The Animation School (Pty) Ltd is a private higher education institution based in Cape Town, South Africa, founded in 2000 and specialising exclusively in animation, visual effects and digital production education. It is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) as a private higher education institution under the Higher Education Act, 1997 (registration certificate no. 2009/HE07/013), and its qualifications are accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and registered on the National Qualifications Framework through SAQA. The school operates a campus in Woodstock, Cape Town (42 Searle Street) and a second campus in Craighall Park, Johannesburg (110 Conrad Drive), as well as fully online delivery of its programmes. Since 2000 the institution states it has been recognised over 200 times in industry and student awards, and has for several years been listed among the top animation schools internationally by Animation Career Review. The Animation School is part of the Honoris United Universities pan-African higher education network. The school focuses on practical, industry-aligned training in 2D and digital/3D animation, character design, storyboarding, visual effects and motion graphics, using industry-standard software including Autodesk Maya, Toon Boom Harmony and the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, with students given portfolio-building and industry placement opportunities as part of their studies.
Qualifications & Programmes
- Diploma in Digital Animation – NQF Level 6, SAQA ID 71756, 360 credits, 3 years full-time, offered on-campus (Cape Town or Johannesburg) or fully online; covers the animation production pipeline including character design, storyboarding, visual effects (VFX) and motion graphics, with an industry placement in the third year
- Higher Certificate in 2D Animation – NQF Level 5, SAQA ID 124629, 120 credits, 1 year full-time, delivered fully online; core modules include Drawing for Animation, Visual Storytelling, 2D Animation, Animation History and Context, and Professional Studies; graduates may progress into the Diploma in Digital Animation
- Short courses in animation-related specialisations (e.g. stop motion, motion graphics, 2D and 3D animation) offered over shorter, flexible durations