SCAD AnimationFest 2024 is almost here, and here are five things that I'm excited to see at the event. SCAD AnimationFest is the Savannah College of Art and Design's yearly festival that is centered around the art of animation, with everyone from industry professionals to up-and-coming animators coming together to give exclusive looks at projects new and old. SCAD AnimationFest 2023 gave exciting looks at projects like Nimona, Krapopolis, Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, and more, and now that the official programming schedule has been released, SCAD AnimationFest 2024 is looking to be the festival's most exciting year yet.

SCAD AnimationFest 2024 will include all kinds of exciting speakers, presentations, and more, and I will be getting to experience a lot more than the five main events listed in this piece. The event will feature executives and creatives from Adult Swim, Bad Robot, Crafty Apes, DC Studios, DreamWorks Animation, Netflix, and Warner Bros. Animation, with the schedule featuring a behind-the-scenes look at Blue Eye Samurai, a preview of Adult Swim's series Common Side Effects, and a whole lot more.

SCAD AnimationFest 2024 will take place from September 26-28.

5 SCAD AnimationFest 2024's Annual Student Showcase & SCAD Animation Studios' All-New Premieres

Thursday, Friday, & Saturday

While SCAD AnimationFest 2024 will feature all kinds of work that comes from outside the prestigious art school, the festival will also put a spotlight on some projects that have been produced within the school. SCAD AnimationFest 2024 will bring back the festival's yearly SCAD Student Animation Showcase, which shows off the best student work that has come from within the school. SCAD AnimationFest 2023's Student Animation Showcase featured some incredible animated films, and this year's batch of shorts is expected to be just as exciting.

On top of that, the Savannah College of Art and Design also features the world's only animation studio at a university, with SCAD Animation Studios giving students the opportunity to work on projects in a professional setting. Last year, SCAD Animation Studios released The Last Dungeon, the studio's first film to be created using Unreal Engine. I got to interview the students behind The Last Dungeon, and after being blown away by the filmmakers and the resources that they were provided with, I can't wait to see what is next from the studio.

This year, SCAD AnimationFest 2024 will feature the release of two all-new student short films from SCAD Animation Studios. The first of these films is Chelita, Como me Duele Quererte, which "follows a clumsy young baker who tries to reconnect with his first love after discovering she has become an adelita, or female soldier, in the Mexican Revolution" (via SCAD). The second is Time Flies, which is "a story about how two flies make the most of their life — which just happens to be one day long." I can't wait to see these new films at SCAD AnimationFest 2024.

4 SCAD AnimationFest 2024's Preview Screening Of Memoir Of A Snail

Thursday At 6pm

I am a huge fan of Adam Elliot, the Oscar-winning filmmaker and animator behind the 2003 short film Harvie Krumpet as well as the critically acclaimed stop-motion feature film Mary and Max. Elliot's unique style of stop-motion animation makes him one of the most distinctive filmmakers working today, with all of his various shorts and features looking absolutely gorgeous. When I heard that Elliot would be releasing an all-new feature film in 2024 titled Memoir of a Snail, it quickly became one of my most anticipated movies of the year, and now I'll get to see it early at SCAD AnimationFest 2024.

Memoir of a Snail is Adam Elliot's first film since 2015's short film Ernie Biscuit, and it is great news that the nine-year wait for his next project is finally over. Memoir of a Snail premiered at Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2024 where it won the Cristal Award for a Feature Film, with it garnering critical praise during its time on the film festival circuit. As of the writing of this article, Memoir of a Snail has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, making me even more excited to finally get to see the film.

Memoir of a Snail will be getting a preview screening at SCAD AnimationFest 2024, with it being the festival's opening night screening. The film will be screened at 6pm on Thursday, September 26, meaning that my wait will finally be over when I get to see the highly-anticipated stop-motion feature. The film follows a misfit girl who tries to navigate life while collecting snails, with the cast of Memoir of a Snail including Succession's Sarah Snook, The Power of the Dog's Kodi Smit-Mhee, Black Hawk Down's Eric Bana, and more talented stars.

3 The Making Of Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio

Saturday At 2pm

Memoir of a Snail isn't the only stop-motion film that will be getting a spotlight at SCAD AnimationFest 2024, as it will also feature a behind-the-scenes look at 2022's Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is the most recent film from the titular director, with the iconic filmmaker providing his own twisted yet magical take on the classic film. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio was one of my favorite movies of 2022, and it was easily my favorite animated film of the year, which is why I can't wait to learn even more about the production of the film.

As it turns out, several SCAD alumni ended up working on Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, with the being presented by animator Andrés Eduardo and model makers Jackie Nash and Naomi Wiener. The will give a behind-the-scenes look at how the beloved stop-motion musical was made, highlighting some of the secrets behind the film. This event will take place at 2pm on Saturday, September 28, with it easily being one of the parts of SCAD AnimationFest 2024 that I am most excited about.

I have always been a huge fan of Guillermo del Toro's works, and I believe that Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is right up there with his other best films, like Pan's Labyrinth and The Shape of Water. While there is a ton to love in del Toro's take on the classic fairy tale, the animation is absolutely the highlight of the film, with it being some of the best stop-motion work released by a major studio in years. The SCAD alumni who have worked on the film are clearly incredibly talented, and I can't wait to learn more about the work that they put into making the Netflix hit.

2 Genndy Tartakovsky's Keynote Address At SCAD AnimationFest 2024

Friday At 5pm

SCAD AnimationFest 2024 will also feature an appearance from the legendary and visionary animator Genndy Tartakovsky. I grew up watching many of Genndy Tartakovsky's animated TV shows and films, and I was particularly a fan of Cartoon Network's Samurai Jack. Tartakovsky has been one of the most influential animators and filmmakers of the modern era, with him being behind projects like Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Primal, the Hotel Transylvania movie series, and more. Needless to say, I can't wait to share a room with one of my favorite creatives at SCAD AnimationFest 2024.

Genndy Tartakovsky will be giving a keynote speech at SCAD AnimationFest 2024, with this event taking place at 5pm on Friday, September 27. According to SCAD, this appearance from Tartakovsky will be a career retrospective in which "Tartakovsky will share the details of his remarkable journey with images, clips, and behind the scenes anecdotes, plus a glimpse of what's next for the animation icon." It isn't confirmed exactly what projects Tartakovsky will touch on, but I can't wait to hear more about the projects that I loved for years, and hopefully an update about the state of Tartakovsky's film Fixed.

Before he gives his keynote address, SCAD will present the SCAD Award of Excellence to Genndy Tartakovsky, honoring his many years and innovations in the field of animation. Last year at SCAD AnimationFest 2023, Nimona animator Ted Ty was presented with the SCAD AnimationFest Outstanding Achievement in Animation Award, and I got to interview him on his work on the beloved Netflix film. So, I can't wait to see another fantastic animator be presented with another award at this year's SCAD AnimationFest.

1 The Behind-The-Scenes Making Of DC's Creature Commandos

Thursday At 2:15pm

Out of all of the programming that has been announced for SCAD AnimationFest 2024, the one that I am most excited about is the festival's Creature Commandos presentation. Creature Commandos is the DC animated series from Warner Bros. Animation, with it coming from writer James Gunn. Creature Commando will see many of DC's weirdest comic book characters be brought to life, with it landing on Max December 5, 2024. The animated series will kick off the all-new DCU, with its canon status to Gunn's universe making me incredibly excited for the series.

The behind-the-scenes Creature Commando will feature Warner Bros. Animation executive vice-president of alternative programming Peter Girardi as well as supervising producer Rick Morales, with them set to "provide an in-depth look into the artistry and creative processes behind this highly anticipated series kicking off a new era of storytelling in the DC Universe." Despite the show's release date, still very little is known about Creature Commandos, which is why I can't wait to learn more at SCAD AnimationFest 2024.

Sources: Rotten Tomatoes, SCAD