Why is Animation So Expensive?

Vinson Tan from Pixabay

Did you know that Tangled (2010), which is the costliest animation feature film ever made had a budget of $260 million? To give you a context, The Avengers (2012), which made use of heavy special effects along with an ensemble cast cost around $220 million to make. It’s natural to ask why animation is extravagantly expensive? 

The fact remains that there can be no universal rule of pricing for animation videos because ultimately animation is a tailor-made creative product. And the cost of animation depends upon a wide variety of factors.

Following are some of the most crucial factors determining the cost of animation- 

1.    Animation Style

Style or Type of animation is the primary parameter that affects animation cost. Whiteboard animation is a popular format for explainer videos and generally entails a basic price. Motion Graphics, Infographics & Stop Motion Animation are commonly used for marketing purposes. 3-D animation is the most expensive animation style among the lot.

2.    Video Length 

A typical advertising animation video has a length of 30 seconds to 1 minute. Explainer videos tend to be longer than that. An animation movie can last anywhere between 1 and 2 hours. Consequently, the cost of animation keeps on increasing with the increase in the length of the video.

3.    Project Timeline

In normal circumstances, a shorter project timeline means a smaller or simpler project and therefore entails a lower cost. However, sometimes the clients give tight deadlines for the completion of complex projects. In such a case, animation agencies can charge a premium over and above what would have been charged in case of a normal, longer timeline.

4.    Location

The place where an animation agency is situated is important because per-minute rates vary with country of origin. For instance, animation is much cheaper to produce in India, as compared to the United States or other developed markets, simply the overall wage rates in India are cheaper than in the United States. 

It is because of this reason that much of the animation work is outsourced by American film studios to Indian animation agencies.

5.    Skilled Human Resource

Animators that are involved in movies or big animation projects are highly skilled. They have to go through extensive training and bring creative ideas to the table. And this is why a majority share of the animation budget goes into the remuneration of animators. 

The more complex a project is, the larger will have to be the number of people working on it, and will naturally entail a higher cost.

6.    Star voice-overs

Many animation movies bring in established film stars to voice over for the main characters. And that in itself is a big chunk of an animation film budget. Tom Hanks gave the voice of Woody in the Toy Story series. Shah Rukh Khan gave his voice to Mufasa in the Hindi dubbed version of The Lion King.

If you are looking to enhance your animation skills, the courses at Arena Animation, one of the most reputed animations and VFX institutes, could be of enormous help. Moreover, the institute also has its own placement cell which could assist you in getting your dream animation job.