Which Country Has The Most Animation Studios?

UK Animation is thriving

Which Country has the most animation studios? The answer, of course, is the USA, with over 6,000 animation studios, of which around 1,100 have employees (ie not just a sole freelancer working alone).  

You might be surprised however, to learn that the number two spot is taken - not by India, Japan or China - but by...

Pantomime Animation Demo Reel

Above is a collection of some of the best pantomime animation shots completed by students at Animation Apprentice.  Pantomime animation is the art of performance without dialogue, in the tradition of the old silent movie stars such as Chaplin or Keaton - or a modern incarnation such as Mr Bean. Good pantomime animation communicates to the audience what the character is thinking and feeling - without dialogue. 

Weight and Balance Animation Reel

One of the hardest skills for animators to learn is the simulation of weight. Animation that feels floaty or lacks weight is a big red flag for anyone looking at a new demo reel.  Pixels have no intrinsic weight so, to make our animation feel heavy, we have to simulate weight. To see some of the best animation tackling the problem of weight and balance by our students at Animation Apprentice, watch the short demo reel above.  The reel was edited by Miguel Teixeira. Music by CreatorMix.com.

Autumn Class Starts 2nd September 2024

Our Autumn/Fall Animation Class begins on Monday 2nd September 2024.

It's not too late to book a place; all you need to do is visit the main Animation Apprentice site and go through a few simple steps.

If you want to learn 3D animation to a professional level, and start your new career as an animator - your journey starts here.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit "Eye Lines" Memo

Eye Direction Matters

In the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit one of the biggest problems was getting Roger (and the other cartoon characters) to look directly at Bob Hoskins and the other live action actors. Without clear believable eye direction, the characters didn't seem to be looking at each other, and the illusion failed.

You can see the memo on the left from animation director Richard Williams to the animation crew, reinforcing the importance of eye direction in sustaining the illusion that live action and animation were occupying the same visual space.

Since Who Framed Roger Rabbit I've worked on dozens of animated films.  On every film it was important that the characters look at each other, and that the audience believes that the characters are looking at each other.