Studio History
Animation Libation Studios is the brain child of animation professor, and Director Michael Bonitatis. “We are a virtual animation studio creating new original content, with recent college graduates and industry professionals. My vision is to go beyond the boundaries of imagination, create amazing worlds, and bring to life the unique characters and creatures that inhabit them," said Bonitatis.
Bonitatis has been teaching animation production classes for over fifteen years at several Cal State colleges and producing animated short films in his classes. He put his big idea into motion and created the first animation studio that helps recent graduates work with professionals to create original content and pave the way into the industry.
The dream became a reality in 2015. One year after the studio launched, Animation Magazine partnered with Animation Libation Studios. Together they revived the classic animation festival The World Animation Celebration. The international festival was hosted by Sony Pictures Animation bringing pop culture, and animated shorts from around the world to the big screen.. A year later the studio launched the first original international animation channel on the Roku platform for rising stars in animation. "Since the inception of the show, Animation Libation, the core concept has always been to champion new talent straight out of college", said Bonitatis. We now seek a wider audience and opportunities for mainstream viewers on platforms such as Apple tv, Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.
Bonitatis heads up the Studio with a powerhouse of educators who bring years of industry experience to the table. Mike Libonati, head of animation at East Los Angeles College says, "Animation Libation Studios is a studio where students can get needed skills to succeed in the animation industry while working with industry professionals. They get to integrate skills in a production pipeline and experience teamwork in the process”.
Carol Ashley, Professor of Animation at Cal State Fullerton, says, “We are cloud based, working in a virtual environment for production meetings, brainstorming sessions, and chat rooms. These are all done in the comfort of the artist’s home studios. Saving travel time, speeds up production and creates an enjoyable working environment”
Lee Crowe, Professor of traditional animation at SCAD, says “Education plays a major role in the evolution of animation. We are applying new techniques to classic methods of animation and creating unique projects by staying on top of the current trends as educators.”
With a slew of innovative, ground breaking, pilots and projects in the works Animation Libation is proving itself a major contender in the animation arena. Bonitatis says ‘We all look forward to creating new and exciting content with emerging artists from around the world and leading a new wave of diverse and inclusive talent that will help define our evolving industry.
