Reliance Entertainment’s Reliance Animation Academy has tied up with Nasik-based Sandip University, Uttar Pradesh-based Allen House and Pune-based Pimpri Chinchwad University to provide hands-on training in animation and VFX to students from early grades in their schooling phase. 

The curriculum will be developed by Reliance Animation Academy separately for each grade, which will consider the age of the student and the grasping capacity with the right blend of the software and drawing skills in order to build the right mix of talent in the animation and VFX sectors, Reliance Entertainment said in a press release.

Reliance Animation Academy, a division of Reliance Animation Studios, in its new avatar, is imparting the finest education in the country to students pursuing some of the most extensive courses in animation and VFX starting from three months to three years, including a degree programme that covers the entire gamut of art focusing from conceptualizing to final delivery.

Between the years 2009 and 2022, around 4,500 students have proudly passed out from Reliance Animation Academy, formerly known as BIG Aims. During its peak, just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the academy boasted an impressive network of over 25 franchisees.

The animation studio counts top broadcasters like Discovery (India), Viacom18 Media, Turner Broadcasting (Asia Pacific), Disney Broadcasting (India), Sony Entertainment, IN10 Media, Sun TV, and others as its clients. 

Besides delivering market-leading IPs to various Indian broadcasters, the animation studio has also worked on several international projects, which include the production of the show ‘Twisted Timelines of Sammy & Raj’ for Nickelodeon and ‘The Davincibles’, a co-production with Neo Network and Moonscoop US.

The Reliance Animation studio has the unique advantage of access to top film creators and film IPs from Reliance Entertainment Studios. It has successfully taken up well-performing IPs from films and spun off animated series and films. 

Shows like ‘Little Singham’, which is currently airing on POGO, ‘Golmaal Jr.’ on Sonic/Nick, ‘Smashing Simmba’ on Discovery Kids, ‘Bhaiyyaji Balwan’ on Hungama and ‘Pandeyji Pehelwan’ on ETV Bal Bharat are some of the creations of Reliance Animation.

Tejonidhi Bhandare, CEO Reliance Animation Studios, in a statement said, “India is fast emerging as the prospective global giant in the field of animation, gaming, VFX and comics, and to be successful, one needs to be prepared in every manner to handle the challenges. 

“Awareness and building skills at early ages are the key factors that define the growth journey and with these tie-ups, we are bang on to create both factors at early ages from grade 3 to 8 and build a solid task force for this sector.” 

According to the latest FICCI-EY report on India’s M&E sector, the demand for animated content and kids’ OTT platforms has grown since the pre-pandemic period with more options in regional languages. India has become one of the leading providers of end-to-end services, from pre-visualization to final rendering, resulting in a rise in work volume and value.