Sheridan College animation students are polishing off films and jazzing up portfolios to show off their cartoon capabilities to industry leaders at the school’s annual Animation Industry Screening, April 22 and 23.

Over 300 invitations are en route to some of the largest studios in the world including l.a.-based Disney, Industrial Light and Magic, Lucas Arts and DreamWorks and Toronto’s Nelvana.

David How, professor of classical animation and industry coordinator at the Oakville, Ont. college, says the annual show of classical and computer animation has been enormously successful for students in the past, with 85% of them landing jobs.

Last year, Square usa, an American company out of Honolulu, scooped up a handful of students, and for the first time this year How is extending invitations to animation companies in the Pacific Rim as well as game companies such as Vancouver’s Electronic Arts.

The two-day event, which has been going on since the animation boom began around seven years ago, consists of a day of screenings and portfolio perusal followed by an early evening reception, sponsored this year by Walt Disney Animation Canada.

At the close of day one, industry reps supply How with a list of students they are interested in interviewing based on what they have seen. How then compiles a list of who is to be interviewed by which companies and on day two the serious recruiting begins.

Around 50 companies are expected to attend this year’s showing to scout out the stars of tomorrow.

According to How, the studios are looking for students with strong life drawing, layout, animation and design skills, all of which they will have the opportunity to flaunt in their year-end project – a special effects and lip-synch assignment – and animated shorts, which are shot on video and transferred to film for the April show. In addition, the students create their own soundtracks.

Sheridan has been offering animation courses since the late ’60s and is now the third largest animation school in the world – Japan boasts the two largest – with all courses being taught by industry professionals.

Originally the program accepted 150 new students per year, but admittance for the fall ’98 semester is being pared down to 100.

‘It’s too large and it is hard to find instructors to come in and teach,’ says How. ‘Because the industry is so hot right now we are understaffed and having difficulty finding people.

‘We don’t want to flood the market,’ adds How. ‘We have a reputation for producing quality people. We want to make sure we are sending out the best that we can produce.’

And their efforts have not gone unnoticed. Sheridan grad David Soren picked up a first-place tvontario Telefest 97 film and video award for his film Mr. Lucky, which also won an award for best Canadian film at the 1997 Student Animation Festival in Ottawa, while David Whiteson and Dean Harrison took a second-place Telefest award for Skid Control School.

In the works for the college is a proposed post-graduate animation course which will provide those who have worked in the industry an opportunity to work on a film. The program, set to launch in September, is still awaiting a government stamp of approval.