
Martin Hopkins
Senior Animator
DreamWorks Animation
Martin Hopkins has been a professional animator since 1994 and is currently a senior animator at DreamWorks Animation. He has a background in 2D animation and joined DreamWorks on the Bee Movie. He went on to work on major hits including the How to Train Your Dragon series. In his spare time, Martin loves to watch and play ice hockey as a proud Canadian. He’s been a mentor since 2007 and currently teaches Animation Basics, the first Core Character Animation Course at Animation Mentor.
Martin’s Credits

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

The Croods: A New Age

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Kung Fu Panda 2
Recent Films
- The Croods: A New Age
- Abominable
- How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
- The Boss Baby
- Trolls
- Kung Fu Panda 3
- How To Train Your Dragon 2
- Me And My Shadow
- Rise Of The Guardians
- Puss In Boots
Other Films
- Megamind
- Shrek Forever After
- Monsters vs. Aliens
- Bee Movie
- Flushed Away
- Shark Tale
- Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
- Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
- The Road to El Dorado
- The Iron Giant
- The Prince of Egypt
Short Films
- First Flight
- From Hare to Eternity
- Pullet Surprise and Father of the Bird
Television / Video
- Anne: Journey to Green Gables
- Katie and Orbie
What Martin’s Students are Saying
Q&As are Some of the Best
Martin has been great! His Q&A’s are some of the best I’ve been a part of. He is extremely knowledgeable about the craft and aware of specific things that students struggle with. He then structures his lectures around what would help the student now and going forward making each week’s lectures invaluable and relevant. He is also very approachable and gives extra effort to make sure students get their questions answered.
Approach to Animating in 3D Very Accessible
Coming from a 2D animation background, I really struggled to understand the Maya workflow in previous terms. I found Martin’s approach to animating in 3D very accessible and easy to understand because he was able to explain how he bridged the gap himself when he made the transition. His critiques are clear, concise and easy to follow. He strikes a really good balance between giving freedom in creative choices and limiting them to manageable decisions, given my current level of knowledge.
Brief Look at Studio Life
Before Q&A starts, Martin gives us a brief look at studio life and what’s going on currently, which helps give us a look at how studios run. He also has a very well-planned lesson for each week. Most importantly, Martin gives e-critiques on our assignments no later than Monday so we have a lot of time to work on our assignments, which helps a lot.
Clear, Focused, Experienced, and Friendly
Martin has been a great teacher – clear, focused, experienced and friendly. He explained all the concepts well and was happy to respond to a range of questions and dealt well with people of different experience levels. I really value his matter-of-fact attitude and the rich experience he draws from in his teaching. My favourite class so far has been the class where we looked at different cartoons that he’d chosen to show animation principles in action.
Q&As are Some of the Best
Martin has been great! His Q&A’s are some of the best I’ve been a part of. He is extremely knowledgeable about the craft and aware of specific things that students struggle with. He then structures his lectures around what would help the student now and going forward making each week’s lectures invaluable and relevant. He is also very approachable and gives extra effort to make sure students get their questions answered.
Approach to Animating in 3D Very Accessible
Coming from a 2D animation background, I really struggled to understand the Maya workflow in previous terms. I found Martin’s approach to animating in 3D very accessible and easy to understand because he was able to explain how he bridged the gap himself when he made the transition. His critiques are clear, concise and easy to follow. He strikes a really good balance between giving freedom in creative choices and limiting them to manageable decisions, given my current level of knowledge.
Brief Look at Studio Life
Before Q&A starts, Martin gives us a brief look at studio life and what’s going on currently, which helps give us a look at how studios run. He also has a very well-planned lesson for each week. Most importantly, Martin gives e-critiques on our assignments no later than Monday so we have a lot of time to work on our assignments, which helps a lot.
Clear, Focused, Experienced, and Friendly
Martin has been a great teacher – clear, focused, experienced and friendly. He explained all the concepts well and was happy to respond to a range of questions and dealt well with people of different experience levels. I really value his matter-of-fact attitude and the rich experience he draws from in his teaching. My favourite class so far has been the class where we looked at different cartoons that he’d chosen to show animation principles in action.
Courses Taught By Martin
Courses may vary from term to term.
Animation
Basics
12-Week Course
Begin your character animation journey and master the basics.