Trained by practitioners, not a syllabus.
Arena Animation Surajkund trains animators, VFX artists, designers and game developers the way a studio would — through critique, deadlines and a portfolio that does the talking.
Our story
From a studio floor to a school.
Arena Animation Surajkund started as a small studio of working artists who kept getting asked the same question — “how did you learn this?” The honest answer was always the same: by making things, getting critiqued, and making them again. That became the whole teaching model.
- Make it
- Get critiqued
- Make it again
- On repeat
A portfolio teaches faster than a lecture ever will.
“We built Arena around one idea: a portfolio teaches faster than a lecture. Every course here is studio-paced, critique-heavy and built around the work you'll actually show a recruiter.”
Meenal Rao
Founder & Director
- 12+
- Years training practitioners
- 850+
- Graduates placed in studios
- 20,000+
- Sq ft of studio space
- 60+
- Industry hiring partners
Our journey
Thirteen years, one studio floor at a time.
2013
Founded
Arena opens its first studio floor with a handful of working artists teaching evening classes.
2015
First full-time cohort
The first full-time diploma batch enrolls, built around studio critique rather than lectures.
2017
VFX & compositing studio
A dedicated compositing lab opens, built around real shot-breakdown pipelines.
2019
Placement partnerships begin
The first formal hiring partnerships with local studios open a direct path from graduation to work.
2021
Online courses launch
Select certification courses move online, reaching students outside the city for the first time.
2023
Campus expansion
A second studio floor adds a render lab, sound booth and a dedicated gallery wall.
2026
800+ graduates
The alumni network crosses 800 working graduates across animation, VFX, design and games.
What we stand for
Five things that don’t change between batches.
Faculty
Practitioners first, teachers second.
Facilities
Built for the work.
Affiliations & certifications
Recognised where it counts.
The partnerships and review boards that keep our training tied to how studios actually work.
Industry Training Partner
Portfolio Review Board Member
Studio Placement Network
Creative Skills Council
Mission & vision
Why we do this.
One purpose that runs every class today — and one picture of where it leads.
Our mission
To turn raw creative talent into studio-ready artists — through real briefs, honest critique and a portfolio that does the talking.
- Real briefs
- Honest critique
- Portfolio first
Our vision
To be the studio floor where the next generation of India's animators, VFX artists and game designers gets its start.
- Studio-ready artists
- Careers, not certificates
- Made in Surajkund
Come see the studio floor.
Book a campus visit and meet the faculty before you decide.