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Issue #6 | September 21th, 2025

Hello Reader 👋

This week’s Animation Sunday starts with a big thank you.

Thank you for reading, for sharing your feedback, and for giving this new design such a warm welcome. From the data and the messages I’ve received, it seems like this redesign has been a real success so far — and that makes me so happy. Of course, there will still be small tweaks here and there, but overall, this is the new look and feel of Animation Sunday for the year ahead.

Deep Work Mode

Right now, I’m in what I call deep work mode, building the content pipeline — all the videos, courses, podcasts, and community resources we’ll be creating across multiple platforms. And the first step of that journey? YouTube.

My plan is to start publishing there next week and to build Animator NOW in public. For those unfamiliar, “building in public” simply means sharing every step of the process: the wins, the challenges, and the messy middle. Whether it’s community updates, new classes, or behind-the-scenes podcast prep, you’ll see how it all comes together.

Beyond Just Teaching Animation

Here’s the most important shift: Animator NOW isn’t just about teaching animation anymore. That’s still the foundation, yes — but the bigger vision is to help animators make a living with their craft. Whether it’s 2D, 3D, CG, or stop-motion, the goal is freedom: breaking out of the endless studio treadmill that leaves so many animators burned out or stuck.
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This direction comes from both personal experience and stories I hear from the community — like one animator who uprooted his entire life to move abroad for a studio job, only to be told, once he arrived, that he’d be working remotely anyway from his new place until they "get things ready" at the studio to have him. Stories like that remind me why Animator NOW must be bigger than just “learning how to animate.” It has to be about creating options, resilience, and opportunities for animators everywhere.

Why This Matters to Me

Because I know what it’s like to knock on doors that stay closed. My own career was built on finding alternative paths — creating opportunities when the industry felt out of reach. And that’s exactly what I want to share: how to use animation not only as a skill, but as a way to build a sustainable, creative life.

The Journey Ahead

So yes, Animator Now is evolving. And I’m really excited to take you along on this ride. 🚀

If you want to be the first to see what’s coming, subscribe to the YouTube channel — that’s where it all begins.

And always, thanks for being here ❤️

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The Spotlight

Every once in a while, a short film comes along that feels totally out of left field—strange, loud, colorful, almost chaotic—and yet beneath the surface, it hides a level of craft that makes you stop, stare, and grin. Heatwave, a stop-motion gem by Fokion Xenos, is exactly that kind of film.

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At first glance, this short is pure summer madness: beachgoers roasting in the sun, ice creams collapsing, sandcastles melting, and eventually, an unstoppable wave swallowing it all. The designs are wild, the colors scream at you, and the animation pushes into absurd, laugh-out-loud territory. I caught myself chuckling more than once at the sheer audacity of what was happening on screen.

But behind the humor and the chaos lies something deeper: the incredible craft of motion. The sets, the characters, the sheer variety of materials—it’s all meticulously built and animated. There’s a tactile richness to every frame. You can almost feel the heat radiating from the oven-baked clay puppets and the grit of the sand underfoot.

The logline is deceptively simple: two children find a way to cool everyone down during a scorching heatwave. But Xenos takes that simplicity and spins it into a playful microcosm of society—a crowded beach where we’re all stripped down, equal under the sun, and a little ridiculous in our human rituals.

Watching Heatwave brought back memories of a short film I supervised at MOPA almost 10 years ago called Sun of a Beach. That film also took the sun as its central character—an oppressive, relentless force that warped everything in its path. If you’re curious, you can check it out​ here. It’s funny how two projects, years apart, can wrestle with the same idea in such completely different tones: one nightmare, one ode to summer.

And the accolades speak for themselves: winner of the McLaren Award for Best New Animation at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and the Royal Television Society award for Best Student Animation. That’s no accident. This is stop-motion firing on all cylinders—design, animation, production design, sound, music—everything conspires to pull you into its world.

The sea sequence in particular stuck with me: the crowd swept into the waves, chaos unfolding, and yet it feels so fresh, colorful, alive. It’s a kind of handcrafted spectacle you don’t see every day (try to find the bubble wrap to mimic the ocean and the waves 😜)

So yes, Heatwave might look wild, even too much at first. But give it your attention, and you’ll find a film that’s as much about craft as it is about comedy. A slice of summer turned into clay, heat, and waves of laughter. Don’t miss it.☀️

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The Job Fair

• ​Motion Designer - Palta | apply​
  Palta is a thriving family of Wellbeing and HealthTech brands. We partner with ambitious founders and exceptional talent to transform innovative ideas into life-changing apps that make a positive impact at a global scale. With over 700 employees on board, our offices stretch across the UK, US, EU and Israel.
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• ​2D Animator - Playson | apply​
  Playson is a leading online gaming supplier, founded in 2012, which has developed worldwide recognition in the industry.
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• ​Freelance Motion Designer - Whatwapp | apply​
  Ubisoft is a global leader in gaming with teams across the world creating original and memorable gaming experiences, from Assassin’s Creed, Rainbow Six to Just Dance and more. We believe diverse perspectives help both players and teams thrive. If you’re passionate about innovation and pushing entertainment boundaries, join our journey and help us create the unknown!
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• ​Animator - Pixaera | apply​
  At Pixaera, we’re a passionate team of builders who are dedicated to delivering solutions that empower people. Today, we’re leveraging Ai and gamification to build a vertical platform that is centered around improving the safety readiness of frontline workers in any high risk industry. If you are a doer who thrives in a dynamic, mission-focused environment, join us!

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The Random Stuff

• I don't type that much on my keyboard anymore. All day long, I use this amazing app to dictate everything 👉 Superwhisper (Mac only but Windows is coming)
• I’ve started journaling for my surf sessions, because after 13 years, I know my mental state shapes the way I surf more than my technique. I keep it simple in Bear, a minimal note-taking app that syncs across my devices. (Mac only)
• After dozens of mouses across 25 years using PCs and Macs, I think I’ve finally found the one—The Ultimate Mouse I’ll never replace.
• I just got access to Comet, the new Perplexity-powered browser that basically replaces your browser with an AI-first search and assistant experience. It’s invitation-only, and I still have two invites left—if you want one, just drop me an email.

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Philippe Duvin​
Founder, Animator NOW

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