designer
- Over five years of agency art direction leading creative teams and digital media strategies
- Directed and created high-impact campaign content for global brands, including Adobe, Mattel, Dunkin’ Donuts, Morgan Stanley, and American Express
- Multidisciplinary expertise spanning graphic design, packaging, illustration, animation, and brand strategy
Producer, Writer, Director, Film Department Coordinator
- Produced Small Town Gay Bar, a Grand Jury Prize nominee at the Sundance Film Festival
- Co-wrote, co-directed, and co-produced Drawing Flies (View Askew Productions, starring Jason Lee) and wrote Tail Lights Fade (Trimark Pictures, starring Breckin Meyer, Jake Busey, and Denise Richards)
- As Creative Director of Active Octopus Creative Agency, created The Ringling Ghost and its marketing campaign, winning numerous international awards, including Gold at the Telly, Hermes, Muse, and Vega Awards
2D and 3D Character Animation Faculty and Animator
- Animated on films, commercials, games, and a variety of other projects for Sony Imageworks, Blue Sky Studios, Walt Disney Imagineering, Duncan Studio, and many others
Motion Design Faculty, Pre-Production Artist, Filmmaker, Motion Designer
- Pre-production for Marvel Studios and Riot Games
- Concert visualizations for Billboard and BMI award-winning musicians
- Documentary films and motion graphics for Ed Tech corporations
Film Faculty, Filmmaker, Costume Designer, Artist, Co-Author
- Concept and Costume Designer for experimental films: Human / Nature: The Rhino Project, Revelation, and Sorrows
- Solo Exhibitions / Collaborative Installation: 7 SORROWS, Multi-media Installation, Sarasota, Florida; Back to the Garden Exhibition, Sarasota, Florida; Wild. Life. Still. Life. Exhibition, Sarasota, Florida; Show your World, New York, Award for First Place; and Primum Non Nocere Exhibition, Georgia
- Co-Author of textbook: Design Concepts and Applications / 1st and 2nd Editions
Motion Design Faculty, Emmy Award-Winning Animator, Visual Effects Artist, Designer
- Former full-time Animator at Nickelodeon, contributing to major properties and campaigns including SpongeBob SquarePants, The Loud House, the Kids’ Choice Awards, and the Nickelodeon x NFL Crossover Event
- Continues to work professionally as a freelance animator, visual effects artist, and consultant for studios and creative teams
- Industry recognition includes a 2021 Emmy Award for work with Nickelodeon and the NFL, multiple additional Emmy Nominations, and 24 Promax Awards
Sound Designer, Studio Labs Coordinator
- Utility Sound Technician/A2 for various productions at Mr. Beast
- ADR Recordist for episodic television such as Laid, Stugo, Bad Monkey, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Doc, and Chibiverse
- Owner of TroyLo Sounds, a boutique audio company that services games, animation, and independent films such as Jit, Curry Scent, and The Sarasota Experience
Film Faculty, Film Director, Writer
- Wrote and directed the feature Detonator, which premiered at Cinequest, the Brooklyn Film Festival, and the Philadelphia Film Festival; was short-listed for an Independent Spirit Award, and received praise from Variety, The Wall Street Journal, and Filmmaker Magazine
- Consulting Producer on the documentary Paul Williams Still Alive, which premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and SXSW and was called “engrossing and satisfying” by Variety and “a fascinating, penetrating look” by The Hollywood Reporter
- Wrote and directed the grant-funded short Florida Moves, which earned a Best Actor nomination at the Beaufort International Film Festival and has screened at Dances With Films, Jacksonville, Sunscreen (St. Petersburg), and Sarasota film festivals
Film Faculty, Writer, Director, Editor, Producer
- Wrote, directed, and produced the feature film fanti, winner of Best First Feature Film Director at the 23rd Vietnam Film Festival and the audience-voted Narrative Feature honor at the Austin Asian American Film Festival; nominated for Emerging Director – Narrative Feature at the Asian American International Film Festival
- Produced the feature film My First Kiss and the People Involved, which world-premiered in competition at the Los Angeles Film Festival and won Best Narrative Feature at the Ashland Independent Film Festival and the Narrative Feature Audience Award at the New Orleans Film Festival
- Edited the feature films I, which became Vietnam’s highest-grossing local film at the time of its release, and The Immortal (Người Bất Tử), directed by Victor Vũ
Film Faculty, Filmmaker
- Member of the Directors Guild of America, with directing credits that include second unit work on Honeymoon in Vegas, starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker, as well as feature documentaries
- Director of Photography on 15 feature films, including the original, unreleased Fantastic Four, along with extensive work in television, commercials, and music videos
- Leads the Virtual Production Certificate Program at Ringling College of Art and Design
- Avid Certified Instructor for Media Composer
Motion Design Faculty, Brand Concept and Key Art Designer, Visual Designer (UI/UX), Motion Graphics Designer/Animator
- Designed digital products for Hooah LLC, including websites, apps, ads, and printed billboard campaigns
- Designed the 2023 Kids’ Choice Awards logo and Nickelodeon’s Super Bowl LVIII “Bikini Bottom” broadcast kit, designed the complete rebrand of Nickelodeon SlimeTime, and pitched key art concepts, logos, and animations that made it to final production across Nickelodeon’s platforms
Film Faculty, Writer, Director, Producer
- Directed the feature documentaries Fish Fry & Fellowship (2026) and Caveman of Atomic City (2016)
- Wrote and directed the award-winning historical adventure Moses on the Mesa (2013)
- Managing Director of Sarasota Film Festival since 2019
Motion Design Faculty, Animation and Visual Effects, Owner and VFX Supervisor at Inferno Creative Studio, Former Digital Artist and Technical Director at Digital Domain, Screenwriter
- Decades of experience in visual effects, animation and video game development, with film and television credits including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Black Sails and more
- Founded Inferno Creative Studio, delivering VFX supervision, concept and storyboarding, modeling, texturing, animating and compositing for film, television and commercial clients, as well as custom software authoring
- Author of numerous original screenplays rooted in history, suspense, and the supernatural
2D and 3D Character Animation Faculty, Animator, Technical Artist
- Has worked for Warner Brothers Discovery Games, Nintendo Retro Studios, Steamroller, Blizzard, Anima Estudios
- Thesis film Grandma’s Pie won the National Board of Review 2018 Student Grant and Best of Ringling Gold Juror Award
2D and 3D Character Animation Faculty, 3D Animator, Story Artist, Director, Screenwriter
- Best known for his work on Masha and the Bear, the most-watched kids’ animated TV show on YouTube
Motion Design Faculty, Creative Director, Motion Designer, Artist
- Emmy Award branding for MSNBC; Emmy nominations for Title Design
- SR VP, Creative Director, On-Air, Promo and Marketing, E! Networks
- Creative Director, Taffetdesign, Clients include ESPN, FOX, HBO Kids
- Worked on digital assets, key art, and pitch decks as a freelancer for SJI Associates, producing work for their clients PBS, Sesame Street, and HBO Max
2D and 3D Character Animation Faculty, 3D Animator, Generalist
- More than 30 years of experience in the animation field
- Ringling Alum, class of 1996, who has taught 3D Computer Animation in the department for over 25 years
- Faculty Coordinator for Computer Animation
Sound Designer/Producer/Engineer, Interactive Design Instructor in Motion Design
- D&AD and Communication Arts-award-winning sound designer for Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Nickelodeon, BMW, Bath & Body Works, and The Ohio State University
- Co-founder of LightMural, creators of large-scale projection and interactive art experiences (Tampa Bay area)
- Founder of SoundMural, specializing in award-winning sonic branding and creative audio software including plip.studio
Film Faculty, Cinematographer, Director, Screenwriter, Visual Artist, Creative Director
- Shot feature films including Seconds Away, The Voyage Out, and Before the Sun Explodes, which have premiered at SXSW, Austin Film Festival, DOC NYC, among others
- Experimental film work selected for Cannes Directors’ Fortnight; won awards at Brooklyn and Nashville Film Festivals
- Visual art exhibited at the Guggenheim Bilbao and acquired by The Paris Review
Interim Department Head of Motion Design, Animation Professor, Animator, Animation Director
- Decades of professional animation experience with clients like Sony Pictures, the BBC, Comedy Central, and WGBH Boston
- Lead character animator, end titles, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
- Short films screened worldwide, including at the Philadelphia International Film Festival and the prestigious Annecy International Animation Festival
Department Head of 2D and 3D Character Animation, Animator, Screenwriter, Director
Department Head of Film, Professor, Screenwriter, Producer, Director
- Won the Gold Student Academy Award for Best Short Film
- Co-wrote and co-produced the feature film, She’s in Portland
- Fellow at the Nantucket Screenwriters Colony (Almanack Screenwriters)
Animation and Film
Recent News
Ringling’s Motion Design program just ranked #1 in the world. So what is Motion Design?
Ringling’s Motion Design program just ranked #1 in the world. So what is Motion Design?
Ringling’s Motion Design program ranks #1 in the world for a third year
Ringling’s Motion Design program ranks #1 in the world for a third year
Ringling College animation leaders to host free Virtual session for Rookies School Week
Ringling College animation leaders to host free Virtual session for Rookies School Week
Lazarus scholar leads mural-painting project at the Pines
Lazarus scholar leads mural-painting project at the Pines
Next Stop, Campus: Theme Park Design Competition Winner Enrolls as Round Two Begins
Next Stop, Campus: Theme Park Design Competition Winner Enrolls as Round Two Begins
Student wins Parkitecture recognition for inclusive design
Student wins Parkitecture recognition for inclusive design
Two Entertainment Design faculty win Thea Awards, once again
Two Entertainment Design faculty win Thea Awards, once again
Entertainment Design grad launches career with Museum EXP
Entertainment Design grad launches career with Museum EXP
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