Animation

The largest group of people working in this field are the animators, who use either computer platforms or low-technology methods such as drawing cels or photographing stop-motion frames. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 29,940 special effects artists and animators were employed in the United States in 2023. About 58 percent of these workers are self-employed, a very high number. The motion picture and video industry employs approximately 12,280; about 4,360 work for software publishers; another 3,910 work in computer systems design; and others work for specialized design services. California is the state with the largest number of wage-earning animators, followed by Washington and New York.

About 2,820 writers are employed in the motion picture and video industry, many of whom work on animated projects all or some of the time. The industry also offers opportunities for production managers, but with so many self-employed animators running their own operations, there are probably fewer opportunities than in more vertically organized industries.

The largest animation market is in North America. Animation production companies and visual effects companies in the United States may focus on 3-D computer animation, 2-D computer animation, traditional animation; Autodesk Maya, Blender, and other Internet technologies; and/or clay animation (a stop-motion technique that uses clay figures). A growing number of U.S. companies also work with motion capture and in game development. Some animation firms offer voice talent for animation. Many of these companies are one-person shops.

Advertising agencies also work with animation. There are also schools that teach animation, ranging from small, specialized career schools to traditional colleges such as Brigham Young University, which has a computer animation program that accepts only 20–25 students annually.

Of those animators who work for large employers, many belong to the Animation Guild, a union that is concentrated in southern California. The largest fractions of its members work at the DreamWorks and Disney studios. Other unions that represent workers in this industry are the Directors Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild. The International Animated Film Association (Association Internationale du Film d'Animation) or ASIFA has affiliated chapters in industry hot spots, mostly for the purposes of hosting film festivals and giving awards.