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Look at the proliferation of Flash on the Internet, and the continued success of The Simpsons if you have any lingering doubts the revolution will not only be televised, it will likely be animated as well. The Red Stick International Animation Festival held at various downtown venues April 20 through 23 is a celebration of not only the art but the science of animation.

Stacey Simmons, of festival host LSU Laboratory for Creative Arts & Technologies, says, “It is a tool that allows us to reach further into ourselves, the science, the story... whatever you’re doing. When you watch a film like Finding Nemo, Gladiator or The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, the director is trying to say more to you than he can with traditional dialogue and action, animation fills the gap.”

Among the many industry heavyweights (Mark Walsh from Pixar, Bob the Builder designer Curtis Jobling, just to name a few) giving lectures about the industry, there will be loads of screenings culminating with “a new program at the LASM Planetarium called Sonic Vision. It’s a collection of psychedelic visions of music by Coldplay, U2 and others all brought together in a stunning film that was put together by Moby,” says Simmons.

The four-day event takes place at the Old State Capitol, the Shaw Center for the Arts, the Louisiana Art & Science Museum. A lecture pass (which includes a ticket to the award show) is $50 ($30 for students). Workshops are $50 per piece and include lunch. Award show tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door—get these early before they sell out. Screenings are free; but participants must register in advance through the Manship Theatre. Links: Redstick Animation Festival.