MoPA 2026 Back-to-School: Students Return to Animation School

Contents

• A new academic year combining drawing and creativity for Preparatory Year students
• The first years of the 3D Animation Filmmaking programme get hands-on
• From animation to writing the graduation film
• Discover and join MoPA
• FAQ – Back to school at MoPA

 

A new academic year combining drawing and creativity for Preparatory Year students

For students in the Preparatory Year, the new academic year begins with two complementary areas of learning: academic drawing and getting started with Adobe tools.

Academic drawing helps students develop their observation skills and work on proportions, volumes and representation. This practice provides an initial artistic foundation, allowing them to gradually develop their eye and drawing skills.

At the same time, discovering Adobe software enables students to start familiarising themselves with the digital tools they will use throughout their studies.

This first stage therefore introduces both artistic fundamentals and the first digital creation tools.
 

Discover the Preparatory Year

 

Preparatory Year students' class photo

The first years of the 3D Animation Filmmaking programme get hands-on

For students in the 3D Animation Filmmaking programme, the first classes of the year introduce a range of artistic and technical fundamentals.

First year: perspective and academic drawing

Students in the first year of the 3D Animation Filmmaking programme begin their studies with academic drawing and perspective drawing in the city.

Perspective makes it possible to represent volumes, distances and spaces on a two-dimensional surface. By working directly from their surroundings, students can develop their observation skills and learn how to construct the spaces around them through drawing.

Second year: first 3D projects and concept art

In the second year of the 3D Animation Filmmaking programme, students begin exploring new areas of creation. One group discovers 3D through an exercise based on a Pop figurine, while another works on concept art.

Concept art is part of the visual development stage of a project. In particular, it is used to imagine and visually define a character, an environment, an object or, more broadly, the visual universe of a production.

Third year: 3D sculpting and animation

Students in the third year of the 3D Animation Filmmaking programme continue to develop their skills through more specialised exercises. Part of the year group works on 3D sculpting around a superhero, supervillain or an original character of their own creation, while the other group focuses on 3D animation.

These different exercises allow students to explore several aspects of creating an animated film, from character design to bringing characters to life through movement.

 

 

From animation to writing the graduation film

In the fourth and fifth years, this new academic year at MoPA continues the students' specialisation and gradually prepares them for their end-of-programme projects.

Fourth year: RenderMan and body mechanics

In the fourth year of the 3D Animation Filmmaking programme, classes vary depending on the chosen pathway. Students specialising in image begin learning how to use RenderMan, while animation students work on body mechanics.

Body mechanics focuses on the mechanics and movements of the body. It allows students to study how a character moves, travels through space and physically interacts with their environment in order to create coherent animation.

Fifth year: time to write the graduation film

For students in the fifth year of the 3D Animation Filmmaking programme, the start of the academic year marks an important stage: the first few weeks are dedicated to writing their graduation film.

Before moving on to the different stages of production, students work on the foundations of their project and the story they want to bring to the screen.

From the Preparatory Year to the fifth year, the activities at the start of the academic year illustrate the wide range of skills developed throughout the programme:

• academic drawing and perspective;
• digital creation tools;
• concept art;
• 3D sculpting and animation;
• RenderMan and body mechanics;
• writing a graduation film.

 

 

Discover and join MoPA

The 2026 back-to-school season offers an insight into the classes and projects that shape the student experience at MoPA. To find out more about the school, its programmes and the 3D Animation Filmmaking programme, several resources are available online.

Would you like to learn more about our programmes and how the school works? Discover MoPA through the replay of our online conference.

Watch the online conference replay

 

Would you like to join MoPA and begin your journey in animation filmmaking? Find all the information you need to apply to the school.

Apply to MoPA

 

 

FAQ – Back to school at MoPA