Animation is everywhere today – in movies, TV shows, ads, and websites. It’s one of the most powerful ways to tell stories and explain ideas visually. But creating a great animated video isn’t as simple as it might look. Every project goes through a structured series of steps known as the animation production process. This process covers everything from developing a concept and writing a script to designing characters, adding sound, and finalizing the video. Each stage has a purpose, contributing to a smoother production and a high-quality result.

The animation process can vary based on the style chosen, such as 2D animation, 3D animation, or stop motion, each requiring different skills and tools. No matter the style, though, good planning is always the foundation. Teams take time to understand the project’s goals and target audience, as well as the key movements or moments they want to emphasize. Every stage in the process is interconnected, with each decision impacting the next.

Animations require collaboration among a range of people, including writers, designers, voice actors, and animators, each playing a role to make sure the final product looks and sounds its best. Following this guide will help you understand how all these pieces fit together to bring characters, worlds, and ideas to life on screen.

Understanding the Animation Production Process: What is it?

The animation production process is the framework that guides the creation of any animated video, whether it’s a short advertisement, a feature film, or a social media clip. While the stages can vary depending on the animation style – such as 2D animation, 3D animation, motion graphics, or stop-motion – the core steps often remain the same. This process is divided into three main phases: pre-production, production, and post-production.

Each of these phases involves specific tasks and goals, and moving through them in an organized way helps keep the project on track. At its core, animation production is about collaboration. Artists, writers, directors, and technical experts all contribute to the project’s success, and the production team works together to align every element with the client’s vision.

Understanding each step in the animation process can help not only the production team but also clients who may want a clearer picture of how their ideas are brought to life. By following a step-by-step workflow, everyone involved can focus on what they do best while keeping the entire project organized and efficient. This systematic approach makes it possible to transform initial ideas into captivating visual stories that engage and inspire viewers.

A Brief History of Animation Production

Animation has come a long way since its early days. Before computers and digital tools, creating an animated film was a highly manual process that took countless hours and meticulous planning. The first animations were made using hand-drawn techniques, with artists drawing each frame individually. This style, known as cel animation, involved drawing characters and scenes on transparent sheets called “cels,” which were layered over painted backgrounds and photographed frame by frame. This painstaking method brought early animated characters, like Disney’s Mickey Mouse, to life and captivated audiences around the world.

As technology evolved, new tools emerged, transforming the animation process. The 1990s saw a major shift with the introduction of computer-generated imagery (CGI), which changed the game by allowing animators to create 3D models that could be animated with far more flexibility than traditional methods. CGI opened up new possibilities for complex scenes, realistic textures, and dynamic movement, giving rise to modern animated classics like Toy Story – the first fully 3D-animated feature film.

Today, animation studios can choose from a variety of techniques and styles, including 2D animation, 3D animation, stop motion, and motion graphics. Digital tools allow for greater creativity and efficiency, with animators using software to streamline many aspects of production. However, the essence of animation remains the same: no matter the method, animators still rely on storytelling, character development, and meticulous planning to bring ideas to life on screen.

This rich history has shaped the modern animation production process, giving creators more tools than ever to tell stories in innovative and engaging ways. But while technology has changed the tools and techniques, the basic principles of animation – like timing, movement, and character expression – continue to define this unique art form.

Importance of Planning in the Animation Process

Planning is one of the most critical steps in the animation production process. A well-thought-out plan helps prevent setbacks and keeps the project on track, saving time and resources in the long run. During this stage, the animation team defines the project’s objectives, identifies the target audience, and outlines the main story elements or key movements that will shape the animation.

Planning also includes setting timelines, budgets, and assigning roles, ensuring everyone involved knows their responsibilities. This level of preparation not only provides a clear path for the production team but also helps deliver a final product that aligns with the client’s vision and goals. In short, careful planning sets the foundation for a smooth production and a successful, engaging animation.

Developing the Concept

The concept development stage involves several foundational steps to shape the animation project. Here’s a breakdown of each step:

Research – Getting to Know Your Brand

• • The animation team begins by researching the brand and its product or service.
  • A creative brief with questions about the brand’s values, identity, and target audience is sent to the client.
  • This stage helps the team understand the brand’s core message, ensuring the animation aligns with the client’s vision.

Script – Defining the Concept

• • The scriptwriting phase focuses on defining the animation’s main message and framing it in an engaging way.
  • A clear, concise, and compelling script is crucial to keep the audience’s attention.
  • The script establishes the tone and style, ensuring it resonates with the target audience and reflects the brand’s personality.

Storyboard – Visualizing the Script

• • Storyboarding translates the script into visual scenes, sketching out each moment of the animation.
  • It serves as a roadmap that shows the story’s flow, camera angles, and pacing.
  • Storyboarding allows the team to identify potential issues early and make adjustments, creating a solid visual plan for production.

Design and Pre-Production

Design and pre-production are key to setting up the animation production process, providing a structured approach to ensure quality in the animated video from the very start. Here’s a detailed overview of each step-by-step guide for creating a successful animation:

Art Direction – Deciding the Visual Style

• In the animation production process, art direction is an essential stage where the visual style of the entire project is defined.
• The team begins by creating style frames, which act as sample scenes that establish the visual direction, color palette, and overall aesthetic for the animation.
• These style frames ensure that each frame on screen supports the story, enhances the message, and aligns with the target audience‘s expectations.
• The style and visual direction set during this pre-production stage guide every next stage of the production process to ensure a cohesive final product.
• This process allows the artists to have a clear understanding of the final delivery and provides the client with a visual example of what the animated video will look like, allowing them to request any necessary adjustments early on.

Voice-Over Narration – Choosing the Right Voice

• The voice-over stage is where the team selects the perfect voice to bring the script to life in the animated video.
• During this stage, clients are provided with a roster of talented voice-over artists to choose from, allowing them to pick a voice that best fits the message and tone of the animation.
• The right voice-over artist can enhance the story and elevate the final product, adding depth to characters and helping convey the concept with clarity and emotion.
• Sound effects and music may also be discussed to support the voice-over and help set the tone for the video, with close attention paid to how sound will interact with the visuals in the final stage of post-production.

Illustration – Creating Characters and Backgrounds

• The illustration stage is where character design and backgrounds are created, laying the foundation for animating scenes and bringing life to the animation.
• Artists design characters, worlds, and other essential visuals that will appear in the animated video, focusing on every detail to match the visual style set during art direction.
• Illustrations can be created using either traditional methods or digital tools, allowing clients to choose the animation style that best fits the project.
• These illustrations act as the building blocks for each scene in the animation, setting up the next stage of animating each frame.
• Close attention is given to ensure each scene and character aligns with the storyboards, which were created as part of the initial concept to guide the visual style and key movements of the entire project.

In animation production, each step in design and pre-production is critical for creating a high-quality final product that aligns with the client’s vision. From defining the visual direction with style frames to selecting the perfect voice for narration and crafting characters and backgrounds with precision, these stages set a strong foundation for animating the video and preparing for final delivery.

Production and Post-Production

The animation production process moves into production and post-production phases, where each stage adds layers of motion, sound, and refinement to the animated video. Here’s a step-by-step guide to the process that brings the project closer to final delivery:

Animation – Bringing the Story to Life

• Animation itself is a step in the animation process where the illustrations are brought to life through animating techniques.
• The animation team imports the illustrations created in pre-production and begins rigging them, adding movement and preparing them for key movements that follow the storyboards.
• Using sophisticated software, the artists apply animation styles to make the characters and scenes come alive, transforming the visuals into an engaging animated video that aligns with the visual style set in earlier stages.
• This time-consuming stage requires close attention to each frame to ensure fluid motion and a polished look for the entire project.

Audio Edition – Adding Sound Effects and Music

• Audio edition is the stage in which sound effects, music, and the voice-over are synchronized with the visuals.
• Here, the editing team focuses on achieving high-quality audio by balancing and aligning each sound element, making sure it complements the animation and enhances the story.
• Audio quality is crucial; the right sound effects and music make a significant impact on the final product, adding emotion and depth to the scenes.
• By paying close attention to the sound in this stage, the audio edition team ensures that every detail works harmoniously to create a captivating animated video.

Integration – Putting Everything Together

• Integration is where all the creative digital assets are combined and rendered into a single video file.
• In this stage, the animation production team takes each frame, along with the audio and visual elements, and compiles them for a final delivery that meets the client’s specific needs.
• This process can be customized to ensure the video matches the project’s requirements, achieving the quality and clarity needed for a polished final stage.
• During integration, the final touches are applied, completing the last stage of the animation production process and delivering a high-quality final product ready to be shared with the target audience.

These stages are vital to bringing life to the animation and ensuring that every aspect of the project – from visuals and sound to final touches – contributes to a successful animation production. With each step, the entire project is transformed from concept to a fully realized animated video ready for final delivery.

Types of Animation in Creating an Animated Video

In animation production, selecting the right animation style is crucial, as it impacts the entire production process and helps convey the message effectively to the target audience. Here’s a detailed overview of the various animation styles used to create an engaging animated video:

2D Animation

• 2D animation is one of the most popular animation styles for video marketing due to its simplicity and versatility.
• This style uses flat characters, objects, and backgrounds, which are animated in a two-dimensional space to create motion and tell a story.
• In the production process, 2D illustrations are created and animated to bring the concept to life, providing a cost-effective solution for brands looking to reach their target audience with clear visuals.
• This animation style is ideal for conveying straightforward messages and is often used for explainer videos and other marketing animations.

Motion Graphics

• Motion graphics are a powerful animation style for presenting complex data or concepts in a clear and dynamic way.
• This style is often used to create overlays for live-action videos and can add a professional edge to corporate and educational projects.
• Motion graphics are versatile, blending visuals with text and graphics to support hard data and concepts in an engaging format that captures the target audience’s attention.
• This style works well for companies looking to explain statistics, processes, or technical information in a visually appealing way.

Stop Motion

• Stop motion is an animation style that uses real-world objects, which are photographed frame by frame to give the illusion of movement.
• This process involves placing elements in front of a camera, taking a picture, moving the pieces slightly, and repeating, which makes it a time-consuming but unique method.
• Stop motion creates a charming, handmade feel that can add warmth and authenticity to projects like short films, commercials, and artistic videos.
• This style requires close attention to detail, as every slight adjustment must be captured to achieve the desired visual effect and key movements in the final product.

3D Animation

• 3D animation involves building characters and objects in a three-dimensional digital space using a digital mesh, creating a realistic final product.
• This animation style is popular in promotional video production and is especially effective for industries needing a high level of detail, such as product demonstrations, gaming, and medical animations.
• 3D animation provides depth and realism that helps bring the story to life, making it suitable for projects that require an immersive visual style.
• However, this process is often more complex and time-consuming, requiring specialized software and expertise to achieve high-quality final delivery.

Whiteboard Animation 

• Whiteboard animation mimics the effect of a person drawing illustrations on a whiteboard, making it a simple but effective style for guiding viewers through information.
• This style is often used in educational videos and explainers to break down a process or provide a step-by-step guide that’s easy to follow.
• Whiteboard animation is visually simple yet powerful, allowing the story to unfold clearly without overwhelming the audience with complex visuals.
• It’s a practical choice for conveying ideas or concepts that benefit from a straightforward, instructional approach.

Working with an Animation Studio

Brief and Research

• The foundation of a successful animation project starts with a well-crafted brief that establishes a clear understanding of the project’s objectives.
• The brief should cover key elements, including the main goal, target audience, and information about competitors.
• A thorough research stage follows, where the animation studio analyzes competitors’ strategies and the market, helping to shape the concept and visual style of the animated video.

Script and Storyboard

• A strong script is essential; it should be simple, focused on the main message, and free from overly complex language that might distract from the core message.
• The storyboard offers a detailed overview of the video’s scenes, visually mapping out each scene and action to ensure a smooth animation production process.
• Both the script and storyboard serve as a roadmap for the entire project, allowing for easy adjustments before the animation process begins.

Design and Visual Style

• We collaborate closely with clients to develop a unique visual style direction that aligns with the project’s objectives and resonates with the target audience.
• As part of our production process, we create fully customized videos that reflect each client’s vision and preferences.
• Our animation studio tailors the visual style to suit your brand identity, ensuring that each frame is created with close attention to detail for a polished final product.

Voice-Over and Illustration

• Voice-over is crucial in delivering your message effectively, and we recommend sourcing the perfect voice that aligns with your brand’s tone and audience.
• Once the VO is finalized, we proceed to illustration, where our in-house artists create all artwork and illustrations from scratch, ensuring a unique and professional look for each scene.
• This stage is vital to the animation process, as the illustrations become the foundation for the characters, world, and visuals that bring your concept to life.

Review and Delivery

• After the animation is completed, the final stage involves uploading the video in 1080p HD resolution (with an optional 4K upgrade) for client review and approval.
• Once the final product is approved, it is available for download in full quality, ready for use across various platforms such as websites, YouTube, trade shows, and more.
• We also offer free, custom embedding code to make sharing your animated video seamless, ensuring maximum reach for your final delivery.

Working with an animation studio can simplify the process of creating an effective animated video by guiding you through each step-by-step. From concept to final delivery, our studio focuses on quality and client satisfaction to deliver a video that not only meets but exceeds expectations.

Finalizing the Animation

Deliverable – Finetuning the Details

• The final step of the animation production process is creating the deliverable that meets the client’s specifications.
• This stage is all about adjusting the video to align perfectly with the client’s vision, ensuring that every detail is meticulously refined.
• After completing the animated video, the animation team sends the initial deliverable to the client for review, making any necessary adjustments based on feedback to ensure the final product is just right.

Review and Revisions

• The revision process generally includes 2 free revisions for each stage of the production process (except for the voice-over stage, which offers 1 revision).
• We prioritize client satisfaction, so we offer post-production support, saving all assets and project files in case the client wants to make future changes or updates to the animation.

Final Delivery and Support

• Once all revisions are complete, the final product is ready for final delivery in the highest quality format requested.
• This process ensures that clients have a clear understanding of what’s included in each stage, and our team remains available to support any future adjustments for a seamless experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Much Does Animation Cost?

• The cost of animation varies widely based on the type of video and the animation studio’s expertise.
• Key factors that impact the production price include quality of work, visual style, illustrations, music, sound effects, voice-over artist, video length, and the project’s timeline.
• Clients should expect prices to reflect the time-consuming nature of creating high-quality animations and the level of detail involved.

How Long Does the Animation Process Take?

• For example, while working with us the animation production process typically takes around four to six weeks, though complex projects may take longer. You can find out more about the production process here.
• The entire project timeline can extend based on the complexity of the piece and the number of revisions needed to meet the client’s expectations.

What is an Animation Workflow?

• An animation workflow refers to the sequence of steps in the animation production process for creating a video or movie.
• This production pipeline is divided into three main phases: pre-production, production, and post-production, each with specific tasks to guide the animation from concept to final delivery.
• The workflow can vary depending on the animation style and method chosen for the project, ensuring that each stage aligns with the visual direction and goals of the client.

Conclusion

In summary, the animation production process is a step-by-step journey that brings ideas to life. From the initial brief and research to the scriptwriting, storyboarding, and design phases, each stage plays a crucial role in shaping the animation’s visual style and effectiveness. After designing and recording the voice-over, the animation team works on the animation and audio editing to synchronize visuals with sound effects, music, and narration. In the final stages, the review and delivery process ensures the final product meets the client’s vision and quality standards, allowing for any necessary revisions and fine-tuning.

At Explain Visually, we excel in guiding clients through every phase of this complex process. Our team has successfully completed over 500 projects in 19 languages, working with clients from B2B and B2C sectors to create custom animations, infographics, and illustrations. Whether it’s explaining intricate processes, enhancing internal training, or driving customer engagement, our animations are designed to make a lasting impact. With a focus on delivering effective visual solutions, Explain Visually is here to help you convey your message in a powerful, memorable way. Contact us to start creating an animation that resonates with your audience and achieves your business goals.