California Institute of the Arts was chartered in 1961 through the merger of the Chouinard Art Institute and the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music, officially opening its Valencia campus in 1971. A not-for-profit university conceived by Walt and Roy O. Disney, CalArts pioneered the integrated, cross-disciplinary conservatoire model now emulated worldwide. Its School of Film/Video offers world-renowned programmes in Character Animation, Experimental Animation, Film Directing and Film & Video, with alumni influencing every major studio and countless independent productions.
Animation Leadership
Graduates created or directed landmark works such as Toy Story, Frozen, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Adventure Time, cementing the so-called “CalArts style” as shorthand for bold, auteur-driven animation.
Industry Recognition
Alumni collectively hold hundreds of Academy Awards, Emmys and Annie Awards. CalArts itself is a full member of CILECT and regularly ranks among the world’s top film schools.
Catalyst for New Media
From pioneering computer animation labs in the 1980s to today’s Extended Reality (XR) studio, CalArts continually integrates emerging technologies, preparing students for evolving screen industries.
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