Facing the Turbulence in the Animation Industry

My love letter to the animation people facing an industry in crisis

The animation industry has experienced a lot of turbulence in the past few years. Studios have laid off many, if not most, of their crew in order to survive the 40,000 foot drop in the entertainment sector. Maybe this happened to you.

But, let’s be realistic — this isn’t the first time the animation industry has faced an upheaval.

When I graduated from film school in the late 80s, the animation industry was near rock bottom. People tried to steer me away from moving to LA. “Animation is dead,” they said. I ignored them.

Their concerns were valid. The industry was in bad shape. It was greatly contracted and stagnant. There was no “future” in animation. What little work was being done was out-sourced to Korea and the Philippines.

With a pocket of $4000 of folding money and a head filled with blind faith, I packed my drawing table in the back of my blue 1970 rusted-out Chevy Stationwagon (the bat-mobile) and drove to LA.

I was 23. I had a degree in film and television production. I was a self-taught artist and animator (meaning I was untaught). No experience. When the money ran out, I’d return to my origins and take a “normal” job.

My first interview was a courtesy interview at a small studio that was completely empty.

My second interview was a courtesy interview at Hanna Barbera. An old animator measured me up and informed me that my lack of skills gave me little chance of making a successful career in animation.

My third interview was at a small working studio. The interview went so badly, I decided I wouldn’t wait around for their call on Friday (a day before cell phones). Instead, I went to Catalina Island on a friend’s boat.

My first two weeks in LA were a disastrous start to my animation career.

After learning I was a land-lubber, I staggered home to find a message from the studio, “If you can start Monday, you have a job.”

A year later, the animation industry steamed back to life and ushered in a new golden age of animation.

Animation had its ups and downs these past 30 years. I’ve managed to stay consistently employed for all but 2 — and those 2 years were hard, I won’t deny it. In hindsight, I should have walked away and found a steady job until work returned.

But I was in the middle of directing a feature that I wrote, so I was committed and couldn’t let it die. The funding wasn’t there and I couldn’t find freelance work to provide an income. Life and animation can deal very difficult storms. Sometimes, you need to weather the storm. Sometimes you need to walk away.

We must accept the hard reality that ours is a specialized industry that is both volatile and has a high cost of expression. There’s a reason production houses and indie filmmakers produce more live-action content than animation. Animation has a higher price tag and is far more labor intensive.

That’s one thing that makes animation special. It’s the hardest of art forms, yet it’s also the greatest. The creative possibilities of animation are only limited by our imagination.

Let’s not forget that audiences love animated films. Of the 50 highest grossing movies of all time, 11 are fully animated. If we add the 33 heavy VFX films that require animation teams, that means 44 of the 50 highest grossing films of all time were brought to us by animators.

Take heart in this truth: animators are not in the margins of Hollywood. We are essential. We are everywhere. Our skills allow us to work on the biggest movies. And even if most of us don’t work in the blockbuster arena, we belong to a small, very special community of the most talented, creative artists in the world.

Oh, and one more thing. The technological advancements we see happening are only working in our favor. They give us greater creative reach than anyone else. The future does not belong to the filmmaker—it belongs to the animator.

Is the industry hard? In terms of skill set, it’s one of the hardest. Is it volatile? Of course it is. So are many other fields, including fields that used to be stable. I fought to have a career that allows me to draw, paint, design, create, and tell stories.

Certainly, we need better working conditions. We should be fairly compensated for the value we bring. This is true for many other industries, and just like them, we can fight for what we need if we stand together.

Let’s not allow the woes of the industry to sour the love that drew us into the arms of animation. Let us not lose the wonder that was once ours.

I thank God for giving us the persistence of vision that makes our art form possible. It’s a privilege and a joy to bring characters to life in this glorious craft of animation.

For with our magical skill, we make people laugh, move an audience to tears, and enchant children with wondrous memories one frame at a time.

Whether this is the time you walk away from the industry, or you stay and slug it out, I count you as treasured brothers and sisters in this marvelous craft. Our shared love and commitment to our art form gives us a unique bond with each other that we share with no one else.

If you’re an animator, check out 101 Days of Animation, 20 weeks of daily conversational insights, advice, and stories about animation.