Animation Showcase

UCF Celebrates the Arts

Enjoy a series of award-winning animated short films created by students from UCF SVAD’s nationally ranked Emerging Media programs.

Featuring both 2D and 3D works, the screening highlights projects from the BFA tracks in Character Animation and Animation & Visualization, as well as the MFA in Animation and Visual Effects.

Stick around after the films for a special Q&A session with the student animators and get a behind-the-scenes look at their creative process.

Animation & Visualization Animations: 

Sara Trantham – The Maritime Monster (Stop Motion)

Macy Martelli – Winging It (2D)

Louis Rodriguez – Best Friend (2D)

Daya Sharma – DEATHBLESSED (2D)

Brianna Molina – D.C.P. (2D)

Alana Varela – Les Toreadors (2D)

Rachel Freeman – Arbiter of Hickory (2D)

Matthew Luciani – ANGLE OF ATTACK (3D)

Sophia Zamora – In my Dream (3D)

Kinsey Barber – In Magiam Incidere (3D)

Anthony Bonasera – Bonasera (3D)

Jay Means – ZOR-225b – A New Frontier (3D)

Jeremy Weed – Frosted (3D)

Animation & Visualization Panelists: 

Benjamin Navarro, an alumnus from the UCF BFA Emerging Media Animation and Visualization track 25’ and a Technical Artist for A Square Games & Simulation, LLC. Benjamin is first generation American with both his parents having immigrated from Venezuela. He specializes in 3D modeling and texturing for both environmental and character design, which also drives his creative and realistic perspective on the narrative of storytelling and worldbuilding.

EA Alumni 2019 Alex Santiago, Experimental Animation 19’, now Animation and Visualization, is an Enthusiastic Digital Artist with a 10-year background producing interactive 3D Projects. Alex is a skilled layout and pre-vis artist, with extensive experience in Pre-Production and Post-Production workflows. He has played a key role in contributing to major feature films such as Disney’s Pinocchio and Marvel Studios’ Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania

Character Animation Animations: 

Paper Warrior – Character Animation Class of 2025
Golden Fish – Character Animation Class of 2025

Character Animations Panelists: 

Marcus Urbenz is a 3D technical artist currently enrolled in UCF’s Animation and Visual Effects program. Coming from the Character Animation undergraduate program, his research explores production workflows and technical pipelines while supporting visual storytelling through artistic imagery.

Caitlin Hart is a first-year graduate student in the Animation and Visual Effects MFA program and a recent graduate of the Character Animation program. During her undergraduate studies, she had the opportunity to work on Paper Warriors as a Modeling, Animation, Layout, and Sound Lead. While her primary focus is animation and digital art, she is also experienced in the performing arts. Since the age of three, she has trained in multiple styles of dance, musical theatre, various instruments, and voice acting. More recently, she has taken up ice and roller skating. The arts are central to her life, and she looks forward to continuing to create and collaborate in the future.

Lili Frongillo is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Animation and Visual Effects at UCF. She graduated with her BFA from UCF’s Character Animation Track, where she served as student director for the 2025 animated short film *The Golden Fish*. Her work primarily focuses on 3D environment art and 3D animation, bringing characters and worlds to life.