Top 10 Animation Studios
In the past, whether it’s hand-drawn masterpieces or CGI movies, the art of animation has fascinated us with its fascinating world of characters and stories for nearly a century.
Studios around the world are constantly looking for the best animators to create big projects.
To give aspiring animators an idea of the best places to work, we’ve put together a list of the best animation companies around the world below.
1. Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios
Headquarters : Emeryville, California
Pixar was co-founded by Apple pioneer Steve Jobs and was purchased by The Walt Disney Company in 2006 for more than $7 billion.
Entering the film industry with Toy Story, American studios have produced some of the most financially successful films. These include:
● Toy Story Movie
● Wally
● Brave
● Ratatouille
● Inside Out
2. Walt Disney Animation Studio
walt disney animation studio
Headquarters : Burbank, CA
Disney’s acclaimed studio has been producing feature-length animation since 1937, with the successful release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Since then, they have been one of the highest-grossing animation companies in history, including The Lion King and Aladdin.
The studio has stagnated in the last decade, but is stronger than ever with hits such as:
● Frozen
● Wreck-It Ralph
● Big Hero
3 . DreamWorks Animation
Headquarters : Glendale, CA
The DreamWorks animated film has been distributed worldwide, winning 22 Emmys, multiple Annie Awards, 3 Academy Awards and numerous BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations.
They own the following major works:
● Shrek
● How to Train Your Dragon
● Madagascar
● Kung Fu Panda
4 . Lndustrial Light & Magic (ILM)
Industrial Light & Magic Animation Studio
Headquarters : San Francisco, California
ILM has worked on hundreds of projects, including numerous hits. They were the first to represent human skin, and they are the protagonists of the partial computer generation and pioneers of innovative computer technologies such as realistic hair and fur.
Notable projects include all Star Wars films, the first Terminator film, all films including the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Avatar and Jurassic World.
5 . Studio Ghibli
Headquarters : Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
It may not be the best in the world, but it’s probably one of the best animation film studios in Japan. Eight of the 15 best animated films made in Japan are theirs.
Among the numerous awards are Japan Academy Awards of the Year, Animation Animation Grand Prix, numerous Academy Award nominations in the United States, and Best Animated Feature Film.
6. Frame Store
frame store animation studio
Headquarters : London, UK
Founded in 1986, Framestore has helped create some of the most successful films in recent times.
These include the Galaxy Guardian, Harry Potter movies and Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2009 Avatar scenes and more.
The British company has also won several Oscars and BAFTA awards for their projects in recent years.
7. Cartoon Network Studio
Headquarters : Burbank, CA
Since 1994, the animation studio has become one of the most successful studios in the industry.
Early hits such as Dexter’s Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, The Powerpuff Girls, and Samurai Jack became famous in the United States. Popular series right now include Adventure Time, Regular Show, Clarence, Uncle Grandpa, We Bare Bears, and Steven Universe.
8. Blue Dky Studio
Headquarters : Greenwich, Connecticut
Blue Sky Studios was founded in 1987 and has been owned by 20th Century Fox since 1997. Between 2002 and 2014, the Ice Age series, Rio and Rio2 and Hortons, educational toys and Dr. Released the most successful animated films, including Seuss.
9. Weta Digital
Headquarters: Wellington, New Zealand
Weta Digital is one of many companies co-owned by legendary director Peter Jackson and has won five Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects.
The New Zealand digital visual effects company is among some of the biggest films of the last decade, including The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogy, King Kong in 2005, Avatar and more.
10. Nickelodeon Animation Studios
Headquarters: Burbank, CA
Nickelodeon was founded in 1990 and started out with popular original shows such as Rugrats, Doug and The Ren & Stimpy Show.
The American studio has produced an incredible number of shows such as Hey Arnold!, Invader Zim, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, two avatar series, and SpongeBob SquarePants.