Skip to content Learn to animate the way your dream studio needs you to.
Most animators plateau because they are working alone. No mentor watching the shot, no one telling them where the body mechanics are actually breaking down.
Start the free challengeOne video, one Maya scene, under 30 minutes. No card needed.
Shots by students who used to be stuck. Hover or tap to play:
Dialogue – Jason B
Cinematic Action – Mike H.
Adv. Body Mechanics – Tara E.
Dialogue – Gary Li
Emote Cycle – Theron C.
Dialogue – Pierre K.
Cinematic Takedown – Joan R.
Emote Cycle – Lexie B.
They came here stuck. They left hired.
I put my reel out on a Friday and I got an email on Monday for a Wednesday interview. Wednesday I got the job! And that’s my story.
Theron C.Hired at MPC
The biggest result from RAS is that I would get companies coming to me. And being like “hey we have a position would you be interested in it?” or if I applied they’re like “yeah, come in for an interview”
It got me from no one – to hearing from a whole ton of people. And then I got hired as a junior 3D Animator!
Chanthi V.Hired at Cinesite
I just realized I haven’t told you, but I got the job!! Best Christmas present hehe What a way to start the new year!
[The Recruiter] was impressed by my reel and said it was great work for a junior without experience and they really wanted me on their project. It was so fulfilling for me to hear!
Liam K.Hired alumni
I almost gave up on animation — you and Rusty Animator School saved me.
Smith R.Hired alumni
You already know the twelve principles.
That was never the problem. You have watched the tutorials, maybe finished a degree, maybe paid a lot for one. You can talk about arcs and overlap fluently.
And yet the reel has not moved in eighteen months, the applications go quiet, and you are not sure which of the hundred things you could fix is the one holding the shot back.
Nobody has ever sat down, scrubbed through your timeline, and told you. Reading about animation is not the same as being coached in it, and no amount of watching closes that gap.
Progress, animating alone
What actually moves a shot forward
Your shot, critiqued live
Working animators scrub your timeline in front of you and name the specific thing that is wrong. Not general notes on a forum.
More than one set of eyes
Rusty leads most of it, but the school runs on mentors with their own studio credits and their own way of seeing a pose.
People animating alongside you
Students finish here and stall everywhere else because somebody notices when they stop posting.
Who is mentoring
Everyone critiquing your work here is a working animator with shipped film and game credits.
Rusty Gray
Founder · Mentor
X-Men · Cinderella · 10+ years across VFX and games
Fahad Haddad
Lead Motion Editor
ILM
Brittney Owens
Senior Animator
Cinesite
Michael Lewis
Senior Animator
Reel FX
Can you put weight into a shot whenever you want?
One simple exercise gives you command over it. Most animators never do it, and it shows in every shot they submit.
- A short tactical video: what you are animating and why it matters
- A Maya scene with the rig already in it, ready to open and start
- A brief small enough to finish in one sitting
Day one is free
Under 30 minutes, no card needed. You will also get animation breakdowns and critique notes by email.
Nobody animates well in a vacuum.
Post your shot, get eyes on it, and find people working on the same problem you are.
Where to go next
Free Maya rigs
A library of production-quality rigs to animate with, free to download.
Courses
Focused programs on body mechanics, character acting and fundamentals.
Rusty Animator School
The full mentored program, with live critique and a cohort you finish alongside.
