In one famous clip (often cited in top animation forums), Parrish took a student’s dialogue shot and flipped the entire pose structure because the character’s energy was leaking out the back of the rig. He forced the student to "cheat" the spine toward camera, sacrificing anatomical realism for emotional readability. That is the Disney secret Parrish shares. Brent Homman: The King of Comedic Timing If Zach Parrish is the physicist, Brent Homman is the comedian. Homman’s credits include animating Hei Hei the rooster in Moana (a masterclass in chaotic neutral energy) and the manic sloth, Flash, in Zootopia . His sections of the AnimSquad master class are legendary for their intense focus on entertainment . The "Homman Holler" and Spacing Homman is famous for his vocal lectures on "spacing." He argues that most student animation looks floaty because the spacing is too even. In his Disney work, Homman uses "extreme spacing" — holding poses for 12 frames, then moving between them in 2 frames.
Unlike pre-recorded, static courses, AnimSquad master classes are live, interactive, and brutally honest. Students submit their blocking, spline, and polishing passes. The instructors—current or former feature film animators—draw directly over the work, critique the arcs , the spacing , and the acting choices . This is why the search is so popular; professionals know these two offer the most actionable feedback in the industry. Zach Parrish: The Physics of Emotion Zach Parrish’s resume reads like a highlight reel of modern Disney. He served as Head of Animation on Raya and the Last Dragon and directed the Academy Award-winning short Us Again . But for students in the AnimSquad master class, his value lies in his obsession with physicality . The "Parrish Principle" of Weight In his master class, Parrish often lectures on what he calls the "invisible skeleton." While beginners obsess over facial expressions, Parrish forces students to look at the hips and the shoulders. He argues that if the physics of the body are wrong, the face becomes irrelevant. In one famous clip (often cited in top
If you are stuck in "tutorial hell" — where you can copy a bouncing ball but cannot make a character live — this is the cure. The featuring these two Disney veterans is not just a top course; for many, it is the finishing school for modern feature animation. Brent Homman: The King of Comedic Timing If
One notable alumnus described the experience: "Zach drew a curve on my screen that changed my career. He showed me my character wasn't landing because the toe was 2 pixels too low. Brent then made me throw away 40 frames of safe acting for one giant, ugly, expressive pose. I got hired two months later." In an age of infinite free tutorials, paying for a master class sounds daunting. However, the combination of AnimSquad’s rigorous live feedback structure with the specific genius of Disney’s Zach Parrish (physics/weight/drama) and Brent Homman (comedy/timing/chaos) is unbeatable. The "Homman Holler" and Spacing Homman is famous
In his lecture for AnimSquad, titled "The Gag is King," Homman dissects his own shot of the sloth at the DMV in Zootopia . He shows how the humor comes not from the slow motion, but from the violation of timing. The eyes move fast, the hand moves slow, and the smile spreads at a medium pace. He teaches students to break the body into individual time signatures to find the comedy. Improvisation in Animation Brent Homman doesn’t believe in rigid lip-sync. He believes in "acting through the jaw." During his AnimSquad critiques, he is known for turning off the audio track and judging the shot by body language alone. If you can understand the joke without sound, the animation passes.
Learn the rules from Zach Parrish. Learn how to break them from Brent Homman. Graduate from AnimSquad. Get hired. Are you ready to animate like a Disney pro? Check the AnimSquad schedule for the next enrollment window for Zach Parrish and Brent Homman’s sessions. Seats are usually limited to ensure maximum one-on-one critique time—because that is where the real magic happens.