BYU Animation Program Wins 17th Student Emmy

Brigham Young University’s animation students brought home their 17th Student Emmy in 12 years this past month at the College Television Awards.

Students in the BYU Animation Program created a comedic short titled “Ram’s Horn.” The award winning short tells the story of a cocky mountaineer who runs into unexpected rivals on his journey to the peak of a daunting mountain. On January 27, the creators of the film held a pre-show for a campus audience, including that day’s forum speaker Ed Catmull, president of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios. According to Meridian Magazine, Catmull praised the students’ work saying it was an “exceptional film.”

More than 50 students collaborated on the project over the course of an entire year, with many of the students working up to 50 hours a week on the video toward the end of the project. Contrary to some people’s beliefs, “Ram’s Horn” director Jenna Hamzawi states that animation is no easy feat.

A lot of people mistakenly believe that animating is just pressing a button. We’re creating another world, an entire story from scratch.

The Animation program at BYU allows students to truly master the art of animating helping them land jobs in major Hollywood studios.

“Ram’s Horn” is unavailable to the public at this time as it is still in the running for other awards. However, watch the video above for a sneak peak and commentaries from the film’s director and producer.