‘Coraline’ filmmaker Brad Schiff headlines Tampa Animation Festival coming to downtown in November

Brad Schiff Credit: LAIKAStudios / X Over two million animated frames are headed to Tampa this fall, including some from one of the country’s foremost creators of stop-motion films. Founded at the University of Tampa (now known as UTampa), Tampa Animation Festival has brought talent from around the world to the school since 2018. Festival director and UT professor Gregg Perkins told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that every continent, except Antarctica, will be represented at the 2026 edition happening in November. The Film, Animation and New Media instructor said between 130-150 films are set to screen over four nights at the Charlene Gordon Theater inside the Ferman Center for the Arts. Oscar-nominated University of Tampa alumnus Brad Schiff headlines and will show a trio of Laika Studios films over three nights. Schiff is the head of animation at Laika, which brought “Coraline” and “Paranorman” to animation lovers. He’ll screen “Wildwood,” “Paranorman,” and “Kubo and t