How much does a Top Animator make in a year?

Answer 1

Hey Sal C.,

Does not look like too much. I would guess you could double what the norm is shown in the web site below, if you were exceptional, and if you were 1 in a 1000, you might be able to get a little more.

Answer 2

The median expected salary for a typical Animator in the United States is $56,485. You can find this information at salary.com, or hotjobs.com. Also check the Animation Guild. The absolute best can make up to $200,000/year, according to this article from US News:

"Toons created on computers are attracting the biggest audiences these days as parents and kids flock to flicks like Pixar's Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc. "There's no question the majority of major animated feature films will be 3-D in the immediate future," says animation industry recruiter Pamela Kleibrink Thompson. The same skills can also be used for video-game design as well as special-effects creation for film and TV. Gollum from The Lord of the Rings was, after all, nothing more than a photo-realistic cartoon.

Training: Being real good at doodling with the MacPaint feature on your iMac isn't going to cut it. Plan on taking formal courses in computer graphics as well as traditional animation. Pixar's Web site recommends looking "for a school that has not substituted electronic arts for traditional." (The site also lists some three dozen schools that computer artists might want to consider.) Being a digital animator isn't just about knowing softwar like Pixar's famous RenderMan technology. "You need the tech skills," says Colleen Macklin, chair of the design and technology department at the Parsons School of Design in Manhattan. "But you also need an understanding of animation's core principles of motion and narrative and how to act through a character."

Pay: Salary depends on a host of outside factors in addition to the animator's training and experience. There are different pay scales for television and movies, for instance. Geography is also a factor, as is the availability of animators in a particular area, notes Thompson. According to a 2003 salary survey conducted by the Animation Guild, salaries for computer animators ranged from a minimum of $1,342 a week for a journeyman (one year's experience) to a maximum of $4,615 a week. The median salary in 2003 was $2,000 a week vs. $1,882 a week in 2001.

Other options: If you think American Idol is your path to stardom, but you have zippo showbiz talent, try shooting for a behind-the-scenes gig in the entertainment industry. "More often than not, the hot-ticket job in our corner of the world is the experienced executive assistant," says Jim Kocher of Showbizjobs.com. These are not entry-level, fetch-coffee types of positions, says Kocher. "These are jobs for true, top-of-their-game professionals who have the skills and abilities to organize, troubleshoot, and run the office of a high-level executive." Look for a salary in the mid-40s. Plus, you just might get discovered!

OUT
Traditional cartoonists who work with pen and paper. The hand-drawn method of animation has created such Walt Disney classics as Snow White and Fantasia as well as more recent hits such as Mulan and Lilo & Stitch. But in January, the House of Mouse said it was closing its Orlando-based 2-D animation studio, laying off some 230 workers." -James M. Pethokoukis

Answer 3

To add to the wonderful posts up there; It also depends which industry you work in, 2D, 3D, TV, Features, Post Prod, Advertisment, Short movies, etc.

Answer 4

3D Animation Software Program - http://3dAnimationCartoons.com/?kAtX

Answer 5

They make a lot of money cuz the characters can be on clothes or any thing else.Like $10,000

Answer 6

i guess 1m dollars per game or cartoon especially a movie

thats in SPAIN dude not america

Answer 7

check
http://www.salary.com