Step behind the scenes into the world of animation at Animation Exposé! This incredible day at the National Arts Centre offers a rare look at how your favourite films and shows come to life. Meet the artists, studios, and storytellers shaping the industry today, and explore how imagination turns into art, frame by frame. From hands-on demos to inspiring conversations, whether you’re a casual fan or a budding creator, discover pathways to celebrate or turn your passion for animation into a career. Animation Exposé is a vibrant showcase—an exposé in the truest sense—of the talent, tools, and ideas behind the screen.

Artist Talks

Babs Asper Theatre, National Arts Centre (NAC), 1 Elgin Street

Get the ultimate animation experience at Animation Exposé! Meet the wizards behind the curtain at the Artist Talk Series, showcasing artists from your favourite projects, including never-before-seen surprises and tips on a career in animation!

Entry to the Exhibitor Fair is free and open to the public.  A ticket or AnimaPass is required to enter Artist Talks at Animation Exposé. 

The Raccoons: Celebrating 40 Years in the Evergreen Forest

11:30 am – 12:30 pm, Babs Asper Theatre, NAC (Canal Level)

From Christmas special to global cult classic, The Raccoons is one of Canada’s most beloved animated series—and it all started in Ottawa. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the series, creator Kevin Gillis shares the behind-the-scenes story of how the series came to life—from its earliest concept stages and partnerships with CBC, to the music, animation, and values that shaped a generation of viewers.

Gillis is joined by Ottawa writer and animation historian Dan Lalande, with CBC Ottawa’s Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco moderating the conversation. The panel will also explore the 2023 4K restoration process and how the show continues to find new audiences through platforms like YouTube, Boomerang, CRAVE, and BritBox.

Whether you grew up in the Evergreen Forest or are discovering it for the first time, this is a rare chance to hear directly from the creator behind a true Canadian animation classic.

Guest Speakers:

Kevin Gillis, President & Executive Producer, Run With Us Productions     

Dan C. Lalande, Freelance Writer

Moderated by: 

Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco, Host, CBC

12:45 pm – 1:45 pm, ✍️ Signing 2/3 – Kevin Gillis, Canal Foyer, NAC
Meet Kevin at 12:45 pm after the Artist Talk for a signing! Buy your new favourite merch item on-site or bring that coveted childhood treasure from home.

The Strange Universe of Clyde Henry

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm, Babs Asper Theatre, NAC (Canal Level)

Step into the universe of Clyde Henry Productions, the surreal and darkly funny stop-motion duo behind Madame Tutli-Putli (Academy Award–nominated), Higglety Pigglety Pop!, The Girl Who Cried Pearls, and more. In this candid conversation with OIAF Artistic Director Chris Robinson, Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski reveal the offbeat inspirations, handcrafted artistry, and strange magic that power their hauntingly beautiful work. Expect insight, weirdness, and probably a few laughs.

Guest Speakers:

Chris Lavis, Director, Co-Founder, Clyde Henry Productions

Maciek Szczerbowski, Director, Co-Founder, Clyde Henry Productions

Moderated by:

Chris Robinson, Artistic Director, Ottawa International Animation Festival

Animation Exhibitor Fair

9:30 am – 4:00 pm, Canal Foyer (Canal Level)

Are you looking for the right animation school program or your next career opportunity? Pack up your portfolio and introduce yourself to representatives from animation schools, studios, and more at the Animation Exposé Exhibitor Fair. Visit with a variety of representatives from Canadian and international companies to learn about upcoming opportunities in the world of animation!

Entry to the Exhibitor Fair is free and open to the public.  A ticket or AnimaPass is required for entry to Artist Talks at Animation Exposé.   

Meet & Greets and Signings

9:30 am to 11:30 am, 📚 Book Signing – Emily Brundige (Goldie, Hilda, Pubertina), Canal Foyer, NAC

Acclaimed animation writer Emily Brundige (Goldie, Hilda, Pubertina) is here to sign copies of her recently self-published book A Guide to Developing Animated Shows: a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to creating and developing original animated shows.

11:15 am – 12:00 pm, 🤳 Meet & Greet 1/3 – Malcon Pierce, Canal Foyer, NAC

Meet Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Artistic Director Malcon Pierce! This is an opportunity to connect with him and ask your animation industry craft and career questions.

Access is limited and will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Please line up in the designated lineup immediately following the Artist Talk.

Malcon Pierce, Artistic Director, makes his directing debut on “Versa,” following a distinguished 16-year Disney career as an animator (“Tangled,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” “Frozen 2” and Oscar® winners “Big Hero 6” and “Encanto,” among others), animation supervisor (on the Oscar®-winning “Frozen” and Oscar®-nominated “Moana”), and head of animation (Oscar®-nominated “Raya and the Last Dragon”). In 2022, he was named artistic director for the newly launched Vancouver location of Walt Disney Animation Studios, where he helped to create the 2024 blockbuster feature, “Moana 2,” and continues to contribute to a wide range of Disney Animation features. Born in Baton Rouge, La., Pierce spent most of his youth in Mobile, Ala. His interest and passion for animation led him to studies at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, as well as the pursuit of additional online animation training through Animation Mentor. Pierce began his industry career working as a character animator on “Open Season 2” (at Reel FX), and “Ice Age 3” (at Blue Sky Studios). He joined Disney Animation in 2009 as an animator on “Tangled.” Additionally, he has helped to train and inspire a new generation of animators as an animation instructor at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Santa Clarita, Calif. Pierce lives in Vancouver, Canada with his wife, Keely, and their son, Casper.

12:45 pm – 1:45 pm, ✍️ Signing 2/3 – Kevin Gillis, Canal Foyer, NAC

Meet Kevin Gillis and get your Raccoons memorabilia signed.

Kevin Gillis is a writer, director, musician and executive producer who has produced a number of globally successful media projects. They include The Raccoons; RoboCop: The Series; Atomic Betty; 2 Universal Soldier MOWs for Showtime; the Warner Bros theatrical feature The Nutcracker Prince, starring Peter O’Toole, Megan Follows and Kiefer Sutherland; Disney’s Camp Lakebottom and Jimmy Two Shoes; Producing Parker; Jeff Healey’s See The Light documentary; Captain Flamingo; Miss BG.

His shows have been broadcast in over 180 countries and have been nominated for and/or won a number of awards including Geminis, BAFTA, New York International Film & Television Festival, Canadian Screen Awards, Banff Rocky Award and Special Jury Award, Alliance for Children’s Television, Houston Film Festival, Festival de Luberon, ACTRA among others.

Kevin has recently restored The Raccoons to 4K from the 35 mm films. He is currently developing a new Raccoons feature and spin-off series among other projects.

4:30 pm – 5:30 pm, ✍️ Signing 3/3 – The creative team behind Netflix’s In Your Dreams, Canal Foyer, NAC

Join Director/Writer Alex Woo, VFX Supervisor Nicky Lavender, and Head of Character Animation Sacha Kapijimpanga, the creative team behind Netflix’s In Your Dreams, for an exclusive poster signing.

Exhibitor Fair Activities

Workshops

Toon Boom Workshop 1: Harmony

11:00 am – 12:00 pm, Le Salon, NAC
An exploration of the tools and techniques utilized in Toon Boom’s industry-standard animation software.

Discover the power of Harmony V25, the industry-standard animation software and see why the most ambitious 2D productions around the world choose Harmony. As the industry’s all-in-one animation solution, Harmony allows artists and studios to collaborate seamlessly on the same programs and project files — from drawing roughs to rigging characters and compositing. Whether you’re working with hand-drawn animation or character rigs, Harmony gives you everything you need to animate with style and bring your vision to life. 

Drop-in attendance allowed.  To reserve a spot, order a free ticket:

Toon Boom Workshop 2: Storyboard Pro

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm, Le Salon, NAC
Advance your skills through a detailed look at Toon Boom’s premiere storyboarding software.

The only professional-grade solution, designed from the ground up for artists and for the craft of storyboarding. Storyboard Pro V25 supports your creative work at every stage of pre-production. Whether you’re thumbnailing a first pass, refining visual storytelling, pitching boards, or timing out camera moves in an animatic, Storyboard Pro has the tools you need. Learn why storyboard artists, directors, and studios worldwide rely on Storyboard Pro to bring their stories to life.

Drop-in attendance allowed.  To reserve a spot, order a free ticket:

Aniboutique Pop-Up Shop

Get that special something to commemorate OIAF 2025 at the Animation Exposé Aniboutique Pop-Up Shop! The Aniboutique has the best in animation posters, t-shirts, books and more — a little something for everyone (and every budget!) The Aniboutique Pop-Up Shop is open on Saturday at the NAC. You can also find merchandise throughout the festival at Arts Court, TAC, and the ByTowne Cinema. 

Animation Demonstrations

Check out the how-to animate demonstrations from friends of the festival! Find independent animators at various booths where they will be creating animation live and you can have a try making animation yourself!

Exhibitor Booths

Tech

Partners

Meet the Schools

Studios

Animation Exposé Archive