Cy-Fair ISD Animation Classes Allow Students to Achieve Dreams
By Sama Abudhhir, Cypress Park High School (A High School Journalism Network Collaboration)
Eric Willard’s animation course at Cypress Park High School has students flocking to his room adorned with murals of popular films from Disney, Pixar and Star Wars franchises. It’s not just the aesthetics that draw students in; it’s the popularity of animation.
In 2020, animation films accounted for more than $10 billion in global box office revenue, according to industry trend site Linearity. The global animation market was valued at $371.21 billion in 2023, according to the Academy of Animated Art. Anime and manga-style comics and films continue to attract high-school-aged students.
CFISD offers animation courses in all 12 high school campuses, including opportunities for certifications like Adobe Animate (Animation I), Autodesk Maya (Animation II) and Adobe After Effects (Practicum in Animation).
Students learn the classic 2D animation in Animation I class and can learn 3D computer animation if they progress to Animation II. Animation is defined as the technique of photographing successive drawings or positions of puppets or models to create an illusion of movement when the movie is shown as a sequence. The class allows regular students to create art in a format that captured their hearts as children.
“I always attribute my affinity for animation to my love for the movies,” Willard said. “Like many, I have always loved going to the movies since the first one that I really remember, which was ‘Alien’ when I was 5 with my mom and brother. The imagination of that movie, and hundreds, if not thousands, that I’ve seen since, all are so creative. Animation is a very cheap way to express your creativity, without having to have millions to do it. Luckily, I’ve found a great teaching landing spot, in the form of animation.”
Willard’s introduction to animation is much like that he gives students in his Animation I class. Beginning with a classic flipbook, a stack of paper with drawings on each sheet that when flipped through gives the illusion of movement.
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“I started with flip books when I was a kid,” Willard said. “The classic note pad that I would take from class to class and make a sweet animation of a stick figure dunking on people. I still have a couple from back in the day. My first project of computer Animation…I would say it was turning a video of my kids (then 10 and 8) playing with sticks, into a lightsaber battle from ‘Star Wars’ with sound effects and everything. The oldest one in a college now, so I will cherish this forever, which speaks to another advantage of computer animation. This form of animation can last forever, or at least until computers are no longer a thing.”
An animation course could allow students to achieve goals some may think were once unattainable.
“I was very interested in storyboards, how we would do stories, and draw my own characters and see them come to life,” said Animation II student Lesly Tzunun. “I really loved watching cartoons and I still do, and I would like to create cartoons.”
Willard’s animation course teaches students to bring life to their art, despite the process appearing difficult or repetitive.
“The product is always worth the effort put in,” said Willard.
For more information on the Animation Practicum program of study, visit the CFISD Career and Technical Education page.
Source: CFISD
