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Learn creature animation directly from a professional who has worked on some of the world's best-known films.

Laurent Benhamo. Senior and Lead Creature Animator with over 27 years in feature films at ILM, Framestore, MPC and Disney. Credits include Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Lion King, Paddington and Gravity. Annie Awards nominee, 2023.

Develop Your Creature Animation Skills

Next Live Animation Courses — Starting Saturday, 28 November 2026

Choose the learning level that suits your experience:

  • Beginner

  • Mid-Level

  • Advanced

All three levels are taught in one small group, with a maximum of 8 students in total.

Weekly live online sessions with Laurent, including individual feedback on your animation shots. Every session is recorded so you can revisit the lessons. 

 

From £400 a month. Pay in full or in monthly instalments.

What You'll Learn

  • Realistic 3D animation, built the way a production works

  • Locomotion, behavior, human and animal anatomy, gravity, weight shift, rhythm, choreography, negative space, impact and pose

  • Polishing motion curves

  • Composition and storytelling, with deep analysis of references and observation

  • Realistic performance, acting and facial animation

  • How animation relates to sculpture, drawing and live-action film

  • Rigging techniques and tips on animation layers

Weekly feedback 

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zoom

Live lessons on Zoom, all recorded. Theory and practice are explained with graphics and video.

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Production Quality Asset Rigs

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tiger

Every student will be provided with state-of-the-art asset rigs. Ultra realistic skinning deformation and details with an incredible amount of controls and space switch options for achieving fantastic results.

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What makes animation an art

movie

Let's build a bridge!

Comparison between animation and other major arts, live action films, sculpture,  drawings and music for better understanding of your medium.

 

 

Rendering and Lighting

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gorilla

The final piece of animation study will be rendered with Maya in high-quality lighting ready for your show reel.

Students Gallery
 

Reviews

“ It was such an amazing and rewarding experience for me to be able to follow this Advanced Animation Class in body mechanic on a gorilla with Laurent. The purpose of this exercice was about to study in detail the anatomy of an ape and to re-imagine and understand the complexity of a reference with missing part. Laurent was really dedicated to share all his knowledge and his understanding of the creature locomotion. I learned a lot and I definitely recommend this class to anyone who wants to step forward on a strong fondation process of building a solid creature Keyframe animation. Thanks so much Laurent!”

 

VINCENT CAUDEVILLE

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