How Much Do Disney Animators Make?
Patrick Hunter
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What is the salary of a Disney animator? The average Disney animator salary in the United States is $504,556. The average bonus for a Disney animator is $333,333, which represents 66% of their annual pay, and 100% of employees report receiving a bonus annually.
What is the salary of a Disney animator?
Average The annual salary of a 3D animator at The Walt Disney Company in the United States is around $85,000, which is 45 percent more than the national average.
A 29-year-old Disney animator discusses the positive and negative aspects of her profession. The creator and executive producer of “Star vs the Forces of Evil” is Daron Nefcy. YouTube/Disney XD Junior As a child, Daron Nefcy spent a great deal of time in trouble for scribbling all over her textbooks.
- But it “truly paid off,” she tells Business Insider with enthusiasm.
- Nefcy is the creator, executive producer, and animator of the upcoming Disney TV Animation series “Star vs.
- The Forces of Evil,” which will premiere later this month.
- The now 29-year-old, who studied Character Animation at CalArts in Valencia, California, recently spoke with Business Insider about how she entered the field of animation, what it’s like to work at Disney, and her best advise for budding artists.
For the sake of clarity, this interview has been reduced and modified. Business Insider: When and how did you choose to become an animator? Daron Nefcy: I have always like animation. I used to create my own comics in elementary school, and I determined in fourth grade that I wanted to become a cartoonist.
So, all those years of getting in trouble for scribbling on my schoolwork paid off. BI: What sort of training have you received for this position? DN: I’m incredibly fortunate because after attending and graduating from a fantastic animation-focused institution, CalArts, I was immediately hired by an animation firm.
Each year at CalArts, students were required to produce our own student short film, which included writing the script, storyboarding, pitching ideas, designing the characters, creating an animatic, casting the actors, editing, sound mixing, and hand-drawn animation.
- Before “Star,” I had the opportunity to work on some amazing series at three separate animation studios: “MAD” by Warner Brothers, “Robot and Monster” by Nickelodeon, and “Wander Over Yonder” by Disney.
- Being able to work on a number of projects prior to creating my own animated television series was really helpful in teaching me how to manage one.
During the production of the “Star” pilot, I learnt a great deal about the pilot process. When making a pilot, you have a great deal of time to produce that single episode. Once it’s in production, though, things move considerably more quickly. BI: Please elaborate on your latest endeavor, “Star vs the Forces of Evil.” The program is about Star Butterfly, a princess from another realm who comes to Earth as an exchange student.
- On Earth, she resides with the Diaz family, who have a boy named Marco her age.
- She and Marco become close friends and embark on high school and multiverse-spanning adventures, battling monsters along the way.
- Can you describe the animation procedure? DN: It is a lengthy procedure! A interesting part of “Star” is that it is a storyboard-driven program, which means that each episode is graphically planned out by the artists, who create hundreds of drawings every episode illustrating precisely how the characters should be acting and how the setting should look, etc.
The unique aspect of a board-driven performance is that the board artists also write. The “Star” authors provide a two-page blueprint. Once this is authorized, the board artists transform the outline into a full script on paper (or drawings on a computer).
- The board artists must be able to compose dialogue, know the tale, draw, stage, and act, among other skills.
- Essentially, they must be really gifted.
- In the television animation industry, there is almost always a collaborative effort involving the creator, executive producer, art director, backdrop designer, character designer, and board artist — all of whom are animators — to establish a “template” for a show’s design.
This template is then shipped overseas for the completion of technical animation. ‘Star vs the Evil Forces’ Disney XD/STAR What is the most difficult or demanding aspect of becoming an animator? There are many moving parts involved in putting up a spectacle.
- I would say that one of the most difficult aspects of my profession is letting go of things.
- You want the program to be flawless, but this is television, and due to time constraints, you must learn to let things go.
- In addition, storyboard artists have evolved into modern animators as the majority of episodes are now technically animated abroad.
Our storyboard artists often have up to 2,000 drawings for an 11-minute board and must also complete the scripting within a six-week timeframe, making it difficult to fulfill deadlines. What is the most enjoyable aspect of the job? To create an animated television series from scratch requires a large number of inventive persons with great artistic abilities in a variety of roles.
And I get to collaborate with them all! The name Daron Nefcy. DISNEY XD/Craig Sjodin What could be the most surprising aspect of your job? It is challenging to take time off! Those who work in animation and, perhaps, those who work in cinema should read this. The deadlines do not alter, therefore if you cannot be present for a week, you must delegate your duties to someone else.
In many instances, no one can do your work for you. A season of an animated television program takes around one and a half to two and a half years to complete. The majority of animation is not created in the United States. All pre-production work at Disney is handled by a team of board artists, character designers, backdrop painters, prop designers, and editors (about 40 persons in the United States).
The actual animation is then completed overseas. The first season of the animated series “Star” is being produced in Canada and the Philippines. When do people question you most frequently about your job? DN: I’ve reached a stage in my life when the only people I socialize with work in animation and movies.
HOW MUCH MONEY ANIMATION ARTISTS MAKE
When people ask me where I work, I just reply “Disney,” and they always believe it’s at the park. They always exclaim, “Oh, how amusing! I’ve always desired employment at Disneyland!” Rarely will I correct them. Working at Disneyland is a fantastic job! What is it like to work at Disney? Have you always desired to work there? I did enjoy Disney as a child, but I never imagined working here.
It’s cool! I spend most of my time working, although there are some enjoyable activities here, such as art displays and remote-controlled car racing. Disney XD’s “Star vs. The Forces of Evil” What is the most exciting thing you’ve had the chance to undertake in your career? DN: Probably collaborating with the fantastic voice talent.
I was able to collaborate with actors such as Jeffery Tambor, Jenny Slate, and Michael C. Hall! How amazing is that? What is the finest piece of advise you could provide to an aspiring animator or creator? DN: Continue to sketch and create your own flicks and comics! All the tools are now available on the computer, making it so much simpler.
- You simply need your own creativity, a decent concept, and determination.
- Eep producing projects.
- The first ones are seldom fantastic, but if you continue to create new ones, you will gain experience and they will improve.
- What else do you believe the public should know about your profession? Drawing and painting for oneself is enjoyable.
Drawing as a profession is a job. It’s a profession I enjoy, but it’s important to remember that whatever you do for a livelihood is labor. I mention this because many people believe that drawing/writing/creating is always enjoyable and therefore is not actual labor and should not be compensated as such.
- When I initially graduated from high school, a number of individuals said to me, “Draw some characters for my project, it would be nice for your portfolio!” or “Draw this company’s logo for free.
- It will take you no more than five minutes!” False; all artists deserve to be appropriately compensated and acknowledged.
Also, I would want to underline that creating a television program is a collaborative endeavor. You must be collaborative in order for this to succeed. You can develop a short film on your own, but for a TV program, you need a strong crew that believes in you and the project, and everyone must be working hard.
How much do animators at Disney make per week?
Working at home Salary for Walt Disney Animation
Annual Salary | Weekly Pay | |
---|---|---|
Top Earners | $100,000 | $1,923 |
75th Percentile | $74,000 | $1,423 |
Average | $57,697 | $1,109 |
25th Percentile | $31,000 | $596 |