A celebration of creative excellence in Canadian animation is coming to the community through an innovative showcase.
Princeton is set to host The Wild Animation Festival at the Princeton Arena and Princeton Okanagan Regional Branch Library on Saturday, May 31. Co-hosted by Vancouver, with a festival in the Lower Mainland on May 24, the event features short films from across the country, highlighting a dynamic community of artists and storytellers through national independent filmmakers, as well as animators from renowned platforms such as Disney and Netflix.
The festival will feature interactive community workshops led by animation professionals, designed specifically to enhance creative skills and foster community engagement in Princeton by providing hands-on learning experiences in animation techniques, filmmaking, storytelling and production processes. The workshops will provide innovative collaborative and networking opportunities which will help boost the town's reputation as a creative arts and culture hub.
A two-hour showcase of short animated films from Canadian animators will follow the workshops, emphasizing themes of nature, wildlife and the vibrant Canadian landscape. Awards and prizes celebrating Canadian talent and recognizing creative achievements will conclude the festival.
"This is a project we have been working on for a while," said Gary Schatz, Princeton's director of economic development. "Over the past year, we have been working with Vancouver Film School to make some of these things happen, and Princeton has been a focal point of study at the school."
The festival is a unique opportunity for the community to learn more about animation, especially for those who may be interested in pursuing a career in the field. Schatz added that the initial response has been great so far.
"We have actually had to turn people away that wanted to come because we just don't have the capacity for it right now until we see what happens," he said.
Animation in Action kicks off the festival at 1 p.m. with an afternoon of workshops at the library.
- 1 p.m. to 2:20 p.m.: From Eat Your Peass: Netflix Director Lindsay Knowler shares insights and process.
- 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.: Reem Elshair – Visual storytelling and creative process - Portfolio review and storyboarding.
- 3:40 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Airin Budiman – Experimental animation techniques Netflix and Pixar
- 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.: LivingSculpture.Ai – New animation techniques and gamification in our world.
The evening festival program will take place at the arena following the workshops. Doors open at 6:30.
- 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: Festival introduction Animation Shorts Screening – A curated selection of bold, brilliant and bizarre shorts from animators celebrating Canadian Wildlife and Natural Beauty.
- 8:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.: Intermission
- 8:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.: Artist Talks, awards and conclusion.
The Town of Princeton is the initiator of the festival and is partnered with Capilano University and Vancouver Film School for the event, which cost just over $6,750 from the town's 2025 Tourism and Economic Development Marketing budget.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit wildanimationfestival.com.
