Animation Cost
We are not Disney, Pixar, or any other animation creation giant. Fortunately for you and your business, we don’t create animations just to entertain viewers.
The main purpose of our 2D animations is to help our clients achieve their business goals. Whether it’s to acquire more leads, educate employees, or to help salespeople.
This means that the focus is on identifying the target audience correctly and creating a message that will convince them. Aesthetics and entertainment value are important, but they come second.
If we were Pixar, then our animations would cost $100k+. Instead, our animations usually cost $2,5-8k.
Why such a price range?
The price depends on many elements and components, so it is difficult to prepare a single price list for 2D animation.
However, we know that price is quite an important factor in choosing a studio. That’s why we explain below what we are guided by when preparing pricing for you.
We provide sample pricing at the end of the page.
What does the cost of 2D animation depend on?
#1 Animation length
This is probably the most obvious point on the list.
You will pay less for a 30-second animation than for a 7-minute one.
The longer the animation, the more pages of script and graphics and more work it requires. So the price is higher.
Shorter animation will be cheaper
Longer animation will be more expensive
#2 Animation complexity
A large studio takes several years to produce a full-length animation.
Hundreds of people work on it!
For example, as many as 63 animators were engaged to work on Pixar’s “Luca” production! Additionally, there are other stages of creation, including script, storyboard, etc.
In case of animations for companies, this process is greatly simplified. Still, the complexity of business animations may differ.
Therefore, to determine the cost, the studio needs to talk to the client first and determine how complex the animation will be. It will ask questions like:
- What style does the company prefer?
- How much will be happening on the screen?
- Will the characters move? To what extent? How many will there be?
We realize that it may be difficult for the client to answer some of these questions. That’s why we ask to send us the animations the client likes and in which style they would like the animation. Then, we estimate how much a similar production would cost.
#3 Number of animations
When a studio creates several 2D animations, it catches up on the tone, style, and overall idea with the first one. As a result, it creates subsequent animations faster and more efficiently.
Therefore, more animations in an order equals lower unit animation cost.
Here’s one video from a series of animations we prepared for Suntech:
Jedna z serii animacji, które przygotowaliśmy dla firmy Suntech
#4 Animation deadline
When the animation deadline is pressing and the studio has less time to prepare the video, it usually means putting other projects aside and having the team work weekends or nights.
This is an additional cost for the studio.
Typically, work on a 2D animation takes about 4-7 weeks. So, if we know we’ll need animation for a specific day (e.g., to be displayed at an event), it’s a good idea to contact the studio earlier. This way it will cost less than when we must outsource the task at the last minute.
The animation production process is difficult to speed up, so the deadline affects the price of the animation.
Proces produkcji animacji trudno przyspieszyć, dlatego deadline wpływa na cenę animacji.
#5 Animation style
There are different types and styles of animation. In our studio, we create whiteboard animation (hand-drawn animation), digital whiteboard animation and vector animation (both are computer animations, but digital animation is made to look like it is being drawn by hand).
Why does the type of animation cause the price to vary?
It’s a matter of the amount of work that needs to be put into its preparation. That’s why a 1-minute whiteboard animation costs about $2,5k, while computer animation costs about $0,5-1k more.
Whiteboard animation
Digital whiteboard animation
Vector animation
#6 Occupancy of the studio
When we have a very large number of orders (usually in the fourth quarter) we have to work on additional animations in the evenings and weekends.
Especially when a particular illustrator is already heavily occupied, but the company prefers that person’s particular style.
Therefore, the occupancy of the studio affects the cost.
It is better to order animations in advance, so the studio can start working on it earlier, and the client receives better prices.
2D animation cost – sample pricing
The following animation prices are intended to give you a general idea of the size of the budget you should reserve for working with our studio.
Prices may vary depending on the points described above.
Animation cost – summary
Just as we wouldn’t hire an intern for an important project over an experienced employee, it’s also worth betting on a good studio to do an important animation for your company, especially since animation usually stays with the company for years.
Sometimes an animation done at cost can become more expensive in the end than a well-made and thought-out animation at a proven studio.
You can see if producing an animation will pay off for you by using our ROI calculator included in this article.
If you want to know how much your animation would cost, feel free to contact us: