New England Institute of Technology (NEIT) in East Greenwich will serve as the only southeastern New England location for a two-day workshop, “Masterclass in Animation and Story Development” Oct. 12-13 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Two professionals from Pixar Animation Studios, Andrew Gordon and Matthew Luhn, will share their creativity and expertise.

The NEIT presentation is one of only six North American stops, including Chicago, Seattle, Miami, Toronto and Vancouver. Gordon and Luhn will enlighten participants with the tools needed to help create original stories and feature-quality animation. Individuals will have a unique opportunity to meet and network with others in the animation industry.

Andrew Gordon has been animating characters professionally for 18 years. He joined Pixar in 1997, where he has been an animator for feature films such as, “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2” and “Toy Story 3,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille.” Matthew Luhn began his career at Pixar in 1992 as an animator for the first “Toy Story” episode. Since that time, Luhn has worked in the Story Development department storyboarding on “Toy Story 2” and “Toy Story 3,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Finding Nemo,” “Cars,” “Ratatouille,” and “UP.”

The Masterclass in Animation and Story Development will appeal to a wide audience of professionals at all levels of skill and experience, including 2D/3D animators; character designers and artists; writers, script and story writers and storytellers; filmmakers and developers of feature films, short films, online works and websites; developers and designers of video games, online games and mobile apps; authors and publishers; storyboard artists, cartoonists, illustrators and graphic designers; software developers, especially for 2D/3D animation, modeling, composing, motion, VFX, simulation and rendering; students, enthusiasts and hobbyists of animation and story; teachers, trainers and educators.

According to Steven H. Kitchin, vice president for corporate education and training, “As Pixar’s Buzz Lightyear would say, we are thrilled ‘to infinity and beyond’ to offer this highly regarded workshop not only to our college community, but also to those individuals involved with animation and storyboarding throughout the New England area.”

This masterclass completely sold out at each location last year, so early registration is recommended. Typically, the cost of this workshop is $499 per person, but it is being offered at New England Tech for $295. For the class curriculum and registration information, visit cti.neit.edu/pixarmasterclass. Questions may be directed to Cheryl Booker, training coordinator at NEIT, at 780-4345 or cbooker@neit.edu.