While most of my friends are writers or tech geeks, every once in a while I like to get together with the old crowd from animation school. This includes former classmates, teachers I'm still on friendly terms with, even dropouts who moved on to do something else or even managed a successful animation career despite not finishing their education. You can imagine, with so many different age groups and perspectives, that this makes for some rousing debates on every animation-related topic possible. Recently, during one of our late-night IHOP invasions (in which we take over one or two booths and consume several gallons of coffee until the wee hours of the morning), an argument began between one of the instructors and one of the dropouts. Despite getting a little loud, haranguing each other for hours, and boring the rest of us daft, they still never came to a conclusion on one question:

Do you need to go to animation school to be a good animator?

• Yes. While there are some things you can learn on your own, you need the guidance of experts to really learn the craft.
• Yes. Although you can learn on your own, you need the degree to be taken seriously in the animation world.
• Maybe not animation school, but an apprenticeship with animators at the least, learning on the job.
• No. Most animation schools are outdated on the latest techniques anyway, and it's not the degree, it's your portfolio that matters.
• No. If you have enough talent and the determination to learn, you should be able to find the resources and learn.
• Other/will explain in comments.

Current Results

It's the 4th of July, a holiday much-celebrated here in the United States as the country's Independence Day. Barbecues, fireworks, and pool parties about; everyone takes the day off work and makes sure that all the public vacation spots are too clotted with people for anyone to use unless they show up at the crack of dawn. Some prefer to celebrate at home - but in many states it's illegal to purchase or ignite fireworks at the home. That's all right, though, because we have a pair of short, easy lessons that teach basic tweening and let you use Flash to make your own fireworks - that don't break any laws at all.

• Flash Animation 3: Fireworks E-Card
• Flash Animation 4: Animating Your E-Card