Animex AVFX

AVFX talks from industry speakers.

Animex Animation & VFX - Techniques, Talent, and the Trajectory of Visual Storytelling - Monday 17 & Tuesday 18 November 2025

Join us for two focused days of talks and discussion exploring the creative and technical forces shaping the animation and visual effects industries. As part of the wider Animex Festival, this event brings together leading professionals from across the globe to share their work, processes, and perspectives on the evolving landscape of screen-based storytelling.

Across Tuesday and Wednesday, attendees will hear from directors, animators, VFX supervisors, and studio leads behind some of the most ambitious and visually compelling projects in film, television, and streaming. Whether you're refining your craft or expanding your industry knowledge, this is a chance to engage directly with the people driving innovation in animation and VFX.

What to Expect:

We’re currently finalising the 2025 programme—speaker announcements and session details will be shared soon.

Please note that all talks and speakers are subject to change.

17 November 25

DLB 0.01 Main Hall | TS1 3BB

View on map

9:00AM

Welcome - AVFX days opening

We open Animex with a warm welcome from the organisers, a quick overview of what you can expect from the week's festival and a few words from our sponsors.

9:30AM

AVFX Talk 1 - Making of Zootropolis 2

Renato Dos Anjos | Walt Disney Animation Studios

In Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Zootropolis 2, rookie cops Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) find themselves on the twisting trail of a mysterious reptile who arrives in Zootropolis and turns the animal metropolis upside down. To crack the case, Judy and Nick must go undercover to unexpected new parts of town, where their growing partnership is tested like never before.

Zootropolis 2 releases in UK cinemas 28th Nov 2025.

Strictly no photography or filming during this talk
No streaming available

10:30AM

Short break

10:45AM

AVFX Talk 2 - Dragons, Animation and How To Train Your Dragon!

Kayn Garcia | Framestore

Kayn's passion lies in the intricate intersection of art and science that defines VFX and animation, where each film presents unique creative and technical challenges. How to Train Your Dragon proved to be a remarkable canvas for Kayn, who played a pivotal role in reimagining the dragons, with a particular focus on driving the development of Toothless.

Kayn was deeply involved in every stage of the production, from the initial conceptualisation of character arcs and story development to the practical challenges of on-set execution. He spearheaded the creation of innovative tools to seamlessly integrate digital dragons with live-action, coordinating with puppeteers, motion-controlled robotics, and stunt teams to ensure the interaction between dragon and rider was as believable as it was thrilling!

11:45AM

Lunch break

1:00PM

AVFX Talk 3 - Love, Death & Giant Demon Babies — The Art of Seamless CG in Stylised 2D Worlds

Idris Honnor | Passion Pictures Animation
Darlene Buttner | Passion Pictures

Explaining the CG workflow we used in Love, Death and Robots - 400 Boys.
As a team of 2/3 the CG department was very stripped back. Our role was to support and enhance the 2D with some 3D camera moves, 3D FX destruction and some key props tracked and rendered in 3D/CG.

We will explain in detail our workflow and the mindset we needed to be in to maintain and enhance Rob Valley's iconic style with CG.

2:00PM

AVFX Talk 4 - ANDOR: Visualisation of the TIE Avenger

Jen Kitching | The Third Floor

This talk will showcase highlights of The Third Floor’s visualisation work for Andor season 2, with a particular focus on the sequence where Cassian Andor steals the TIE Avenger prototype in episode 1.

Visualisation Supervisor, Jen Kitching, will take the audience behind the scenes of this complex sequence, exploring how the team approached the key stages of visualisation - previs, techvis and postvis – to assist in the planning stages of the production. She will outline the techniques and workflows used throughout the process and how the visualisation work supported VFX in the development of this action-packed sequence.
The presentation will conclude with a Q&A session.

Strictly no photography or filming during this talk
No streaming available

3:00PM

30 mins break

3:30PM

Special screening of short film "Eiru" by Cartoon Saloon

Come and watch an exclusive showcase of "Éiru" by Cartoon Saloon

You can then enjoy the behind the scene Talk 11 by Áine Mc Guinness on Tuesday from 16h45 until 17h45 to finish AVFX Days with a bang!

4:00PM

Short break

4:15PM

AVFX Talk 5 - The process and experience of producing K-Pop Demon Hunters

Jacky Priddle | Sony Pictures Imageworks

Go Behind the Scenes of a Global Phenomenon: KPop Demon Hunters.

Join Sony Pictures Imageworks Co-Producer Jacky Priddle for an exclusive behind-the-scenes presentation on K-Pop Demon Hunters — the breakout hit from Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix . Discover how this electrifying project blends authentic Korean culture, bonafide k-pop tunes, and a bold unique visual style, all woven into an unforgettable story that's captivated audiences around the world.

Don’t miss this insider look at the making of a modern animated sensation!

Strictly NO filming during this talk

5:15PM

Short break

5:30PM

Recruitment talk - Don't stop believing!

Jonny Adamson | DNEG

An introduction to DNEG Animation; the Company and the People and how to get into the industry.

We will talk you through what it's like to work at DNEG Animation, our company structure and culture. We will then share our insights on what makes a good application and the best way to go about getting into the industry with portfolio tips and networking insights!

Strictly NO filming during this talk

8:00PM

AVFX Lounge

The event will start in the DLB Ground floor at 8.00pm until 10.00pm, from where we will take a short walk to the Southfield next door for a chat and a drink.

10:00PM

AVFX Lounge - Chat and drink (reasonably!)

18 November 25

DLB 0.01 Main Hall | TS1 3BB

View on map

9:30AM

AVFX Talk 6 - Virtual Production behind House of the Dragon’s “Battle at Rook’s Rest”

Andrew Jamison | PIXOMONDO

Go behind the scenes of one of House of the Dragon’s most complex sequences - the epic Battle at Rook’s Rest.

In this session, Andrew Jamison, UK Operations Manager at PXO Clara, will reveal how visualisation and virtual production techniques brought dragons, fire, and chaos to life on screen.

Strictly no photography or filming during this talk
No streaming available

10:30AM

Short break

10:45AM

AVFX Talk 7 - Indie Directors and Animators Panel

Lesley-anne Rose | Teesside University
Katherine O'Connor | Teesside University
Ellie Land | Independent
Virpi Kettu | Kettu Studios

Join our special guest panel of award-winning animated film directors for a discussion of their experiences, challenges and successes within their industry. This panel session will give aspiring indie film-makers working in all forms of animation, 2D, 3D and stop -motion an opportunity to ask questions and gain invaluable insights!

11:45AM

Lunch break

1:00PM

AVFX Talk 8 - Setting up Your Shot for Success: From Reference Ideas into Believable Animation

Vanessa Alessi | DNEG Animation

Got an exciting new animation idea but not sure where to begin? Join Vanessa Alessi, Senior Animator at DNEG Animation, as she lays the foundation for effective shot building - covering how to plan your shot and use reference footage to bring your ideas to life.

Vanessa will share practical workflow approaches to enhance your process, along with key insights into acting for reference and performance planning. The talk also explores where to look for those authentic, unexpected “acting gems” that make a performance shine.

2:00PM

AVFX Talk 9 - Character or Caricature? Depicting Human Diversity in Animated Character Design

Elizabeth Rega | Anatomy in Animation Consultant

Dr Elizabeth Rega's work on Disney animated features, including Mulan, Pocahantas, John Henry, Emperor's New Groove and Strange World, informs an approach to what is traditionally yet incorrectly termed "race".

Past history of problematic depictions in the industry and a range of personal projects will be used to illustrate the effectiveness of an anatomical approach grounded in an understanding of skull shape and features in this fascinating talk.

3:00PM

Short break

3:30PM

AVFX Talk 10 - Shelley's Eye Candy show + "Cardboard"

Shelley Page | Locksmith Animation

Shelley sits on many international festival and graduation juries every year and, in the course of these events, she collects her personal favourites into a series of special screenings, known as 'The Eye Candy Show'. This personal selection represents some of the brightest young talents emerging on the international animation scene as well as award-winning work from renowned independent studios and directors around the world.

Shelley's selection is constantly evolving as she discovers wonderful new films during the year's festivals and other events.

She will be delivering the eye candy show and showing the new short film from locksmith "Cardboard"

Strictly no photography or filming during this talk
No streaming available

4:30PM

Short break

4:45PM

AVFX Talk 11 - Art Directing Éiru

Áine Mc Guinness | Cartoon Saloon

Join Áine for a talk on Cartoon Saloon's beautiful film Éiru and hear how they connected to Éiru’s story in order to align with the director, Giovanna Ferrari.

The talk will discuss the story themes and how they are represented visually, in particular the Goddess Brigid and Irish folklore. They will talk about the pipeline of the film, and the different departments involved, and focus primarily on describing the design process, art direction, backgrounds and colour as well as their collaboration with the director and the other artists on the team.

Áine will talk about the different challenges they overcame, what they have learned from the experience and the luxury of being able to make a short film and the positive aspects of working in this format.