


Meet Your Mentor:
Laurent Benhamo
Senior and Lead Creature Animator. Over 27 years in feature films at ILM, Framestore, MPC and Disney.
I have been animating creatures and characters for feature films for over 27 years. My credits include Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Lion King, Paddington and Gravity.
My specialty is creature anatomy, physicality and performance. I apply traditional animation principles to modern VFX pipelines, and I have led shot reviews and given performance feedback on large multi-shot sequences.
I started with traditional 2D animation at GOBELINS in Paris, and that training still shapes how I look at every shot: weight, timing, and what the character is thinking.
I created Animotion Academy to teach what I do in the studio, to animators who want to work at that level.
What you will learn
Production-based 3D animation, the way it is done on a feature film
Locomotion and anatomy of animals and creatures
Composition and storytelling in a shot
Performance and facial animation
How animation compares with live action, drawing, sculpture and music
Rigging tips from a production point of view.
Want to develop your animation skills with Laurent?

How I teach
Every week you send me your shot and we go through it together, live on Zoom. I explain my notes with graphics and videos, so you can see exactly what to change.
All sessions are recorded. You can watch them again whenever you need.
The courses are for animators of all levels. You work on your own shot, and you get honest, specific feedback on it.
Awards & Recognition
Annie Awards 2023
Best Character Animation – Live Action
Nominee – The Beast (Framestore)
Primetime Emmy Awards 2005
Outstanding Special Visual Effects
Nominee – Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real
Laurent Benhamo – Lead Visual Effects Animator
Filmography
Selected credits
Feature films
Star Wars: Episode VIII, The Last Jedi
Star Wars: Episode VII, The Force Awakens
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Gravity
The Lion King
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
Paddington
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Clash of the Titans
Wrath of the Titans
War Horse
Where the Wild Things Are
The Tale of Despereaux
The Last Dragon
Quest for Camelot
Space Jam
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
A Goofy Movie
Television and other
Prehistoric Planet
The Beast
Cedric
Gadget and the Gadgetinis
Education
GOBELINS, L'ecole de l'image section animation
January 1991 - June 1993
Training in tradition 2D animation and history of cinematography
Languages
- English
- French