The Walt Disney Family Museum Teen Animation Festival International (TAFI) celebrates animation created by artists ages 13 through 19. TAFI invites entries from around the world and offers both educational and collaborative opportunities as well as a chance to win great prizes. Previous awards have included family memberships to The Walt Disney Family Museum, portfolio reviews with industry professionals, and Bay Area professional animation studio tours.

2018 marks the Walt Disney Family Museum’s fifth year as host to an animation festival specifically designed for teens. Beginning in 2014 with nine high schools, participation continues to increase from year to year. The 2017 festival included screenings of Official Festival Selections, portfolio reviews, a panel discussion on the television pipeline, a lecture by the 2016 Festival Winner, and a keynote address from animator Robb Denovan. At the close of the day, honors were presented for outstanding achievement, based on judging from a panel of industry professionals. Awards were presented to the Festival Grand Prize Winner, Festival Runner-Up Winner, Category First and Second Place Winners, and Special Award Winners. The 2017 Festival Grand Prize Winner was Kris Theorin from Emery University for his film The Gift of the Woods. Inspired by Henry Selick’s Coraline, Theorin’s film takes viewers on a suspenseful journey with a young girl as she explores the dangers of the forest surrounding her home. You can view Kris’s film in full by visiting https://vimeo.com/196133633

2018 TAFI

In 2018, TAFI will highlight excellence in high school animation programs as well as outstanding achievement by individual students. The five submission categories (School Show Reel, Individual Reel, 2D Short Film, 3D Short Film, and Stop-motion or Experimental Short Film), reflect the breadth and creative variety of student productions.

All applicants must be between the ages of 13 and 19 for the 2017–18 school year. All works must have been completed after May 1, 2017. All films must be the eligible applicant’s original work. The films must be written, directed, filmed, and edited by eligible applicants. All submissions must be suitable for the festival audience (MPAA rating of PG-13). Films that exceed the required time limit will not be accepted. Time limit does not include the required slate and black frames. No copyright infringement will be allowed. Any media uses, including music, must be copyright free or cited per the copyright owner’s terms. Late submissions will not be considered.

Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges from feature film, television, video game studios, and university programs. Each applicant and credited teacher will be invited to the festival on Saturday, May 12, 2018. The public is invited to view student work during a screening of select TAFI entries on Sunday, May 13, 2018. All student applicants will receive four free admission tickets to the museum redeemable Saturday, May 12 or Sunday, May 13, 2018. Submissions are now open and require a $25 submission fee; PayPal account required. For financial aid opportunities, send a statement of need to TAFI@wdfmuseum.org on or before Sunday, March 4, 2018. Entries must be submitted no later than Sunday March 25, 2018 at 11:59pm PST.

Basic Requirements

• All applicants must be between the ages of 13 and 19 during the 2017–18 school year.
• Works could have been started anytime, but all works must have been completed after Monday, May 1, 2017.
• All films must be the eligible applicant’s original work—the films must be written, directed, filmed, and edited by eligible applicants.
• Any media uses, including music, must be copyright free or cited per the copyright owner’s terms. No use of non-student IP with approval or copyright infringement allowed.
• All submissions must be suitable for the festival audience (MPAA rating of PG-13).
• Films that exceed the required time limit will not be accepted—time limit does not include the required slate and black frames.
• Submissions must be submitted no later than Sunday, March 25, 2018 at 11:59pm PST. Late submissions will not be considered.

Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges from feature film, television, video game studios, and university programs. Each applicant and credited teacher will be invited to the festival on Saturday, May 12, and Sunday, May 13, 2018. Students and teachers credited on films selected for the festival will be invited before all other TAFI entrants. The public is invited to view student work during a screening of select TAFI entries on Sunday, May 13, 2018. All student applicants will receive four free admission tickets to the museum redeemable Saturday, May 12, or Sunday, May 13, 2018.

Submission Guidelines

Each entry requires a separate slate and submission form—do not enter more than one film per submission form. Reels may contain more than one work, but must be uploaded as a single film. Opening, closing titles, and credits are required and are considered part of the film’s time restriction.

1. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD SLATE

Follow the submission format:

• 10-seconds of slate
• 5-seconds of black
• Your film
• 5-seconds of black

1. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD TAFI SUBMISSION FORM

• Submissions are open from Monday, January 8 to Sunday, March 25, 2018
• Each entry requires a separate slate and submission form

Submission Categories

1. SCHOOL REEL: 2-minute maximum. May include any and all animation categories and include beginning test animation (ball bounce, walk cycles, head turns, etc.), traditional and digital clips, short film clips, motion graphics, etc.
2. INDIVIDUAL REEL: 2-minute maximum. May include any and all animation categories and include beginning test animation (ball bounce, walk cycles, head turns, etc.), traditional and digital clips, short film clips, motion graphics, etc.
3. SHORT ANIMATED FILM 2D TRADITIONAL OR 2D DIGITAL: 3-minute maximum. May be hand drawn frame-by-frame either digitally or on paper or other physical surface or animated digitally in vector-based software (After Effects, Flash, Toon Boom, etc.)
4. SHORT ANIMATED FILM 3D DIGITAL: 3-minute maximum. May be created using CGI/3-D animation software (Maya, 3D Studio Max, etc.)
5. SHORT ANIMATED FILM, STOP-MOTION OR EXPERIMENTAL: 3-minute maximum. May include mixed media, abstract, stop motion, paper cut-out, found object, clay, etc.

Time limits do not include the required slate and black frames.

Festival Terms and Conditions

Submission to The Walt Disney Family Museum Teen Animation Festival International (“Festival”) constitutes an agreement with all festival terms and conditions, regulations, and eligibility guidelines set forth on the official The Walt Disney Family Museum (“WDFM”) Festival website. Entrants warrant that they have legal right to submit the work to the Festival, that all statements in the submission form and final submission are true and correct, and that all necessary rights and clearances have been secured to screen the work at the Festival. The entrant shall indemnify and hold harmless the Festival and WDFM from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, and screening. The entrant permits WDFM to retain film as part of our files and library. WDFM reserves the right to determine the final eligibility of any submitted work and all decisions are final. All information by WDFM, whether publicly posted or not, is subject to change without prior notice.

Questions? Contact the festival team by email: TAFI@wdfmuseum.org

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What do you mean by 10-seconds of slate?

A.  The slate is a title card that you will download from waltdisney.org/tafi. Complete the required information and include on your reel or film before the animation starts. It should stay on-screen for 10-seconds. Holding the slate allows enough time for our staff and judges to read all of your information before it plays through. Please also include 5-seconds of black following the slate, and another 5-seconds of black following your animation.

Q. My animation was a team effort with several people working on them—do I list each person?

A. Yes, please list all of the student’s names on the slate.

Q. Are we able to use a song we don't own the rights to playing in the background, or do we need to have completely original music?

A. We recommend you use original music, music you have permission to use, or copyright and royalty-free music. You may include copyrighted music as long as they are cited in your credits as per copyright owner’s terms.

Q. When will you announce the results?

A. Participants will be notified of some details in mid-April 2018. Winners will be announced publicly during the festival awards ceremony on Saturday, May 12, 2018.

Q. How do I know if my film meets your required format of Quicktime.mov (codec: H.264 and AAC audio)?

A. For helpful information, visit https://vimeo.com/help/compression