When evaluating the quality of animation, the top priority is the director and production team. The unique aesthetic sense of the director is first reflected in the visuals, and if the production team consists of highly skilled members, the quality naturally increases.
After considering the production team, one must then look at the studio. A well-known studio with talented producers who can attract top talent allows the director to fully showcase their abilities. Conversely, if the studio lacks skilled personnel and cannot attract talent, even a great director cannot achieve their desired results.
Let’s take a look at the rankings of animation studios worldwide.
10. Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Headquarters: Burbank, California
Nickelodeon was founded in 1990, beginning with popular original shows such as “Rugrats”, “Doug”, and “The Ren & Stimpy Show”. The studio has produced many beloved shows, including “Hey Arnold!”, “Invader Zim”, “The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius”, both “Avatar” series, and “SpongeBob SquarePants”.
9. Weta Digital
Headquarters: Wellington, New Zealand
Weta Digital is co-owned by legendary director Peter Jackson and has won five Academy Awards for its outstanding visual effects. The studio has worked on some of the biggest films in the past decade, including “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies, “King Kong” (2005), and “Avatar”.
8. Blue Sky Studios
Headquarters: Greenwich, Connecticut
Blue Sky Studios was founded in 1987 and has been owned by 20th Century Fox since 1997. Between 2002 and 2014, it released some of the most successful animated films, including the “Ice Age” series, “Rio” and “Rio 2”, “Horton Hears a Who!”, and adaptations of “Dr. Seuss”’ works.
7. Cartoon Network Studios
Headquarters: Burbank, California
Since 1994, Cartoon Network Studios has become one of the most successful in the industry. Early hits like “Dexter’s Laboratory”, “Johnny Bravo”, “The Powerpuff Girls”, “Ben 10” and “Samurai Jack” gained widespread popularity in the US. Currently, the studio produces popular series like
- “Adventure Time”
- “Regular Show”
- “Clarence”
- “Uncle Grandpa”
- “Ben 10: Omniverse”
- “We Bare Bears”
- “Steven Universe”.
6. Framestore
Headquarters: London, UK
Founded in 1986, Framestore has contributed to some of the most successful films in recent years, including “Guardians of the Galaxy”, the “Harry Potter” films, “Avengers: Age of Ultron”, and scenes in “Avatar”. The studio has won multiple Oscars and BAFTA awards for its work. What is more, Framestore confirmed to be a part of the production team in the horror film “Beetlejuice”.
5. Studio Ghibli
Headquarters: Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
While not the world’s best, Studio Ghibli is undoubtedly one of Japan’s top animation studios. Eight of the top 15 highest-grossing animated films made in Japan are Ghibli’s works. They have won numerous awards, including the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year, the Animage Grand Prix, and several Academy Award nominations in the US., including for Best Animated Feature. These are some of Ghibli’s famous works:
- “My Neighbor Totoro”
- “Grave of the Fireflies”
- “Kiki’s Delivery Service”
- “Spirited Away”
- “Howl’s Moving Castle”
- “Ponyo”
- “Arrietty”
- “The Boy and the Heron”
4. Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)
Headquarters: San Francisco, California
ILM has worked on hundreds of projects, including notable ones like all the “Star Wars” films, the original “Terminator”, the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, “Avatar”, and “Jurassic World”. They are pioneers in innovative computer technologies, including realistic skin, partial CGI characters, and hair and fur animation.
3. DreamWorks Animation
Headquarters: Glendale, California
DreamWorks Animation films are distributed globally and have won 41 Emmys, several Annie Awards, three Academy Awards, and many BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations. Their notable works include:
- “Shrek”
- “How to Train Your Dragon”
- “Madagascar”
- “Kung Fu Panda”
- “Trolls”
- “The Boss Baby”
- “Puss in Boots”
2. Walt Disney Animation Studios
Headquarters: Burbank, California
Disney’s renowned studio has been producing animated feature films since the successful release of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937. Since then, it has become one of the highest-grossing animation companies, with hits like “The Lion King” and “Aladdin”. Although it slowed down in the last decade, it came back stronger than ever with hits like:
- “Frozen” series
- “Wreck-It Ralph” series
- “Big Hero 6”
- “Enchanted”
- “Bolt”
- “Moana”
- “Pirates of the Caribbean” series
- “Zootopia” series
- “Encanto”
1. Pixar
Headquarters: Emeryville, California
Pixar was co-founded by Apple pioneer Steve Jobs and was acquired by Walt Disney Company in 2006 for over $7 billion. After entering the film industry with “Toy Story”, the studio has produced some of the most financially successful films, including:
- “Toy Story” series
- “WALL-E”
- “Brave”
- “Ratatouille”
- “Inside Out” series
- “Cars” series
- “Monsters, Inc.”
- “Incredibles” series