SCAD Animation Fest 2025

Written by Mae Masek

If you are a SCAD Savannah student looking to experience the excitement of the Animation Festival in Atlanta, look here for a summary of the event and a guide towards navigating this event!

The SCAD Animation Fest takes place on Atlanta campus every year at the end of September, with panels featuring popular directors and artists of animated films of the year. This year featured the creators of Phineas and Ferb, directors of K-Pop Demon Hunters, a showcase of the work made by SCAD students and alumni, and more! SCAD Animation Fest is a three-day event that brings together animation majors, as well as adjacent majors that complement the animation medium such as Illustration majors, Sequential Art majors, and even Game Development majors.

The author of this article attended panels on Thursday and Friday which included the co-creators of Phineas and Ferb, the premiere of The Mighty Nein, and the SCAD student animated film showcase. Listening to the creators of Phineas and Ferb, Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh talk about their early beginnings as animators was really inspiring and reassuring that you can become an artist despite the odds. The panel discussed their journey of becoming animators and of creating this iconic animated franchise, as well as fun secrets and details they hid in the newest season of Phineas and Ferb (like how Phineas has an extra stripe on his shirt symbolizing that he is a year older). These panels serve as a way to motivate students to keep learning and working hard on their work, while also giving exclusive industry sneak peaks into what is being released soon, like the premiere of The Mighty Nein which is releasing in November.

As a student in Savannah, there is a single bus that runs to Atlanta from Savannah on Friday and Saturday at around 4 AM and back at 10 PM. Reservations for the bus are sent to Animation students due to only one bus being ran, so if you are not an Animation student, either know one to sign up or you could show up at the bus and see if there are any open seats. If you are able to get onto the bus, you receive a festival pass at the ticket booth that allows you to attend any of the panels of the event.

When you first enter the SCADshow building on Spring Street NW, to the right of the entrance is Ex Libris where you can buy snacks and unique SCAD merch. Straight past the entrance of SCADshow through the next glass doors is where Atlanta students reside on campus, with a green space in the middle of the dorms where activities are held. Right when you enter the campus, to your right through glass doors is the cafeteria if you want to grab something to eat.

There are two stages where panels take place during Animation Fest. Both of these stages are up the black stairs in SCADshow. On the second floor is stage 2, the smallest stage, where artist talks and panels take place. On the third floor is the main stage, you can grab a beverage or snack on the outside before you enter and enjoy an exciting debut of a show or inspiring talk from your favorite creators.

If you are looking forward to expanding your knowledge of animation, connecting with other majors, and seeing sneak peaks of what projects you could work on in the future, consider attending the SCAD Animation Festival in Atlanta next year!