INTERNATIONAL festival of animation and computer games, Animex, will feature speakers who have worked on Disney’s Frozen and fantasy series Game of Thrones.

The five-day event, the largest of its kind in the UK, returns to Teesside University in Middlesbrough from February 10 to 14.

Featuring a unique mix of talks, masterclasses, workshops, film screenings and exhibitions, the event will include Animex Comics for its second year.

Highlights include screenings of the Oscar nominated ‘Feral’ by Daniel Sousa and ‘Subconscious Password’ in the festival’s International Shorts Programme as well as a talk by Dan Lund, effects animator at Disney who will speak about his work on the Christmas smash-hit film, Frozen.

It also includes homegrown talent including James Burr who graduated with a first class honours in computer animation and secured a job as a Previsualisation Artist at The Third Floor where he has worked on high profile films, adverts and television series over the past 18 months including Edge of Tomorrow and Game of Thrones - series four.

Festival organiser, Gabrielle Kent, said: “This year’s guest speakers have a wealth of experience between them, having worked for the likes BAFTA, Marvel, Ubisoft and Dreamworks.

“Animex is a fantastic opportunity for us to celebrate our love of gaming and animation with colleagues and friends from across the globe.

“Each year we try and better ourselves and this year is no different. We have an amazing line up of talented speakers and we will also be welcoming Animex Comics for its second year," she added.

Other speakers include Georg (CORR) Baker from Hotsauce International who has worked for Lionhead Studios on BAFTA award-winning games including Black & White, The Movies, and Fable 1, 2, and 3 before joining the independent games company founded by television presenter Jonathan Ross.

Festival goers will also be able to listen to industry heavy-weight, Max Howard who created and ran studios for Disney in London, Paris, Orlando and Los Angeles working on iconic films including ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ and ‘The Lion King’.

To view the festival programme and book tickets visit www.animex.tees.ac.uk