Toon-i-esta 2015 – Two Days of Fun and Talent!

Toon-i-esta 2015 – Two Days of Fun and Talent!

The 2^nd edition of  Toon-i-esta was a two-day event of prolific fun, celebration, and showcase of talent. The Toon-i-esta 2015 fest, organized by Thakur-ToonSkool Advanced Animation Academy in Thakur College of Science and Commerce on 27^th and 28^th November 2015, turned out to be an event to remember.

The Toon-i-esta fest succeeded in revealing budding talent in various fields such as animation, film production, fine arts, and performing arts. The presence of popular celebrities as judges for the events and promos added the glitz quotient to the event.

The event began with a lamp lighting ceremony, with the HOD of BMM, the Vice Principal of Thakur College, and various faculty members from ToonSkool doing the honors. This was followed by a presentation on current and future trends in Animation and VFX technology. It showcased breathtaking visuals on the use of Holography and Augmented and Virtual reality in various sectors of medicine, gaming, feature films, and TV programmes. It also emphasized the presence of ToonSkool from 2005 in Thakur and its contribution to various realms of student learning and development.

A lot of preparation went behind the successful organization of the event. ToonSkool students were divided into teams in-charge of creative conceptualization, administration, hospitality, escort, security, PR and marketing. Posters of the event were distributed to around 15 colleges present in the region.

The crowd at the fest was an enthusiastic one and comprised students from various colleges such as Patkar, Thakur, Balbharati, KES, and R. K. College. There were participants from suburbs as far as Mulund in the north east of Mumbai and Virar in the west.

Day 1 drew a crowd of about 1000 people. The main highlights of the first day were the dance events in the solo and group categories. The events were judged by famous choreographers from Bollywood such as Jeet Singh (of ABCD 2 fame), Amardeep (of Robotica fame), and Vaibhav (Dance India Dance winner).

This year’s event drew entries for ‘Live Action’ and ‘Stop Motion’ categories from colleges in Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Bangalore, and Mumbai, apart from those from Thakur ToonSkool Advanced Animation Academy. The nominated clips were played on the first day of the event, and the winners were announced the next day.

Day 2 drew an even larger crowd of about 3000 people. The finale of the dance events was conducted in the morning in front of a cheering crowd that kept asking for more.

The second half brought a star ensemble on stage. The cast of Hate Story 3 and famous speed painter Rabin Bar were present, much to the excitement of the students. Rabin Bar painted on different canvases in his customary superfast style, and they were presented to the actors.   This was followed by announcement of winners in different competitions and prize distribution.

Overall, the event was a grand success with coverage from about 14 television and print publications. The level of reach and reception among the students too was high.

ToonSkool is a premiere award-winning animation academy that introduced the first-ever B.Sc Animation course in India. It offers UG, PG and diploma programmes in streams such as animation, visual effects and digital filmmaking, in partnership with various universities and autonomous institutes across the country. ToonSkool is an initiative of iNurture Education Solutions, Bangalore.