If the BYU animation program were a football team, you would call it a dynasty. At the very least, the program should be a strong candidate for the coveted moniker after winning five out of 12 College Television Awards and two Student Academy Awards over four years.
No words need be wasted here about the number of awards they’ve won for their short films. There’s no need to multiply words lauding the animation student’s efforts; the quality of their short films and quantity of their accomplishments say more than we possibly could. We’re not merely congratulating the students for their accomplishments; we’d like to congratulate them for their ability to win these national accolades without pandering to society’s lowest common denominator.
In a profession that fiercely competes for moviegoers’ attention – and dollars – a tendency exists to include “something for everyone.” Over time, the Hollywood law of gravity gradually pulls down studio standards, allowing crude jokes and baseless humor to find their way into movies that are supposed to be “fun for the whole family.” In contrast, the BYU student films are high quality in technical aspects and a delight for kids of all ages.
Many of the animation students leave BYU to work on projects with studios like Pixar and 20th Century Fox (just to name a few). It’s a joy to know BYU has a strong animation program that educates these future producers and directors not only in sound job skills, but also in quality entertainment.
