For the first time ever, MATC’s Animation program students participated in a worldwide animated film competition. 

The annual contest themed, “Flip Your Perspective” kicked off on October 3 at 6 p.m. with a special announcement from Pete Doctor, Chief Creative Officer at Pixar Animation Studios. Three teams from MATC participated and had 24 hours to make a 30-second animated film based on the theme.

Nearly 800 films were submitted in the contest worldwide and seven teams earned prize packages totaling more than $130,000 in cash awards, art books, festival passes, and drawing tablets. Founded by animator and educator Aubry Mintz, the competition continues to highlight emerging talent from regions often underrepresented in the global animation industry. 

MATC’s student teams worked from Room C282 under the guidance of Lead Faculty Brian Mennenoh and faculty member Tim Decker who served as coaches during the Jam. None of our MATC teams placed in the top seven but the teams working on the animations did their very best. They weren’t discouraged and it was a great learning experience for everyone involved. The teams used software ranging from Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Animate to Autodesk 3ds Max. 

Faculty members posted announcements in Blackboard to generate interest in the contest. Currently, the Animation Program is working on starting a club, and they also plan to host their own Jams in the future.

In addition to team Dilly Dally (featured and named in the video above), the other two teams and students that participated are:

Team Name:Timely Flares
YouTube: Timely Flares 24 Hour Animation Jam
Anisha Prather
Haylee Wojtcza7
Erik Estrada
Maliqk Martinez

Team Name: Hostage Situation
YouTube: Hostage Situation 1
Isabella Cribb
Jaycie Budney
Wyatt Olsen
Jade Zunker
Owen Moon

Animation students gather in C282 for a 24 hour worldwide animation film contest in October. Photo shared with the Times by Chris Korth, a student who participated in the competition.