Author: Bob Feb 21, 2024 14 min read
Dear friends, can you guess the thing that is loved by both adults and kids? We believe you can say it aloud: Animation!
Indeed, if we look back at the first animated film Fantasmagorie that was created by French cartoonist and animator Émile Cohl in 1908, we would be surprised how he made it shine by drawing on an illuminated glass plate. It was a glorious time and the rise of animation production, and the Cohl was named “the father of the animation industry“. So what is animation and who are the best animation studios in the world right now?
Animation is a captivating art form that brings characters and stories to life through the magic of moving images.
Animated films have become a beloved form of entertainment, captivating viewers with their colorful visuals, engaging storytelling, and memorable characters like Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Sponge Bob, Casper, and of course, Woody Woodpecker! But before the audience comes to enjoy the splash of comedy and action, there are talented individuals and dedicated teams working under animation production.
Animation studios are responsible for creating animated films and videos, television shows, and other forms of animated content. For instance, one of the best animation companies in the industry is Paramount Animation, known for producing diverse animated films, ranging from heart-warming family adventures to action-packed blockbusters like My Little Pony and G.I. Joe.
Although animation production takes its roots from traditional means of cartoon craftsmanship, new technologies and techniques are constantly introduced to create more visually stunning works: 3D modeling, rigging, rendering, new motion effects, abstract animation, and more.
Currently, animated movies are divided into six types:
Below we will give an overview of the best animation studios in the world based on 2024 ratings and remind you of their stunning animated movies and cartoons!
How Pixar studio was brought to life?
Steve Jobs made his way in the animation industry by bringing Pixar alive. After Steve left Apple, he bought Pixar and invested $5 million to make it truly shine. He called the best animators, Lasseter and Ed Catmull, who are geniuses in technical expertise, to work with him. And that’s where the story of a beloved animation studio begins.
Pixar is proving its potential by incorporating ground-breaking 3D technical expertise and powerful visual effects.
Top best known animated films include:
What is the most popular animation studio known for its traditional animations? It’s our beloved Walt Disney Studio!
Walt Disney Animation Studios is one of the most iconic and influential animation studios in the world. Founded by Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney in 1923, the company keeps us amazed by its classic films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and modern hits like Frozen and Moana.
One of the greatest animated films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios is The Lion King. This movie is known for its stunning animation style, memorable characters, and powerful themes of family and friendship.
In recent years, Disney Animation has continued to produce top-quality animated films that resonate with audiences of all ages. One such film is Frozen, with the first part released in 2013. The hallmark of Walt Disney Studios’ animation features is its use of music and song to enhance the storytelling experience.
Despite the advancements in technology that have led to the rise of computer-generated animation, Walt Disney Studios has remained committed to its traditional animation techniques. The studio continues to produce hand-drawn animated films alongside its CGI offerings.
Paramount Animation is a division of Paramount Global and was established in 2011. The studio’s first best animation is a well-known The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water following the box office success of $325.2 million.
One of the standout features of Paramount Animation is its commitment to storytelling. The studio’s films are known for their deep emotional resonance and complex characters that audiences can easily connect with.
Wonder Park (2019) is a shining example of the studio’s commitment to creating memorable and engaging animated films that resonate with audiences.
Films produced by Paramount Animation resulted in a total of $604.1 million at the box office. Its highest-grossing film to date is The SpongeBob. The studio invests heavily in the latest animation software and technical expertise, allowing its animators to create truly spectacular visuals.
What is intriguing, the CEO of Paramount Animation announced in Variety they are going to get rid of the original animation production style and give it a total makeover. What it will be? Already in 2024-2025, we will have a chance to spot a new series of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its spinoffs.
Do you remember Shrek, the green funny guy loved by millions, or a lovely Kung Fu Panda that can knock down the bad guys? These characters were born in the DreamWorks studio that can boast a wide list of competitive works.
DreamWorks Animation Studio was founded by Spielberg, David Geffen, and ex-Disney executive Jefferey Katzenberg. This successful combination of popular animators resulted in Antz (1998). The next big picture released into wide screens was The Prince of Egypt. Although they have started with traditional animation, yet, nowadays their expertise is 2D animation.
Since then, the animation studio produced Madagascar, Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon films, and more vibrant stories.
Its animated production stands out for a very particular storytelling style:
Of course, three Oscars and 41 Emmys prove it is one of the best animation production companies.
The cartoon studio definitely stands out among animation studios for its distinctive style, mainly stop-motion.
Initially, LAIKA was a successor to the Will Vinton Studios, which had some struggles to survive. After Nike, Inc. owner Phil Knight invested in it and hired stop-motion wizard Henry Selick. Since then, its animation production business started to specialize in spooky fantasy animated movies, which is now its signature aesthetic.
The team can brag about the following animated films:
Although the company is relatively new, it has already made an impact on the world of animated stories.
In 2007, one of the best animation studios, Illumination Entertainment, came into the spotlight.
Its founder, Chris Meledandri, left the post of the President of Twentieth Century Fox Animation in pursuit of new opportunities. At Fox, he’d cut his teeth on Robots and Alvin and the Chipmunks, which helped him become one of the most popular animators in the industry.
Thanks to its animation production, now we have beloved Minions, the studio’s mascot with a $1.159 billion box office globally. One of the best animation films Despicable Me 2 got $970.8 million and Despicable Me 3 – $1.034 billion at the box office worldwide. All three are on the list of the 50 highest-grossing films ever.
The animation studio released the ten best animation films during the last ten years – all with resounding success – and was nominated at the Oscars, Golden Globes, and BAFTAs. The style of animation and the studio’s technical expertise win the hearts of kids and the young-at-heart with its nice and family-oriented characters.
Aardman is another stop-motion American animation studio founded in 1972. Yet, what makes it unique among the best animation studios is using Claymation. What is it about?
Claymation is quite time-consuming, requiring several steps to change figures for every next frame. But when all the characters are fully displayed, there’s no doubt it’s worth it. Moreover, most of them, such as Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, The Pirates! Band of Misfits joined the list of the highest-grossing stop-motion movies ever made.
Its stellar film Chicken Run tops all of its animated films!
Finally, Aardman won the hearts of many with his beloved animated characters, and his genius was awarded an unprecedented ten Oscar nominations with four Oscar wins.
On June 15, 1958, brilliant director Hayao Miyazaki teamed up with producer Toshio Suzuki and fellow director Isao Takahata and founded Studio Ghibli.
It was a kind of passion project between buddies. Their achievements in the animation industry are pretty significant – eight of the fifteen highest-grossing animated movies in the country’s history. Their hit films are My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, Princess Mononoke, When Marnie Was There, and so on.
Besides, their first fully CGI short film Boro the Caterpillar made the company one of the famous animation studios not just in Japan, but worldwide.
In May 2020, the owners of the animation studio Sony Pictures Entertainment decided to sell its visual effects subsidiary, Sony Pictures Imageworks. When no one got interested in the purchase, the shift to focus on animation production was inevitable. Therefore, Sony Pictures Animation was born.
Later on, this stunning animation company would perfect its expertise and release character-based stories. The first stellar movie was Open Season in 2006, which turned out to be a box-office hit at the time.
In 2012, the animated film Hotel Transylvania, voiced by Adam Sandler and Selena Gomez, was well-regarded by the public. The recent adventure fantasy film Wish Dragon came out in 2021 and was given a 65% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But viewers can always have their own opinion by watching it on Netflix.
Nickelodeon is the subsidiary of Paramount Global and the one stirring up happy smiles among all Generation Y adults. It started in 1990 and got successful with its amazing programs like The Ren and Stimpy Show, Rugrats, and Doug. It is also known for successful collaborations with the Paramount Animation subsidiary.
Live-action game shows like Legends of the Hidden Temple and Figure It Out were marvelous as well, but a real ‘animation industry breakthrough’ was the animated series Nicktoons which both kids and adults warmly welcomed. Other hit animated films include SpongeBob SquarePants, Invader Zim, and Avatar: The Last Airbender, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.
Hey, Arnold is one of their best animation products on the big screen. The animation studio stays firm as the best in television animation thanks to its high-profile, popular animators and even strives to develop more as the film department.
Warner Bros. is a giant producing company in the animation industry, famous for modern and traditional animations. Its Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies franchises have been around since 1930. It has produced nearly 7,000 movies and about 5,000 TV shows. The company also released 3D animated films like Storks, Lego: The Movie, and Happy Feet.
Warner Bros. depicted such characters as Batman and Superman, Scooby-Doo, and The Flintstones in its animations. It can brag six Academy Awards, 35 Emmys, and 20 Annie Awards.
Additionally, the company is known for its original smear technique in hand-drawn cartoons that later became its signature style.
Initially, a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox, the studio dedicated itself to television advertising and special effects.
After getting solid experience in diverse, character-based projects in 2002, there was a shift toward CGI animation production. The team felt the power to produce their own characters and appeal to little ones with cartoon movies. Therefore, the world saw the Ice Age, whose production budget paid off six times. The following animation movies Robots, Horton Hears a Who, The Peanuts Movie, Ferdinand also resonated with a young demographic and brought success to the company. Up to now their best animation is the Ice Age franchise.
We believe the company will bring us more and more stunning animations, introduce new motion techniques, and eventually, in future become one of the most famous animation companies in the industry.
Animations exist not only for entertainment but also to bring interest and loyalty to brands in the business. Nowadays, animation brands strive to introduce a narrative into the messaging.
So, animated videos depict a problem or pain point that can be solved with the service or product they are featuring. It’s a well-known promotion technique, and the opportunities here are limitless. Thus, it’s crucial to partner up with the right animation studio, with good expertise in the field.
What do you need nowadays? Explainer videos, business presentations, commercials, and tutorials, or maybe crowdfunding ones for your local charity? Whatever your business requires, you can always address it with a group of professionals to bring your ideas to life. Animated videos can inspire in several ways.
Here are a few reasons:
What makes the best animation come alive? We believe that with eye-catching visuals, engaging storytelling, and dynamic animation, animated videos and films are more likely to resonate with audiences and bring a desired business result. Your business presentation enhanced with an animated introduction can attract more investors and potential customers.
The animation industry is constantly evolving, and it’s vital to keep an eye on emerging animation studios that bring fresh perspectives and innovative approaches to cartoon businesses. As we have stepped into 2024, several animation predictions are worth watching closely. What are the most anticipated animated movies to watch and what to expect from animation production shortly?
The 2024 release calendar includes:
According to Business Insider, Disney will amaze its viewers not only with new animated features but with the release of live actions and would strike viewers with the “untitled animation movies” to be aired in 2024. Will it be a new Moana, Luca, or a new untold story?
Finally, we believe these top animation companies will continue to inspire our lives and our working routine, and let us thrive with “old-good” stories!
