I was SO psyched to see you guys back in action, great podcast. Can’t wait to listen more. Been too long!♥️♥️

Great that you are back. Your “new” format is good for me. Perfect is the enemy of good. One suggestion: If your jobs allow it, perhaps, from time to time, you can comment a little bit on the latest films in animation, trends, and things of interest to animation students.

This podcast is invaluable for aspiring animators. There’s a treasure trove of information here, which applies to all levels of the animation-learning journey. In fact, I’ve found that many episodes are worth revisiting down the line. Best of all, the three hosts sound like they’re really enjoying themselves the whole time, making it an absolute joy from start to finish. (Plus, as a former bartender I gotta love the drink names

This podcast has been one of the biggest resources in my journey to becoming an animator. Going to a school that isn’t known for animation and being in an animation program that is barely a year old really made me feel like I was behind everyone else in the world pursuing a career in animation. Then one day I found this podcast. Ben, Katie, and Garrett are excellent podcast hosts. Episodes are well thought-out, organized, and presented in hilarious, fun, and informative ways. They sound like very warm people and have a massive wealth of knowledge about the industry and animation in general. The level of humility among the three hosts is very comforting because they’ve been in most situations that a listener/student wonders about. This podcast helped me figure out my postgrad plans through listening to their episode about Brick and Mortar vs Online schools. This sounds exaggerated, but this podcast has literally changed the course of my life. For anyone who feels like they’re out of the loop or too far behind, this podcast is a great encouragement. I’m literally re-listening through the entire podcast waiting on the next upload. Give this podcast a listen!

I’ve listened to a handful of other animation-related podcasts and ‘animation happy hour’ is BY FAR one of the best out there. Katie, Ben, and Garrett have this amazing chemistry and respectfulness towards each other, on top of their wealth of experience and knowledge of animation/the animation industry that they gladly share with listeners. It’s honest, interesting, engaging, and very well-produced. So happy I came by it!!

I cannot understate how fun and valuable of resource this podcast is. Films may be the spark that inspired me to pursue my new dream job but these guys are the kindle that keep that spark burning with tips, guidance, as well as realistic obstacles to expect when pursuing a job in the animation industry. Every episode feels like a cozy sitdown with plenty of wholehearted smiles, chuckles, and valuable stories that I hope to carry with me on my own journey. Even if you aren’t actively studying or working in animation, if you’re a fan of any kind of animation and love learning about what goes into a film, you owe it to yourself to listen to this podcast. Also if you need some drink inspirations I imagine that is also a nice bonus with this crew. :>

If you’re a go getter who really wants to know what level you need to be at to work with pros this podcast is for you! I love it! I look forward to it every month! Not only is it informative, but it’s entertaining and fun to listen to! My favorite part is when they personalize their advice and give us real life experiences with challenges and accomplishments they’ve had while working in the industry. As any animator says, “luck favors the prepared” and this podcast is an excellent source in preparing you for your dream career!

Ok everybody — take it from someone not even in the industry, these people are fantastic podcasters who explore all corners of the animation world all while making you laugh…aaaand teaching you a thing or two about “punny” cocktail names ;). I hate to admit this because it’s totally embarrassing, but it really feels like these people become your friends who you’ll get so excited to see (err, hear) on the first of each month. Thank you so much for keeping this show going and can’t wait for what’s to come next!

I’d been looking for a podcast with a nice mix of interviews, industry wisdom, and practical CG animation tips and I finally found it in Animation Happy Hour! I’m a CG animator, soon making the jump from theme park work to film work and this show has been so informative and encouraging. I especially enjoyed the recent episode on feedback - I liked the less structured approach and really appreciated how honest and open the hosts were about their own experiences. It was very normalizing and definitely my favorite episode so far! Keep up the great work, Garrett, Katie, and Ben!

I’m a graphic designer in the DFW area who also does video and portraiture. I have learned so much about my own work just from listening to this podcast since so many themes such as design soft skills, how to work on a creative team, and how to grow as an artist are applicable to any craft. Also, they are so fun to listen to! My wife and baby walk by as I laugh washing dishes with my AirPods in…probably think I’m a crazy person. For real though, highly recommend to anyone wanting to get better as an artist in general!

i’m a high school student who wants to work in animation and the animation happy hour has helped me so much! it made me decide to go to an online school rather than art school, and it has helped me learn more about other parts of the pipeline that i might be interested in other than character animation. thank you so much for this resource, i recommended it to my ap art class and pretty much anyone i know who is interested in animation! i feel like i have a better idea about what i’m getting myself into thanks to this podcast :P

I look forward to every episode, it gives me hope that i’ll be able to work in the industry someday! Thank you for your organized yet very fun talks!

This podcast is amazing! It's so insightful on the industry. I'm learning so much and can't wait to learn more!

10000/10000 recommend! These guys are so insightful! As an aspiring animator, someone who just loves animation, or even another type of art student there’s a little something for everyone! I love the positivity and fun stories but also the good mix of “telling it to ya straight” and not trying to sugar coat anything. Keep the fantastic podcasts coming!

This podcast means so much to me. Being an animation student in a brick-and-mortar college is difficult at times because my professors don’t have much animation industry experience but this podcast makes up for it and adds even more! Also congrats to Katie for being promoted to animator!

I was in the process of choosing an online animation school when I discovered this podcast and thanks to many of the talking points that these guys discuss I was able to decide not just the school but also the path I want to follow. It would be great if you could also touch base on what to do on the side while studying to enrich your abilities as an artist and animator. You guys are great!!

All of the hosts are engaging, kind, and humorous. They have a ton of experience in the field of animation but are still grounded and are very honest with previous setbacks as well as accomplishments. This podcast is more for students rather than people talking about news or fandoms, but I believe each episode is a special lesson and anyone can benefit from what they share. Thanks for making such a fantastic podcast!

I find podcasts hard to listen to, but this is so helpful. I’m a year out of school, still trying to break into this industry, but y’all really give me hope. Thanks for being so open, approachable, and honest.

Love the drinks. Anyways, I am beyond grateful to have been found this podcast! It really gives students a picture of what the animation industry is like and how to succeed in it (and school). The podcast provides in depth looks on important topics, like personal finance or how to make a solid demo reel or the mentality you need to navigate the ups and downs in life. I am a new animation student, and this post cast has given me encouragement and a clear vision on how to get the most out of my school. Thank you Katie, Garrett, and Ben!

I am so glad to have stumbled on this podcast!! I unlike many other reviewers am not an Animation student. I would not call myself an Amazing artist either. But I cherished animation and the beautiful artistry of Disney movies. Yet With a Major in biology I decided to change career endeavors and start animation and this podcast really filled me in on requirements, artistic expectations, industry realities, and tips to get you to be a competent industry animator. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who majored in something else outside of Animation and that it's not too late to break into animation (Ben and Caitlyn!) I'm getting to understand the chemistry between the three and it's really fun and comfortable to have "friends" whenever I listen to the podcast!

This podcast is packed with great tips for anyone looking to get into the animation industry

So, I will preface this review by saying that I am not a podcast person...I have heard so many people talking about this podcast, that podcast, but I never really could get into them. But then I found Animation Happy Hour, and it has changed me! This series is extremely helpful, particularly for an animation grad student who is about to finish school! Katie, Ben, and Garrett give such genuine advice, a lot of which I’ve never heard before. It’s great to be able to hear it straight from professionals in two of my top dream companies. Along with great advice, they’re all so entertaining and they keep me laughing throughout the whole segment! I would definitely recommend this podcast to anyone (even anti-podcast people) in the animation field, or who just want something fun and inspiring to listen to!

I think that as students of animation, many of us idolize professional animators and feel incredibly intimidated by them. Going into “The Industry” sounds scary and almost unachievable sometimes. And in my experience, it can be really frustrating trying to balance comparing yourself to your classmates and comparing yourself to the rest of the animation world. I’m constantly panicking that I’m not learning fast enough and that if I don’t get an internship during my undergrad, I’ll never make it in this field. This podcast has done so much to ease my nerves and to rev up my passion to learn. Garrett, Katie, and Ben have reassured me that you can dive into the industry at any point in life as long as you’re hardworking and determined. They’re very down-to-earth and chummy with each other. Listening to this podcast has made me realize that professional animators are people too. They’re giving us the CTN-type content that students usually have to pay money to consume! Every time I listen to an episode I feel so reinvigorated and I’m itching to go animate again! Thank you for this podcast!

This podcast is so hilarious and perfectly catered to what I am going through right now in my life as a AM/Animschool student trying to break into the industry.

It’s great to have a podcast catered to animation. As a current SCAD graduate student it’s nice to hear the bits of advice from people who used to be in my shoes, and who are now where I hope to be one day. Great podcast I’ll continue to tune in💯🙌🏽

I thoroughly enjoy every podcast as it’s an extremely fun and helpful listen! It was pretty intimidating as I began Animation Mentor a few years after college after graduating with a communications degree but it’s great to hear that it’s never too late to start something you love! Garrett, Katie and Ben do an amazing job at keeping things light while also giving the not so pretty truths about breaking into the animation industry. They are extremely funny and down to earth people who motivate and excite me to animate and strive for my goals. Definitely a must listen!

I really love this podcast. Graduating from school is terrifying. I’m grateful for their advice episode bc I live in Chicago, so industry stuff still seems like this grand myth. Hearing people casually talk about it and the journey makes me feel better. The host are all very casually with each other AND there’s no weird sound stuff that randomly goes quiet or super loud. It’s top quality sound! It genuinely seems like they’re all friends and did prep work for what they were going to talk about, or at least know enough that they can speak confidently about it. Thanks for this podcast!

So far, I’m really loving this podcast, and wish I’d had it when I was in college. The list of resources on their website alone is a gold mine! Will definitely keep listening

I love learning about the world of animation from Ben, katie, and Garrett!

I loved listening to Katie, Ben, and Garrett talk about their experience as students and as professionals in the industry. They all have great personalities and awesome chemistry which makes for very entertaining episodes!! They’re people I’d love to get to work alongside in the industry!! :) very down to earth and genuinely wanting to get valuable, sort of “rare” info out there to everyone listening

Really great podcast for student animators! Great knowledge and fun to listen to :)

Great show!

As someone who’s trying to break into the animation industry, this is super helpful!!!