"If you animate the face first, you get puppets. If you animate the body first, you get actors." Pillar 2: The Mechanics of Comedy (Brent Homman) Homman’s lectures are famous for their timing charts . He rejects the computer’s auto-tangent. In his section of the AnimSquad Master Class, he draws frame-by-frame breakdowns for comedic beats—the "freeze, catch, and release" method used for characters like Maui or Olaf.
AI can calculate physics. AI can generate a mouth shape for a phoneme. But AI cannot currently judge the intent behind a glance. It cannot decide that a character should hesitate for 12 frames instead of 8 to convey shame.
The specifically is their premium tier. It is not for beginners. It assumes you understand the graph editor, interpolation, and basic posing. This master class is designed to break bad habits and instill the "Disney polish" that separates a demo reel from a studio job offer. animsquad master class disney s zach parrish brent homman
However, his journey is what resonates with AnimSquad students. Parrish started on the technical side of visual effects before transitioning to character animation. He worked on "Big Hero 6," "Wreck-It Ralph," and "Frozen." In the master class, Parrish focuses heavily on He teaches that a bouncing ball is easy, but making a cartoon rabbit sob convincingly requires understanding behavioral psychology. Brent Homman: The Performance Specialist Brent Homman is frequently described by his peers as "the actor with a pencil." A Supervising Animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios, Homman has an extensive list of credits including "Moana" (Maui), "Tangled," and "Encanto."
"A joke lands in the held frame, not the moving one." Pillar 3: The Emotional Continuum Both instructors collaborate on a section about "Scene Energy." They teach how to map beats (high energy vs. low energy) across a 200-frame shot. This is the secret sauce to avoiding "samey" animation where a character yells, then whispers, with the same intensity. Part 4: Why This Master Class Matters in 2024-2025 The animation industry is at a crossroads. AI is creeping into tweening, and studios are cutting costs. Why does the AnimSquad Master Class Disney s Zach Parrish Brent Homman matter now more than ever? "If you animate the face first, you get puppets
In the modern era of digital animation, the gap between "knowing the software" and "mastering the craft" is vast. While YouTube tutorials can teach you how to move a rig, they rarely teach you how to make an audience feel . That is why the AnimSquad Master Class featuring Disney’s Zach Parrish and Brent Homman has become the gold standard for intermediate and professional animators looking to break into the big leagues.
If you are an aspiring animator searching for the , you aren't just looking for a tutorial—you are looking for a career roadmap. Here is everything you need to know about this intensive workshop, what makes these two Disney legends unique, and why their teachings are essential for surviving the evolving animation industry. Part 1: Who Are Zach Parrish and Brent Homman? Before diving into the curriculum of the AnimSquad Master Class, it is vital to understand the pedigree of the instructors. Disney Animation does not hire just anyone; they hire the top 1% of storytellers. Zach Parrish: From Clean-Up to Director Zach Parrish carries a unique title: Disney Animation Director. He is best known for directing the Oscar-nominated short "Us Again" (2021) and serving as the Head of Animation for the billion-dollar hit "Zootopia." In his section of the AnimSquad Master Class,
These two men have animated characters that billions of people love (Maui, Judy Hopps, Mirabel). By taking this class, you aren't just learning to move a rig; you are learning to capture the human condition through a cartoon lens. You are learning why a held breath before a line of dialogue makes an audience cry, or why a single overlapping frame of a finger can sell a punchline.
