Stuart Ellis
Stuart Ellis has been a professional animator since 1997 and is currently a lead animator at Framestore in London. He started as a classical 2D animator on Disney’s Hercules and went on to work on the Harry Potter franchise. In 2023, Stuart earned an Annie Awards nomination for Best Character Animation – Live Action for his work on The Little Mermaid. Stuart is a creature expert, having worked on polar bears, dragons and prehistoric beasts throughout his career. He is also a published board game designer and is a licensed helicopter pilot. Stuart currently teaches Creature Animation: Fight or Flight.
Stuart’s Credits
The Little Mermaid
Guardians of the Galaxy:
Volume 3
Paddington 2
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Recent Films
- The Little Mermaid (2023)
- Guardians of the Galaxy 3
- Paddington 2
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
- Paddington
- Fantastic Beasts
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- RoboCop
- 47 Ronin
- War Horse
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
- Nanny McPhee Returns
Other Films
- Where the Wild Things Are
- The Tale of Despereaux
- The Golden Compass
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Balto
- Fantasia 2000
- Hercules
- Tarzan
- Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
TELEVISION
- His Dark Materials
- Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real
- Dinotopia
- The Lost World
- Walking with Prehistoric Beasts
- The Last Dragon
- Prehistoric Park
- Jason and the Argonauts
What Stuart’s Students are Saying
Extremely Encouraging and Helpful
I’ve learned a ton from Stuart through this workshop. As an Alumni returning to the classroom, Stuart has been extremely encouraging and helpful with his critiques. I feel challenged weekly. I hope to take another workshop with him again in the future.
Pushes Me to Become a Stronger Animator
I like how he pushes me to become a stronger animator while animating creatures for the first time. He gives great feedback.
Good at Keeping an Eye on the Big Picture
He is generally a good teacher, and the specific thing that has been helpful for me is that he is good at keeping an eye on the big picture of an animation, when I will generally fixate too much on specific parts. Another thing that I admire about him is that he is willing to stay overtime during meetings if it means he can address everyone’s questions, and review everyone’s work.
Has Endless Knowledge
It is an honor to receive feedback from Stuart. He has endless knowledge and is very capable of conveying it clearly and efficiently.
Honest with His Feedback While not Being Rude
I think Stuart is a very good mentor who has a very skilled eye in animation to give the right feedback to my shots. He’s honest with his feedback while not being rude, he just wants us to get better which I really like to see in a mentor.
Very Patient, Helpful, and Detailed with the Critiques
Great mentor! Very patient, helpful, detailed with the critiques, and I always have my critique back on Sunday, I super appreciated 🙂
Helped Me to Improve Every Week
I’m very lucky to have Stuart as my mentor. All his comments and Q&A sessions were really helpful for me so far and I believe they helped me to improve every week. He really motivates me to push my shots and enhance them.
Takes Time Each Class to Look at Individual Student's Work
He takes time each class to look at individual student’s work which is really useful. He gives his weekly crit soon after the submission so I can get back to work quickly.
Extremely Encouraging and Helpful
I’ve learned a ton from Stuart through this workshop. As an Alumni returning to the classroom, Stuart has been extremely encouraging and helpful with his critiques. I feel challenged weekly. I hope to take another workshop with him again in the future.
Pushes Me to Become a Stronger Animator
I like how he pushes me to become a stronger animator while animating creatures for the first time. He gives great feedback.
Good at Keeping an Eye on the Big Picture
He is generally a good teacher, and the specific thing that has been helpful for me is that he is good at keeping an eye on the big picture of an animation, when I will generally fixate too much on specific parts. Another thing that I admire about him is that he is willing to stay overtime during meetings if it means he can address everyone’s questions, and review everyone’s work.
Has Endless Knowledge
It is an honor to receive feedback from Stuart. He has endless knowledge and is very capable of conveying it clearly and efficiently.
Honest with His Feedback While not Being Rude
I think Stuart is a very good mentor who has a very skilled eye in animation to give the right feedback to my shots. He’s honest with his feedback while not being rude, he just wants us to get better which I really like to see in a mentor.
Very Patient, Helpful, and Detailed with the Critiques
Great mentor! Very patient, helpful, detailed with the critiques, and I always have my critique back on Sunday, I super appreciated 🙂
Helped Me to Improve Every Week
I’m very lucky to have Stuart as my mentor. All his comments and Q&A sessions were really helpful for me so far and I believe they helped me to improve every week. He really motivates me to push my shots and enhance them.
Takes Time Each Class to Look at Individual Student's Work
He takes time each class to look at individual student’s work which is really useful. He gives his weekly crit soon after the submission so I can get back to work quickly.
Courses Taught By Stuart
Courses may vary from term to term.
Creature Animation:
FIGHT OR FLIGHT
12-Week course
Create dynamic flight scenes and fight sequences with creatures.