Introduction
Animation feels like magic on the screen, but behind that magic lies a craft that cannot be mastered alone through tutorials and random YouTube videos. To create scenes that leave the audience stunned, you need someone who is an industry professional who can spot your mistakes, show you how to fix them, and guide you toward industry standards.
That’s why mentorship is the foundation to creating the work you’ve always dreamed of. It’s not just a shortcut, it’s dedication to your craft. If you’re serious about building a career in animation, Animation Club School is the place where this journey can truly begin.
Why Mentorship Matters in Animation
Self-teaching often feels productive, but in reality, it can trap you in cycles of repeating the same mistakes for months or even years. These mistakes can lead to the development of bad habits. These bad habits can lead to you missing out on a studio job. A mentor can break that cycle by giving you:
- Clarity: Understand what studios expect and how to create polished work.
- Confidence: Know that your portfolio reflects industry standards.
- Motivation: Learning in isolation is lonely, but with a mentorship, you foster energy, accountability, and community.
History itself proves mentorship works. At Disney, mentorship was at the heart of the studio’s culture. Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, two of the legendary Nine Old Men, began their careers under the guidance of Ubbe Ert “Ub” Iwerks and Walt Disney himself. Milton Erwin Kahl, known as “the animator’s animator”, learned from more experienced colleagues before becoming a mentor to an entire new generation.
Glen Keane, the creative force behind The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, has often said that his career truly started thanks to the mentorship of Eric Larson, one of Disney’s Nine Old Men. Without this passing of knowledge, Disney would never have become the global symbol of animation it is today.
In modern times, mentorship is just as vital. Many students graduating from prestigious schools often feel lost about what’s next in joining the animation industry. A mentor helps you:
- Avoid Common Pitfalls: Learn what mistakes to skip so you can progress faster and smarter.
- Master Industry Standards: Understand the workflows, techniques, and expectations used by top studios.
- Build a Portfolio That Gets Noticed: Focus on the exact skills, scenes, and projects employers want to see.
Beyond the technical side, studying within a group and under a mentor’s guidance provides motivation and energy that simply cannot be sustained when learning in isolation.
Why Animation Club School
Animation Club School continues this tradition of mentorship by creating a direct bridge between aspiring artists and working professionals. The school’s mentors have credits in acclaimed productions such as Klaus, Primal, Wolfwalkers, and Scavengers Reign. Courses are designed around practice and portfolio building rather than abstract lectures, which means every exercise has a purpose and every project contributes to your growth as an animator.
- Practice-Driven Learning: Every exercise contributes to your portfolio.
- Personalized Feedback: Mentors guide you based on your work, not a generic syllabus.
- Community & Support: Students share their progress, learn together, and motivate one another.
- Accessible Tuition: High-quality mentorship without the elite-school price tag.
This approach ensures that students don’t just learn animation—they create professional-quality work that opens doors.
The school also fosters a strong, supportive community. Students are not left to work alone. They learn, share progress, and grow together. Combined with accessible tuition compared to elite schools, this makes Animation Club School one of the most practical and inspiring places to start or develop an animation career.
Don’t just take our word for it. These students prove how working with the school’s mentors can turn passion into a career.
- Iana Mushnikova – From a small town with a love for cartoons to becoming a professional animator, Iana’s journey shows the power of determination and mentor support. Under Edward Kurchevsky’s guidance, she navigated early struggles, overcame disappointments, and learned the skills that launched her career.
See Iana’s story → - Anna Burikova– Her path wasn’t linear—architecture, design, game development—but animation was where she found her calling. Today, Anna is confident, skilled, and ready for professional challenges, all thanks to focused mentorship and hands-on learning.
See Anna’s story → - Julia Reshetnyak – Julia’s journey demonstrates the importance of establishing a solid foundation. From early sketches to a CalArts-ready portfolio and entry into the industry, every step taught her something new—guided by mentors who helped her stay on track and reach her goals.
See Julia’s story →
Learn From Industry Mentors
At Animation Club School, every student works directly with professional animators who have contributed to acclaimed projects like Klaus, Primal, Wolfwalkers, and Scavengers Reign.
Here’s what they bring to the table:
- Edward Kurchevsky – Lead Mentor and Master of traditional 2D animation, scene analysis, and character acting. Teaches how small details bring characters to life.
- Cata – Expert in visual storytelling and composition. Passionate about mentoring aspiring animators, sharing behind-the-scenes insights, and helping others learn the fundamentals of 2D animation
- Andrei Sitari– Character design and expressive motion specialist. Helps students craft portfolio-ready characters with personality.
- Anna Chrzanowska-Pilarska –2D cut-out animator and high-energy sequence pro. Focuses on timing, exaggeration, and polished motion.
- Maor Sharvit– visual development artist and cinematic storytelling mentor. Teaches shot planning and pacing for compelling visuals.
- Ksenia Inozemtseva – Motion dynamics and secondary action expert. Shows students how to break down animated motion into easy to read poses.
💡 Pro Tip: Working with mentors isn’t just about learning techniques—it’s about building the portfolio, skills, and confidence studios actually look for.
Courses to Begin With
For those just entering the world of animation, Basics in Traditional 2D Animation is the perfect first step. In this course, you’ll explore the timeless twelve principles of animation — the same principles that Disney legends used to bring their characters to life. Guided by a mentor, you’ll immediately put these principles into practice, creating your very first animations with simple yet lovable characters. By the end, you’ll have finished pieces that give you both confidence and a solid foundation for future learning.
Perfect for beginners, this course covers the 12 timeless principles of animation that Disney legends used to bring characters to life. With mentor guidance, students:
- Practice foundational animation techniques immediately.
- Create their first polished animations with lovable characters.
- Build a strong portfolio foundation for future work.
For students with some prior experience, the Workshop: One-Month Intensive Mentorship offers an accelerated way to level up. Over the course of a month, you’ll work closely with mentors on your own projects or demo reel, refining your skills to industry standards. The workshop is personalized: instead of following generic assignments, the focus is on what you need to advance your career. To ensure quality, new students are asked to submit animation samples for review before joining, which guarantees that the program remains intensive and focused.
For students with prior experience, this intensive program:
- Focuses on refining projects or demo reels to industry standards.
- Offers personalized mentorship instead of generic assignments.
- Includes a pre-review process to ensure mentorship remains high-quality and focused.
Conclusion
Learning with a mentor is not just about learning faster — it’s about learning the right way. It’s the difference between years of trial and error and a focused path that leads directly to results. This is how the Disney legends built their careers, and it remains the way the industry grows new talent today.
If your dream is to bring characters to life from scratch, start with Basics in Traditional 2D Animation. If you’re ready to polish your own projects or demo reel to a professional level, join the One-Month Intensive Mentorship.
Animation Club School offers knowledge and practical experience within a supportive community and mentorship culture, helping you build a successful career in animation.
