Collaborative Animation is a reconsideration of animation as a collective practice with roots in the craft and participatory art world and has applications in both art-making and design facilitation. Even though technological advancements have made animation a more prevalent skill, there is a disconnect between early educational opportunities and possible uses for animation outside of a pre-professional track. How can animation be reimagined as a novel, collaborative approach to participatory visioning, art-making, and problem-solving? 

This research question is tested through an analysis of antecedents, placing collaborative animation in a lineage of experimental animation, craftwork, and collaborative design frameworks. Through hands-on demonstrations of collaborative animation methodologies designed for workshops and speculative projects, this research shows possible applications of a collaborative animation approach within spontaneous communities and facilitated design spaces. In doing so, this thesis illustrates how animation can be used as a tool for design facilitators to represent and capture information in dynamic, persuasive ways that extend beyond purely verbal or analytical methods.