From a childhood passion sparked by a Cartoon Network drawing competition to building his own animation channel on YouTube, Anathi Myoyo has always been driven by creativity and storytelling. Now an Animation student at SAE Institute South Africa’s Johannesburg campus, Anathi is honing his craft, learning from dedicated lecturers and thriving in a community where friendly competition pushes everyone to reach new heights. His journey is one of passion, persistence and a desire to bring uniquely South African stories to life on the global stage.
Tell us about yourself – where are you from and what got you into animation?
I’m Anathi Myoyo, and I’m a born Xhosa from East London in the Eastern Cape. My animation and art journey began in Grade 5 when I saw Cartoon Network hosting a drawing competition back in 2015. Although I didn’t win, I started to fall in love with the art of drawing and creating animations. I even downloaded a free stickman animation software to get myself started.
What do you love most about studying at SAE?
What I love most about studying at SAE is of course the friends I made during my time studying here and the lecturers who do whatever it takes to bring up our skill levels in the animation medium. The lecturers here know just how to bring out the competitive energy of the Johannesburg campus.
What’s been your favourite project or animation so far?
My favourite project has got to be my YouTube channel, ToonFlixZ. ToonFlixZ is in essence a YouTube channel that journals my thoughts, ideas and interests, accompanied with funny animations: similar to other YouTube animators such as Domics, Jaiden Animations and Tabbes. The main objective with this project is not to go viral, but just to have a piece of myself out there for anyone to view (like an art installation). I also wanted to showcase the animation skills I’ve developed at SAE.
What’s your favourite software to create with?
My favourite software to animate in is Adobe Animate; I’ve been using it since Grade 8 to create my small animation and drawing projects in the past and it’s been doing good for me (aside from it having crashing problems). The interface is easy to navigate, and there are functions that allow for an easier animation workflow which many other softwares don’t have (such as the Symbol function).
What’s your favourite thing to do on campus?
My favourite thing to do on campus is competing with other animation students, friends and even lecturers to see who could animate better. We do this challenge called Speedbattles, which challenges an animator to see how much they could animate a theme that was given to them within a certain time limit. It is a sure way to make the process of animation intense and competitive.
What are your big dreams in animation?
I have 3 goals actually:
- Is to continue to grow my skill levels and surpass those that I’ve looked up to when it came to animation.
- To be recognised in the animation industry as an unstoppable force when it comes to animation, being considered a powerhouse in any studio I chose to work in. I understand animation is a co-operative effort, but it would sound nice to be known as the “secret weapon”.
- To properly tell South African stories without the rest of the world looking down at our industry. Incorporating South African themes, stories, even references into many big projects that are brought into mainstream media, because we need more South African representation in media.
In terms of studios, Hidden Hand Studios seems like a great studio, as they are also trying to achieve the same goal.
Anathi’s journey at SAE is only the beginning. With dreams of becoming a recognised force in the animation industry and a passion for showcasing South African stories to the world, he is determined to make an impact that goes beyond just creating animations. By blending talent, vision and cultural authenticity, Anathi is paving the way for a new generation of South African animators. We can’t wait to see where his creativity takes him next.
