Character Animation Mentorship

Train Like a Cinematic Lead Animator

Private 1-on-1 character animation mentorship to develop your eye, your judgment, and your demo reel — the same way studios train their animators.

Mentored Directly by Filippo Dattola
I’ve spent over a decade as a Lead Animator on feature productions. What I bring into each session isn’t theory — it’s the decision-making process used inside real productions.

Every review is live, direct, and focused on helping you understand why something works — not just how to fix it.

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What Makes This Character Animation Mentorship Different?

SquashnStretch.net offers a boutique character animation mentorship for serious animators. Every 1-on-1 session is led by Filippo Dattola, a Lead Animator with over a decade of feature-film experience, focused on developing your eye, judgment, and studio-ready demo reel.

Through a structured 10-phase path, you’ll move from strong fundamentals to advanced acting, multi-character interaction, and creature performance. Each phase builds toward a competitive, studio-ready demo reel.

Tools evolve. Taste and judgment don’t. That is what this mentorship trains.

Character Performance

Learn acting depth, emotional clarity, and subtext. Studios don’t hire based on exercises – they hire based on performance quality and storytelling clarity.

Production Standards

Training built on real blockbuster production experience. Learn how performance actually works in high-end cinematic pipelines.

Cinematic Staging

Master shot planning, intentionality, and cinematic staging. Learn production-level critique and real workflow habits used in top studios.

Demo Reel Strategy

animation mentorship program professional training

Build competitive demo reel with performance-driven shots. Learn how recruiters evaluate reels and reach international professional standards

The Mentorship Structure

Whether you’re building your foundation or refining professional-level acting, the path is the same: reach studio-ready standards through direct, production-level mentorship tailored to your level.

The program covers 10 progressive phases, with 2 sessions per week — one live and one recorded review. Every shot receives personal, detailed feedback. You also get lifetime access to over 500 hours of resources, tutorials, and webinars.

As a boutique mentorship, the focus stays on you — your weaknesses, your reel, your growth.

Each phase is £899 — studio-level mentorship at a fraction of what large animation programs charge.

Students Animation Showreel

Emerging Animators

Develop strong body mechanics, clean posing, timing, and clear performance choices.

Intermediate Animators

Push nuance, strengthen shot clarity, and elevate your demo reel to a competitive level.

Working Professionals

Refine subtle acting, improve efficiency, and transition toward higher-end production standards.

Phase 1

Animation Fundamentals

Learn acting depth, emotional clarity, and subtext. Studios don’t hire based on exercises – they hire based on performance quality and storytelling clarity.

Phase 2

Body
Mechanics

Training built on real blockbuster production experience. Learn how performance actually works in high-end cinematic pipelines.

Phase 3

Advanced Body Mechanics

Master shot planning, intentionality, and cinematic staging. Learn production-level critique and real workflow habits used in top studios.

Phase 4

Acting & Lip Sync

Build competitive demo reel with performance-driven shots. Learn how recruiters evaluate reels and reach international professional standards

All phases: £ 899 each

EXPLORE MORE

Real Growth Through 1-on-1 Character Animation Mentorship

Over the years, animators mentored through SquashnStretch.net have gone on to work at studios such as Framestore, MPC, DNEG, and Disney just to name a few.

More importantly, they’ve developed the ability to evaluate and elevate their own work — the skill that sustains a long-term career.

Learn from Professional Character Animation Experience

Led by a Lead Animator with over a decade of experience in large-scale cinematic productions inside one of the world’s most respected visual effects studios. This is production-driven animation mentorship built around how performance actually works in high-end pipelines.

Filippo Dattola

Lead Animator, Animation mentor at SquashnStretch.net

Mentor Animation Showreel

Feedback from our students.

Real feedback from real animators who built their careers through this mentorship.

Alessandro Poli

“I never thought I would get into MPC in two years. Filippo’s reviews are precise and clear. The method used at SquashnStretch is effective — you learn how to tackle a shot step by step, from references to final polish.”

Animator at MPC, ILM, Framestore

Riccardo Pietracaprina

“I attended other animation schools, but only at SquashnStretch was I able to take my animation from amateur to professional level. It prepares you for the working world and gets you accustomed to production dynamics.”

Animator at t MPC, Framestore

Camilla Guerrina

“Thanks to Filippo, I achieved my biggest dream — to be hired at MPC. Filippo finds a thousand details that can still be improved, and it’s in those moments you realize how much experience he passes on to you.

Animator at MPC, DNEG, Ghost VFX

Giacomo Mora

“What I like most about SquashnStretch is the constant education of the eye — not mechanical teaching, but guiding you towards progressive self-improvement. Filippo gave me the necessary push for the qualitative leap I was seeking.”

Animator at Disney, DNeg, McGuff

Alessandro Savergnini

“It took just one sentence from Filippo to make me understand the power of that bouncing ball. From that evening, not a day went by without studying animation. It was fantastic, learning with the best.”

Animator at MPC, Framestore

Ready to Elevate Your Animation?

If you are serious about becoming a professional character animator, this mentorship is built for you.

Train with cinematic production standards
Develop real performance depth
Build a competitive demo reel

Apply for 1-on-1 Character Animation Mentorship — Limited spots available

A short application ensures this mentorship is the right fit for your level and goals.

apply for mentorship