Ethan Hurd
Lead Animator
Sony Pictures Imageworks
Ethan Hurd is an animation artist with over two decades of experience in Animation. Classically trained in 2D animation at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Ethan switched to working on computer animation in order to work on Toy Story 2. He has worked at such studios as Pixar, DreamWorks, Disney, Sony Imageworks and Framestore to name a few.
Ethan has helped bring characters to life on such films as Bot, Detective Pikachu, Madagascar, I Am Legend, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Shrek, and Surf’s Up. Ethan has enjoyed teaching every level at Animation Mentor, from the basics to acting. He is currently the Animation Lead at Sony Picture Entertainment’s Torchlight division.
Ethan’s Credits
Pokémon Detective Pikachu
Toy Story 2
Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs
Shrek
Recent Films
- Pokémon Detective Pikachu
- Planes
- Arthur Christmas
- Gnomeo and Juliet
- Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs
- Bolt
- Beowulf
Other Films
- Surf’s Up
- Open Season
- Madagascar
- Shrek 2
- Shrek
- Toy Story 2
Short Films
- It’s Tough to Be a Bug
- Hubert’s Brain
- Shrek 4-D
- Far Far Away Idol
Television
- Marvel’s What If…?
- Road of Vengeance
What Ethan’s Students are Saying
A Great Mentor
Ethan is a great mentor and always gives thorough and interesting lectures in the Q&A. Ethan always takes the time to answer students’ questions during this time and always stays late to present his lecture material in the instances where we run over the time limit because he’s taken the time to answer students’ questions in the beginning. His critiques are always helpful and push me to do better work. Ethan always answers questions by e-mail in the week and is a very supportive mentor!
Cares About Students and Animation
I think Ethan is really an excellent mentor that cares about the students and animation. There is nothing I can think of in terms of anything that he should change within his teaching approach. I would also like to mention that he can be a big moral support too, and he helped me many times when I was feeling stuck.
Amazing Lectures Every Week
Ethan takes the time to put together amazing lectures every week. He uses lots of examples from animated films and walks through the clips frame by frame which I think is highly valuable. He’s very clear on process and to the point on eCrits. One of the best Mentors at AM.
Excellent Mentor
I have found Ethan to be an excellent mentor. He is always there to help. He has got back to me with answering my questions and if I needed him to have a quick look at my work during the week to make sure I’m on track he has and when he does its always really helpful stuff that always makes my work look better and more understandable which as I move along in my assignments I try to implement them. His Q&As are always helpful with little tips that can be useful. Thank you Ethan!
Best Q&A Sessions I've Ever Had
Ethan easily gives the best Q&A sessions I’ve had in the character animation program. He is organized, offers a lot of new information I didn’t know, and re-enforces fundamentals I do know (but needed to be reminded of). His lectures and book recommendations are really helpful. Ethan is upbeat, and gives good weekly feedback. He uses both technical terms and animation principles, making his critiques clear, and easy to follow. I would highly recommend him to other students.
A Great Mentor
Ethan is a great mentor and always gives thorough and interesting lectures in the Q&A. Ethan always takes the time to answer students’ questions during this time and always stays late to present his lecture material in the instances where we run over the time limit because he’s taken the time to answer students’ questions in the beginning. His critiques are always helpful and push me to do better work. Ethan always answers questions by e-mail in the week and is a very supportive mentor!
Cares About Students and Animation
I think Ethan is really an excellent mentor that cares about the students and animation. There is nothing I can think of in terms of anything that he should change within his teaching approach. I would also like to mention that he can be a big moral support too, and he helped me many times when I was feeling stuck.
Amazing Lectures Every Week
Ethan takes the time to put together amazing lectures every week. He uses lots of examples from animated films and walks through the clips frame by frame which I think is highly valuable. He’s very clear on process and to the point on eCrits. One of the best Mentors at AM.
Excellent Mentor
I have found Ethan to be an excellent mentor. He is always there to help. He has got back to me with answering my questions and if I needed him to have a quick look at my work during the week to make sure I’m on track he has and when he does its always really helpful stuff that always makes my work look better and more understandable which as I move along in my assignments I try to implement them. His Q&As are always helpful with little tips that can be useful. Thank you Ethan!
Best Q&A Sessions I've Ever Had
Ethan easily gives the best Q&A sessions I’ve had in the character animation program. He is organized, offers a lot of new information I didn’t know, and re-enforces fundamentals I do know (but needed to be reminded of). His lectures and book recommendations are really helpful. Ethan is upbeat, and gives good weekly feedback. He uses both technical terms and animation principles, making his critiques clear, and easy to follow. I would highly recommend him to other students.
Courses Taught By Ethan
Courses may vary from term to term.
Feature Animation
Acting & Polish
12-Week Course
Animate a shot the pros would be proud of and finish your demo reel.