“We bring together animation enthusiasts, professionals, and children to celebrate the art and craft of animation.” This second edition of the conference actually offers a rich programme of workshops, talks, screenings, and exhibitions which seem most suited to the industry; it’s organised by Sharjah Book Authority in partnership with Italy’s Bergamo Animation Days (BAD) and features a roster of heavy speakers from the industry \u2013 lots of Europeans, predictably enough, but also a good representation from the Arab world.<\/p>\n
Highlights include a Masterclass by artist and director Junichi Hayama, celebrated for his work on titles like Fist of the North Star<\/em>; an exhibition from stop-motion specialists Aardman Animation that promises an in-depth look at the studio’s innovative techniques and storytelling prowess, and a special 30th anniversary screening of The Lion King<\/em>, with a presentation from top Disney animator Andreas Deja.<\/p>\n One day tickets are AED 280, the four-day pass is AED 400 (but there were heavy discounts when we last checked). Those prices just buy admission to the event; if you want to attend a workshop, you’ll pay extra \u2013 AED 350 per workshop (and no discounts that we could see). The workshops<\/a> look particularly good, an hour long and generally on very practical topics like animating facial expressions and using Storyboard Pro; there are around two dozen of them over the last three days (day one is just the exhibition plus a concert of iconic game soundtracks from the Florence Pops Orchestra).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"