Animation Story & Making 101 puts English story writing and anime drawing in the same class. Students first complete a story and storyboard, then draw characters and scenes, and finally turn them into a short animated film. For many children, this is the first time they see that writing and drawing are two stages of the same task.
How an Animation Story 101 Term Runs
- Writing the story: Students write a short story in English. The focus is on what the character wants and what stands in the way. The teacher helps organize the structure but does not write for the student.
- Turning it into a storyboard: Students break the text into a sequence of frames and decide what each shot shows and how long it lasts. This step is the shift from writing to drawing.
- Character and scene design: Students settle on the main character’s look and a few expressions, and draw the main scenes.
- Drawing and assembly: Students draw the frames one by one, assemble them into an animation with software, and add subtitles or simple voiceover.
- Screening: At the end of the course, the films are shown together, and each student explains their creative choices.
What Students Finish With in Animation Story 101
Each student completes a short animated film of their own, along with the story drafts, storyboard, and character designs made along the way. Together these form a small portfolio. It is useful later when applying to summer art programs or entering youth film competitions.
What Background Animation Story 101 Requires
Students do not need to be skilled at English writing or drawing. The course moves step by step, and the teacher provides a demonstration and a template at each stage. A child who gets stuck on writing can draw first, and a child who struggles to draw can write first. Both paths lead to a finished film.
What to Take After Animation Story 101
Students who want to build their drawing skills on their own can continue with Digital Arts. Students who want to make live-action shorts can continue with Photography & Film 101. Students who want to turn a story into a physical book can continue with Picture Book Design.
Animation Story 101 Enrollment and Schedule
Creative workshops come in three enrollment units: full-year classes, term classes, and summer camps. This course runs as follows; dates follow the 2026-27 program guide.
- Term class: 7 to 8 weeks per term, with one finished piece per term.
- Switching direction: a creative workshop seat can move between directions, so a child can try 3 to 4 areas in a year, with finished work shown and discussed with parents at the end of each stage. To switch, confirm the transfer timing with a course advisor.
Want to talk to a course advisor now?
Contact a course advisorAnimation Story 101: Frequently Asked Questions
Do Irvine students need to already write or draw well?
No. English story writing and anime drawing are taught in the same class, and both grow through one project rather than being tested at the door. EDUBUS runs its in-person sections from its Irvine studio, alongside an online section held in parallel. Students write the story and storyboard first, then draw characters and scenes, with a clear task at each step.
How does a term progress?
In three stages: story and storyboard, then characters and scenes, then the short animated film. The storyboard stage turns written scenes into a visual order, and is the bridge between the writing side and the drawing side of the class.
What does an Irvine student finish with?
A short animated film built from the student's own story. Before the film exists, the written story, the storyboard and the finished characters and backgrounds all accumulate along the way. The workshop enrolls students from Irvine and nearby communities, with terms running 7 to 8 weeks and a finished piece at the end of each.
Which grades in Irvine is it for?
Grades 3 to 8. Because the class spans both writing and drawing, it helps to choose by what a child most wants to push on right now: Digital Arts concentrates on drawing technique, while Picture Book Design ends in a finished, bound book rather than a film.
How is this different from an art class?
The end product is a narrative film, not a single image. Drawing here serves the story: characters and scenes follow the storyboard and are then assembled into the film. For concentrated work on technique, Digital Arts is the better fit.
