Cardiff Animation Festival

Events include masterclasses with BBC & HBO’s His Dark Materials, Aardman Animations, Net ix’s City of Ghosts, Nickelodeon’s It’s Pony and Oscar® nominee Joanna Quinn – plus animated karaoke!

The team behind Cardiff Animation Festival have been running animation events in Cardiff since 2014. After taking the festival online in 2020–21, this year the team are back in Cardiff, presenting an incredible line-up of animation events for everyone to enjoy.

From 7–10 April, Chapter will be taken over by fi lm screenings, workshops, masterclasses, parties and more. Special guests will include the Heads of Creature Effects from the BBC and HBO series His Dark Materials, the team behind multi Oscar®-nominated feature Flee, and Walesbased Oscar®-nominated animation legend Joanna Quinn, who will be animating live on stage.

Younger animators might be particularly interested in a hand-picked selection of Family Shorts, playing on Saturday and Sunday, and family-friendly talks by Aardman animator Carmen Bromfi eld-Mason and creatives behind Nickelodeon’s It’s Pony. For the youngest animators of all, there will be a baby-friendly screening of indie Japanese fi lm On-Gaku (as well as a 12+ screening for those without little ones).

There will be many opportunities for attendees of all ages to draw, chat and meet fellow animation fans, including casual drawing sessions, tutor-led life drawing, and a relaxed dog life drawing session at Corporation Yard.

For adults, there will be parties including a free animated music video discotheque at Chapter’s First Space, a ‘Cardiff Animation Nights’ evening of street food and short fi lms at Depot, and a 360º animated karaoke party at the immersive Cultvr Lab.

To top it off, there will be a selection of online events available to watch, including panels, all-ages workshops, and a chat with Elizabeth Ito, the creator of Netfl ix’s City of Ghosts. Online attendees will also be able to catch up with recordings of some in-person events they may have missed!

More information about the huge range of things happening at the festival – plus tickets and passes – is available on

cardiffanimation.com.