Pixar and Khan Academy Join Forces for a Super Cool Learning Collaboration

Pixar and Khan Academy have released the latest iteration of a free course aimed at helping aspiring animators familiarize themselves with the basics of the craft. It’s called Pixar in A Box and it looks like a really, really cool idea:

The primary aim of Pixar in a Box is not to make students into animators overnight, but rather to introduce basic scientific and design elements integral to making movies. There’s also an emphasis on the collaborative-pipeline approach with lessons on various specializations such as lighting, animation, rendering, and design. It’s all about synthesis — the merging of technology, art, math, and programming to make a living, breathing motion picture.

The importance of free education

As lovers of all things learning and knowledge, we’re big fans of Salman Khan and his eponymous academy, which offers free online educational content to anyone in the world. While watching YouTube videos about computer programming isn’t going to substitute for an accredited mathematics degree, Khan’s vision for the future of education is one in which mastery, empathy, and love of learning take precedent. Check out the videos below in which Khan explains why it’s important to keep learning even after the final school bell has rung.

Top photo: Garth Vaughan/Disney via Getty Images

Source: Makezine

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Robert Montenegro is a writer and dramaturg who regularly contributes to Big Think and Crooked Scoreboard. He lives in Washington DC and is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

Twitter: @Monteneggroll. Website: robertmontenegro.com.