Villa Maria College’s Animation program has been officially designated as a Toon Boom Center of Excellence! The distinction places Villa among a select group of institutions recognized worldwide for delivering industry-leading training that prepares students for in-demand animation careers.
Toon Boom software is used by the world’s largest animation studios, including Disney, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros., and Fox Television, as well as streaming services like Netflix and Amazon. These studios produce the most creative 2D animations, both series and feature films, and bring their animations to life using Toon Boom technologies. The software was used to create The Princess and the Frog, The Simpsons, The Spongebob Squarepants Movie, Mulan II, The Bob’s Burgers Movie, Rick & Morty, and many others.
The Toon Boom COE designation attests that Villa’s Animation Program meets a high standard of depth, breadth, and quality. It is recognized as meshing innovative products with best practices to create top talent – the very best new animators and storyboard artists. Students will learn the skills that are in high demand at studios big and small.
Villa’s Animation program earned the COE designation by meeting a series of qualification requirements set forth by Toon Boom. This includes:
Offering a specific multi-year degree or diploma in animation, storyboarding, or a related field, such as video game development
Using current versions of Harmony Premium and Storyboard Pro in their curriculum
Incorporating Toon Boom software into Animation and Storyboarding courses
Current student work shows an advanced use and understanding of Toon Boom software
Instructors pursue annual training pertinent to their discipline
As a ToonBoom COE, each of Villa’s Animation students will receive a free desktop subscription to Harmony Premium and Storyboard Pro software. In addition, they will have access to quarterly workshops hosted by Toon Boom instructors and specialists. These courses cover popular topics like cut-out animation, paperless animation, special effects, beginner and advanced rigging, beginner and advanced compositing, storyboarding, and more.
Students also have access to Toon Boom’s Learn Portal, which helps students who have not used the software yet learn all the basic features of Harmony and Storyboard Pro. Novice animation students can learn to use he basic features and start animating within days. Students who are already familiar with the programs will have access to content to help them master the more advanced concepts of Harmony and Storyboard Pro, like cut-out animation, character rigging, special effects, compositing, storyboarding, animatics, traditional paperless animation, and more.
In addition, students also have access to Toon Boom’s blog, YouTube channel, Twitch, Discord, and Animation from Every Angle, a forum that celebrates diversity in animated storytelling.
The program’s faculty have the opportunity to coordinate an annual town hall meeting for students and staff. This means Toon Boom business professionals, guest speakers, and others will share their industry experiences virtually.
Finally, once students graduate, they will receive a special offer that gives them discounted pricing on Toon Boom software. For one year, alumni will receive 50% off commercial pricing on annual desktop subscriptions for Storyboard Pro and Harmony.
“Toon Boom is the industry standard for 2D animation and storyboarding software,” said Assistant Professor of Animation Joshua Muntain. “It is used by studios and artists all over the world. Students who graduate from Villa’s Animation program will have a strong understanding of both Harmony and Storyboard Pro – in-demand skills in the 2D animation field.”
To learn more about Toon Boom’s Center of Excellence, visit https://www.toonboom.com/center-of-excellence.
To learn more about Villa’s Animation program, visit https://www.villa.edu/academics/animation.
