Formal Education of Animation Workers in Czechoslovakia: The Case of the Cabinet of Animation at FAMU (1987–1991)

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, animation education in Czechoslovakia played a key role in the upskilling of workers within the state film studios. This article focuses on the under-researched work of the Cabinet of Animation at the Faculty of Film and Television (FAMU), The Academy of Performing Art (AMU), in Prague, which, through close cooperation with the state film studios and the involvement of leading figures in Czechoslovak animation, combined academic education with practice. The specific organization of the studio blurred the boundaries between the school system and the film market, with staff from the state studios often participating in the teaching process. This article shows that animation education was not just a pedagogical activity; rather, it was an integral part of the state film system, which had a major influence on the development of Czechoslovak animation.