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I'm currently 15 months into my 18 month course at animationmentor.com. I can't recommend this course highly enough. I actually first heard about this course in this thread so big props to Jonathan for the link. It changed my life.
To sum it up, there are 6 three month courses. Basic Foundations, Body Mechanics, Advanced Body Mechanics, Introduction to Acting, Advanced Acting and Portfolio Polishing. You get assignments to hand in every week and these assignments are reviewed and critiqued by a professional animator working in the industry. These people are invaluable in developing your skills. My current mentor recently finished working on Avatar in New Zealand so you know he knows what he's talking about.
You have a better chance of landing a job than someone who is self taught. I really don't think animation is something you can teach yourself effectively and efficiently. You will probably get to an acceptable level eventually, but it'll take you a long time. I know a guy who did a course called Animation Master and he thinks his animation is top notch. It isn't. It's pretty sub par to be honest. Just because you can move a limb from Point A to Point B doesn't make you a good animator. You need other people to critique your work and point out problems that the animator hasn't noticed because they are too much in love with their work to see them. Watch Hoodwinked and then compare it to something from Pixar or Dreamworks and you'll see how bad the animation in Hoodwinked is. That's where my friend is at right now.
The 12 Principles of Animation are the key to becoming a good animator.
To sum it up, there are 6 three month courses. Basic Foundations, Body Mechanics, Advanced Body Mechanics, Introduction to Acting, Advanced Acting and Portfolio Polishing. You get assignments to hand in every week and these assignments are reviewed and critiqued by a professional animator working in the industry. These people are invaluable in developing your skills. My current mentor recently finished working on Avatar in New Zealand so you know he knows what he's talking about.
You have a better chance of landing a job than someone who is self taught. I really don't think animation is something you can teach yourself effectively and efficiently. You will probably get to an acceptable level eventually, but it'll take you a long time. I know a guy who did a course called Animation Master and he thinks his animation is top notch. It isn't. It's pretty sub par to be honest. Just because you can move a limb from Point A to Point B doesn't make you a good animator. You need other people to critique your work and point out problems that the animator hasn't noticed because they are too much in love with their work to see them. Watch Hoodwinked and then compare it to something from Pixar or Dreamworks and you'll see how bad the animation in Hoodwinked is. That's where my friend is at right now.
The 12 Principles of Animation are the key to becoming a good animator.