France, already home to many of the world’s best animation schools, will soon get a new one. Sylvain Chomet Animation Academy — The SChool is due to open in the northern town of Bayeux in September 2020.
As the stylized spelling of its name suggests, The SChool is being launched by Sylvain Chomet, the renowned animator and director behind films like The Triplets of Belleville and The Illusionist. It will initially offer a three-year course. And there’s a twist: according to Chomet, this will be the first animation school in France that teaches some courses in English.
“From experience, whichever studio I have worked in or collaborated with, no matter where in the world — the common language is English,” the filmmaker tells Cartoon Brew. “Having The SChool being an English-speaking environment prepares students for this reality.”