Professional Online Training
Animation d'Excellence
The art of animating the unconscious: a timeless craft, beyond technology.
Understanding non-verbal communication through science, in service of psychological credibility in characters.
A groundbreaking approach to animation.
The Training
Overview
Professional online training
Animation
d'Excellence
Learn to read and recreate the human: observation, body language, emotional timing, subtext — to give your characters a psychological credibility that technique alone can never produce.
Grounded in neuroscience and behavioural psychology, this ~3-month online training is offered by École Méliès and led by working professionals from international animation studios. 10 modules · 35 chapters · professional mentoring. Admission by demo reel.
- 10
- Modules
- 35
- Chapters
- ~3 months
- Total Duration
- 12
- Mentoring Sessions
What You'll Learn
- Observe human behaviour to better animate it.
- Apply synergology (body language science) to your characters.
- Master emotional timing and psychological credibility.
- Build a subtext readable by the unconscious.
- Position your work in the post-AI world as an image artisan.
Admission & Prerequisites
Admission by demo reel only. You submit your work, and a mentor evaluates whether your level allows you to fully benefit from the training.
Training not suited for beginners — designed for working animators who want to go further in the psychological credibility of their characters.
[To confirm] Certificate of completion. (No RNCP equivalent.)
The 5 Pillars
The AnimEX Method
Five axes for animating what the camera cannot see.
Observation
Reading the real world to transpose it into precise, accurate animation.
Psychological Credibility
Synergology (the science of non-verbal communication): body language, micro-expressions, thought processes…
Timing
Mastering the duration of different types of emotions, stillness, the living gaze…
Storytelling
Understanding the importance of context and all its complexity.
Artisan & AI
How to keep your creative self in this new world and understand the angles of AI use. You guide the AI, not the other way around.
Programme
Course Content
- Total Duration
- ~3 months · ~12 weeks
- Workload
- ~300 hours
- Mentoring
- 12 weeks · 30 min / week
- Language
- English (FR subtitles)
- Avoiding the Uncanny ValleyUnderstanding the phenomenon and the levers to avoid it.
- ObservationMethods for observing, analysing and referencing reality.
- Video ReferenceUsing video reference as a professional tool.
- Psychological CredibilitySynergology applied to character animation.
- TimingEmotional timing, beyond classic technical rules.
- HumourBuilding the gag and physical comedy in animation.
- StorytellingTelling a story with the body, the gaze, the posture.
- Image Artisan & The World BeyondThe animator facing generative AI.
- Managing Stress and Well-beingHandling studio pressure, impostor syndrome, sustainable creativity.
- Bonus Recap — Weight LogicUnderstanding and animating the physics of the body.
Pedagogical Approach
Learning from a Mentor
Animation d'Excellence is rooted in the practice of international professional studios. This training is the result of several years of research, bringing together for the first time disciplines that had never been combined: synergology, neuroscience, psychology and, of course, animation. It was born from the observation of what animators are missing, seen through the eyes of several leads and animation directors from major studios.
Mentoring is provided by professional animators from major studios including Illumination, Sony Pictures, ILM, Weta, Disney, Pixar, Mikros and SkyDance. Each session tracks the exercises across the different modules.
Admissions
Application
- Selection
- By demo reel
- Launch Price
- 2 300 € 1 490 € 1st cohort · Limited places
- Format
- 100 % online, at your own pace
- Prepare your demo reel: a representative selection of your animation work.
- Submit your application via the online form (link below).
- A mentor evaluates your level and contacts you within a few days.
- If admitted, you receive your platform access when your session opens.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything You Need to Know
What is Animation d'Excellence?
Animation d'Excellence is a professional online training offered by École Méliès, grounded in neuroscience and behavioral psychology. It aims to fill the blind spot of classic technical training: the psychological credibility of characters. 10 modules, 35 chapters, ~3 months, with professional mentoring by working animators.
What are the prerequisites?
Admission is exclusively by demo reel. No formal academic prerequisite. A mentor evaluates your work to verify that the training matches your current level.
Does the training lead to a degree or certification?
Animation d'Excellence is not an RNCP programme. The type of certification is still to be confirmed. Its goal is a concrete, immediately applicable skill upgrade in a professional studio — not an academic certification.
How does the mentoring work?
The training includes 12 individual 30-minute mentoring sessions, one per week. Each session focuses on your exercises: corrections, personalised feedback, improvement paths. Mentoring is provided by a professional animator.
