American Animation Studios
Table of Contents
Are you researching American animation studios because you want to hire one to create a custom animated video?
You’re in the right place! Video Igniter’s guide to American animation studios has answers to all your top questions, including:
- What are some of the top animation studios in America?
- How much does it cost to hire American animation studios?
- How do you make an animation?
- How long does it take for an American animation studio to create a video?
All that and more coming up in this comprehensive guide – including tips to help you save $1,000 or more off the cost of making your custom animation. But first, let’s take a look at examples of the kinds of animations you can get when you hire Video Igniter Animation:
Animation Examples
Video Igniter can make any kind of 2D or 3D animation for you. You can see some of our favorite example videos below. For additional production samples, check out our animation portfolio or request access to our demo reels and price sheet.
Contact us or schedule a call to start making your video.
Are you looking for a different type of animation example? Send us a message to let us know what kind of production example you want to see and we will follow up with some relevant production samples.
How To Work With An American Animation Studio To Create A Custom Animation
Follow these steps to hire and collaborate with an American animation studio that can turn your idea into a custom animated video:
1). Get A Quote
Contact the American animation studios you’re interested in hiring for your animation project and request a production quote and timeline for your video(s). You will want to share information like:
- The length of your animation.
- Who is creating the script and the storyboard for the animation?
- What kind of animation style do you want to use?
- When do you need the animation completed by?
Contact Video Igniter Animation to get a custom quote or schedule a call to discuss your animation project with our production team.
After you agree to a production budget and timeline, contact your preferred American animation studio to let them know you’re ready to begin production. You will receive a production contract to sign and an invoice for the first 50% of your production budget.
2). Script
Now that production is underway, American animation studios typically schedule a call or share a questionnaire to learn more about what you want to communicate in your animation. You will also get some questions about who your target audience is. American animation studios all this information to write the first draft of your animation’s script.
As soon as the first draft is ready, you will receive a digital copy of the script to review with your team. Add your comments to the document and we will take care of integrating your revisions into the script.
3). Storyboard
The next step American animation studios typically take is to turn your script into a storyboard. The storyboard acts like a blueprint for the illustrators and animators. Each page contains a sentence from your script, a sketch of what is shown in the scene, and a list of instructions that explain what kind of motion happens on screen.
You will receive a digital copy of the storyboard to review with your team. Add your comments to the doc and we’ll integrate your revisions until everything is perfect.
4). VoiceOver
American animation studios maintain their own roster of voiceover talent they work with. You will receive several handpicked voiceover auditions from candidates that will lend the proper tone and energy to convey the message in your animation.
Give the auditions a listen and let us know which one is your favorite. We’ll take care of hiring them and licensing their voice for your project. You will get an opportunity to review the full voiceover and request edits, if needed.
5). Soundtrack
You will also receive several soundtrack options to review. Give them a listen and let us know which soundtrack does the best job conveying the energy you want to project to people while they watch your animation. We will take care of acquiring the appropriate license(s) to legally use the music in your animation.
Most American animation studios have dedicated people that work on sound design for videos. After your video is approved, we will add sound effects and our audio engineer will master the volume of the voiceover narration and background music so everything sounds crisp and clear.
6). Illustrations
American animation studios tend to follow the same process when it comes to creating the visual style and illustrations for your custom animation. First, the studio’s art director will review your brand guidelines and any visual style references you shared. Then, the art director will oversee the creation of multiple visual design concepts for your animation.
After you review the concepts, share your honest feedback with the art director. You can collaborate with the art director to refine your preferred visual concept until it looks perfect.
Then, the art director will oversee a team of illustrators to create all of the custom illustrations for your animation. You get an opportunity to review all of the art and request revisions before you approve the art for production.
7). Animation
Now that everything is approved, it’s time to animate your video! As soon as the first draft is ready, you will receive a link to download your animation. Give it a detailed review with your team and share your feedback with us. We’ll integrate your edits and render out the final draft of your animation.
What are some of the top animation studios in America?
- Dreamworks Animation
- Hanna-Barbera
- PIXAR Animation
- Video Igniter Animation
- Walt Disney Animation
How much does it cost to hire American animation studios?
Most of the big name American animation studios charge $250,000 – $1,000,000+ to create each minute of animation. Video Igniter Animation is the cost effective option for smaller companies to create custom animated videos at a fraction of the rate of the big name studios.
Most forms of 2D animation produced by Video Igniter’s production team cost between $1,500-$7,500 to create each minute of animation. Fancier forms of animation like 3D animation and hand drawn animation start at $10,000 to create each minute of video.
Get A Custom Quote For Your Animation.
How long does it take for an American animation studio to create a video?
Big name American animation studios take years to produce feature-length films. Short animated films still take several months to produce.
By comparison, Video Igniter can help you create short form and long form content in less time. A 60-second animated video project typically takes 4-8 weeks to complete.
Schedule a call to discuss your project with our team.
Rush Delivery Animation is available if you need to speed up the production process to meet your deadline.
Budget Saving Tips For American Animation Studios
Combine these tips to save $1,000 or more off the cost of hiring an American animation studio for your video project:
1). Write The Script
You can save $500 off the cost of each minute of animation we produce for you if you provide the script for your animation. Download our free script writing template to learn how to structure your video’s script.
2). Create The Storyboard
You can save an additional $500 off the cost of each minute of video we produce for you if you turn your script into a storyboard for your animation. Download our storyboard template and review the storyboard creation guide to see how easy it is to create your own storyboard.
3). Record The VoiceOver
Watch 1:31 in this video to learn how to record professional quality voiceovers at home for free. If you supply the voiceover for your animation, we’ll remove voiceover recording and licensing costs from your production budget.
4). Use Free (Legal) Music
Most stock music licenses range between $20-$1,000. If you can find free music that we can legally use in your video, we’ll remove soundtrack licensing costs from your production budget. Check out Incompetech and Facebook’s Sound Collection for free music we can legally use in your animation.
5). Start Production ASAP
Save 10%-50% or more off your production budget by starting production as soon as possible! Rush delivery costs can dramatically increase your production budget if you don’t start production soon enough. Schedule a call or send us a message to start discussing your project with us today so we can help you minimize or avoid adding rush delivery costs to your production budget.
Still have questions about American animation studios?
Do you have a question about American animation studios that wasn’t addressed in this FAQ? Use this form to send us your question and we’ll follow up with an answer. We’ll also post the question and answer to this page so other people can benefit from the knowledge.
What is Video Igniter Animation?
Video Igniter Animation is an online animated video production service. By working with our team online, you can get your custom animated video produced faster and for less than hiring a brick and mortar animation studio.
Watch the demo reel below for examples of the kinds of animation our team can produce for you.
Looking For An American Animation Studio?
Video Igniter is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
American Animation Studio Success Stories & Testimonials
Don’t just take our word for it – these testimonials highlight Video Igniter’s reliability, creativity, flexibility and ability to deliver animations that exceed expectations. When you choose Video Igniter Animation, you can rest assured that you are working with a trusted and reputable studio.
“Video Igniter were very easy to work with and the entire process for creating and suggesting edits was seamless and stress-free. I would work with them again and would recommend to others looking to create a modern and stylish explainer video.”
Clair Simpson – VP Marketing, Repool.com
“I run a video production company and outsource animation. The team at Video Igniter did a great job in taking the concept I very crudely drew out and making it into a beautiful animation. The review process was easy and their turnaround time was very quick. I’d def recommend them if you’re looking for an animation project.”
Pat Henderson – Founder, Path8 Productions
“Video Igniter offered us the critical combination of creative value, clear communication, and patience with stakeholder feedback. We ended up with truly high-quality design assets for our video series largely due to the extra level of commitment — and the right balance of efficiencies with flexibility in the process when called for.”
Larry Schlessinger – Sr. Creative Program Manager, Amazon Web Services
“Video Igniter came to us with a number of creative and engaging ideas and were able to create an exciting, impactful video in a short period of time. And the best part was that it cost much less than other options of similar quality. The video they made is a great marketing tool for us.”
Alex Raymond – Founder, Kapta Systems
Get in touch!
Schedule a call to discuss your animated video project.
Get a quote for us to create your animated video.
Request access to our newest price sheet.
Create your Video Igniter account, fill out a creative brief for your video and we’ll begin production as soon as we receive your production deposit.
