I have friends from college in the Computer Animation Field (dh and I each started out there too, but I switched to Copy Writing/ Advertising major and he left school to ride the dotcom boom). I would suggest she attend an art college for a 4 year program or a standard 4 year college with a fine arts major, for serious art study. Most employees at places like Pixar have much more fine arts background then you might expect. A good computer animation program will begin with color theory and basic drawing and progress in the computer side of it by the second year. But as they say you cannot animate on a computer if you cannot animate on a pad of paper. Another thing you will often hear is that they can they teach anyone the program (and that technology changes so often anyways) but they cannot teach the art... which is why the 2 year programs which will leave you technically proficient and able to find some work will not lead to the "big time gigs." A good way to choose a program is to look at the companies your dd admires and find out where they get alot of their young hires. The schools should also be able to show you some portfolio work by graduates, and give lists of graduates hired by companies similiar to where your dd wants to work. California has Pixar and Industrial Lights and Magic and Dreamworks. So she may want to look out here also if she wants to work for the "big names" (better chance of interning for them if she studies out here). Its a ton of hard work, loooong hours and in most cases the pay is not great. I know alot of people who changed directions after only a couple years in the business. Not that I'm trying to talk you guys out of it... just saying. If shes into the technical side of computer animation as in writing the programs they use to create the various new technologies (better representation of water or hair, etc) a standard 4 year computer sci degree would be best.
