Published: April 4, 2025 | Last Updated: April 11, 2025
ANIMATOR DEFINITION & MEANING
An animator creates motion by sequencing individual frames that bring characters, objects, or environments to life. This work spans traditional 2D drawings, 3D computer-generated characters, and stop-motion puppets, and plays a central role in film, TV, video games, and interactive media.
Animator job description
Animators are visual performers. They control timing, expression, and physical movement through frame-by-frame work. Depending on the project and pipeline, their tasks may involve:
- Acting out scenes for reference
- Blocking rough poses for a character’s key moments
- Creating inbetweens to smooth out motion
- Polishing curves in a timeline editor (in 3D workflows)
- Responding to notes on emotion, physics, or pacing
Whether they work in hand-drawn, digital 2D, 3D, or stop-motion, animators shape the rhythm and feel of each moment. Their job isn’t just to make something move—it’s to make it feel alive and intentional. That means understanding timing, gesture, silhouette, and spacing—not just software fluency.
Here’s what I’m talking about (the basic 12 principles of animation):
Types of animators
There are many types of animators. Here’s a breakdown of the most common:
2D Animator
2D animators create frame-by-frame animation in a flat, two-dimensional space. They may use traditional hand drawing (TVPaint) or vector software (Adobe Animate or After Effects). 2D animation is still widely used in anime, indie film, and mobile content.
2D animation is not just for TV series like Peppa the Pig or Spongebob Squarepants, or feature anime films like Akira or Disney cartoons. It is also used in explainer videos and motion graphics – fx in marketing, branding, or informational content.
Much of my work includes explainer videos and motion graphics for companies and the public sector in Denmark. I’ve created a hand-drawn style, drawing the vector characters in Adobe Illustrator and animating them in Adobe After Effects:
3D Animator
3D animators work with rigged models in 3D software (like Maya, Blender, or Unreal Engine) or proprietary software (Pixar, for example, has developed its own software).
They pose digital skeletons, sculpt timing, and refine motion curves. This is standard in VFX, AAA games, and most feature animation today.
Unless you’re working for a big studio and want to start with 3D animation, I recommend trying out Blender and Unreal Engine (both great free animation tools), which have everything you need. I use both in my short film Echoes of Love.
Stop Motion Animator
Stop-motion animators use real puppets, silicone, and clay figures that are adjusted between frames and photographed. This requires physical accuracy, lighting control, and a strong sense of timing, as seen in work from studios like Laika and Aardman.
But like 2D and 3D animation, stop-motion isn’t reserved for big studios creating short films or features. You can scale it down and create stop-motion ads for brands – a classic is using coffee beans (which you can use for ads for coffee brands). Similar to this:
It doesn’t take much to get started. You’re good to go if you have a smartphone, a small video light (for consistent lighting), and some coffee/cocoa beans, candy, flowers, Lego, or modeling wax.
Character Animator
A character animator focuses on expressive motion—facial performance, body language, and personality. They may work in 2D, 3D, or stop-motion. Their job is to “act” through design, timing, and emotion.
Here’s an insightful video with Instructor and Pro Character Animator Scott McWhinnie, in which you can learn more about the job of a character animator.
Sure! Here’s a clean 500-word version of the animation-related roles you asked for — no links, no extras, just the essentials:
Animation Roles Beyond the Basics
Those were the basics. Now let’s look at some more specialized roles animators take.
Animation Director
Leads the animation team and ensures a consistent visual style and performance throughout a project. They guide animators, oversee timing and emotion in motion, and work closely with the film or episode director. Common at large studios like Disney or DreamWorks.
Storyboard Artist
Visualizes the script as drawn panels that map out each shot. Their work is the blueprint for camera angles, shot progression, and basic action. Used heavily in both TV and feature animation at places like Cartoon Network or Pixar.
Character Designer
Creates the visual look and personality of characters. Their drawings are used as references for modeling or animating. This role shapes how characters read on screen and is key in pre-production.
Layout Artist
Establishes camera framing and staging of each shot, working from the storyboards. They set up environments, character placement, and rough animation timing. Common in both 2D and 3D pipelines at studios like Pixar or Blue Sky.
3D Modeler / Texture Artist
Modelers build the digital shapes of characters, props, and sets. Texture artists then paint the surfaces to give them material and color. These roles are foundational in CGI films like those from DreamWorks or Illumination.
Rigger (Rigging Artist)
Builds the internal skeletons of 3D characters so they can move. They create controllers for limbs, facial expressions, and more. Without rigging, animators couldn’t pose anything. Found in every 3D studio.
Lighting Artist
They handle how each shot is lit to create mood, time of day, and depth. They use digital lights to shape the final look. Think of them like cinematographers for CGI. They are common at Pixar, ILM, and Weta Digital.
Effects Animator (FX Artist or FX TD)
Animates elements like smoke, fire, rain, magic, or explosions. Often uses simulation tools to create these natural or fantasy phenomena. A key role at VFX-heavy studios and high-end animation houses.
Compositor
Combines all the elements of a scene — characters, backgrounds, effects — into a polished final shot. They match color, lighting, and depth so it all feels cohesive. Compositors work at the final stage before rendering.
Animation Technical Director (TD)
Solves technical challenges in the pipeline. They build tools, write scripts, or debug animation problems to support the creative team. They help keep everything running smoothly, especially on complex projects.
Previs Artist
Build rough mockups of scenes and animatics (not just for animated movies but also live-action films) before production starts. Block out camera movement and timing to test scenes early, which saves time later in big-budget projects, especially action-heavy ones.
Clean-up Artist / Inbetweener
Clean-up artists finalize rough 2D animation drawings. Inbetweeners draw the frames between key poses to smooth the motion. These roles were huge in traditional hand-drawn animation and are still used in stylized productions.
Motion Capture Specialist
Capture real actor performances using mocap suits and rigs, then clean and apply the motion data to 3D characters. This is essential for realistic movement in VFX and game projects.
Gameplay Animator
Creates animations for player-controlled and AI characters in games. They handle movement cycles, attacks, transitions — anything interactive. They blend animation and systems design at studios like Naughty Dog or Blizzard.
Stop-Motion Puppet Fabricator
Builds and maintains the puppets used in stop-motion films. They ensure joints work, faces are swappable, and materials hold up during filming. This role is core to studios like Laika and Aardman.
What animation looks like in production
Animators usually join a project once the storyboard and layout phases are locked. Here’s a simplified version of their workflow:
1. Blocking
Animators set a shot’s primary poses (keyframes), defining a movement’s start, middle, and end. These are often held long enough to check rhythm and emotion before refining.
2. Splining / Inbetweens
In 3D, this means smoothing the motion between keyframes. In 2D, it means drawing the in-between frames by hand (tweening). This is where fluid motion and weight are developed.
3. Polish
Final passes adjust timing, arcs, overshoot, follow-through, and subtle gestures. This is where an animator’s real skill shows up—how they shape realism or exaggeration into performance.
Other animation tasks
Depending on the pipeline, an animator may also:
- Storyboard: Visualize sequences early on
- Rig: Build skeletons for characters (especially in 3D)
- Composite: Assemble multiple rendered layers
- Light: Direct mood and shadow placement in CG scenes
- Retime: Adjust pacing post-animation to fit dialogue, emotion, or music cues
How to become an animator
Most animators train in art, design, or computer graphics—often through specialized degrees or online programs. But what matters more is the reel. You need a portfolio showing movement with weight, emotion, and clarity.
Beginner animators often start as clean-up artists, storyboard assistants, or background painters and then move into junior animation roles.
Specialization is common in large studios. In indie or freelance work, generalists are often expected to do a little of everything.
Summing up
Animators don’t just make things move—they shape how characters feel and behave. Their work starts with acting and ends with timing. Whether on paper, in 3D, or using puppets, animators are responsible for the illusion of life, one frame at a time.
Read Next: How to Create A Motion Graphics Template in Adobe After Effects
