Animator in 2018: Style returns, and the tools get cheap

How long does it take to become a working animator? Typically three to four years of training followed by one to three years on a junior rung — in-between and clean-up work in 2D, blocking passes and background characters in 3D. Being trusted with a shot that carries real acting usually comes five to seven years after starting, and animation directors are normally a decade in.

What is the difference between an animator and an illustrator? An illustrator makes one image work. An animator makes the space between images work, which is a different skill entirely: the drawings are only the evidence of a decision about timing. Many excellent draughtsmen animate badly, and some superb animators draw roughly. Norman McLaren's formulation is that animation is the art of movements that are drawn.

It splits sharply by country. The US occupation median was roughly $99,000 in May 2023 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the UK and France, mid-career animators commonly land between £30,000 and £55,000, or €28,000 and €45,000. In Japan, in-between animators are paid per drawing and often earn under ¥2 million a year.