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Hire an Animator

Character and 2D animators for agencies, production companies and brands, who have worked with Jack Morton Worldwide, Radley Yeldar, Zing Productions and Watering Can Media.

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Example animation

Still from CUMI's animated brand film for Gazprom Marketing and Trading, based on Paul Dixon's illustrations

Illustrator Paul Dixon's designs, redrawn by hand and animated by CUMI for Gazprom Marketing and Trading. From Gazprom

An animator with a studio behind them

Sometimes you need an animator rather than a whole production. You might be an agency with a film already scripted and designed, a production company with a title to animate, or a brand with characters that need to move. CUMI can step in at exactly the point you need us, for a single sequence or a whole film.

Much of our work has been made alongside other creative teams. With Jack Morton Worldwide we animated a closing sequence for the Prudential conference, with every frame designed for approval before an eight day production. With Zing Productions and director Jezz Startup we turned real interviews into line drawn animation for HSBC, four minutes in four days. With Radley Yeldar's Moving Image team we cut Syngenta's own photographs into layers and moved through them in 3D space to tell farmers' stories.

We are happy working from other people's designs and words. For Gazprom Marketing and Trading we redrew illustrator Paul Dixon's designs by hand and brought them to life. For LICC and Watering Can Media we wrote five poetic films with musician Sarah Simmons, then storyboarded, hand animated and composited each one.

Hiring a studio rather than a single freelancer gives you storyboarding, character design, illustration and compositing under one roof, and more than one pair of hands when a deadline is tight.

Animation we have made with other teams

Films made for and alongside agencies, production companies and brands.

See all our animation work →

What you get

We agree the scope with you at the start, whether it is one shot or a whole film. These are the things most of these projects include.

  • Experienced animators

    Character, 2D and motion animators who have worked on broadcast, conference and brand films.

  • Your designs or ours

    We animate your existing characters, illustrations and storyboards, or design them for you.

  • Clear communication

    Work in progress shared at agreed stages, so you always know where the job stands.

  • More skills when you need them

    Storyboards, character design, illustration and compositing from the same studio if the job grows.

  • Files that fit your plans

    Finished animation in the formats agreed at the start, ready for your edit, your event or your channel.

  • Fast turnarounds

    Schedules planned around your deadline, including short ones like four minutes in four days.

How it works

  1. Brief.

    Tell us what needs animating, the length, the style and the deadline. Send scripts, designs or storyboards if you have them.

  2. Plan.

    We agree the scope, the schedule and the review stages, and confirm exactly what you will receive.

  3. Style frames.

    We share style frames or a short test, so the look and movement are agreed before full animation.

  4. Animate and review.

    We animate the work and share it at key stages, with review rounds built in.

  5. Deliver.

    Final files in the formats agreed, ready to drop into your film or project.

Questions buyers ask

Should we hire a freelance animator or a studio?

A freelance animator can suit a small, single task. A studio gives you the same hands on animation with extra people, extra skills and cover when the brief grows or the deadline is tight. With CUMI you can hire us for one sequence or a whole film.

Can you animate characters we have already designed?

Yes. For Gazprom Marketing and Trading we brought illustrator Paul Dixon's designs to life, and for the Thames Valley Adventure Playground we animated a snowman taken from one of the children's own drawings.

Do you work with agencies and production companies?

Yes. We have animated for and alongside Jack Morton Worldwide, Radley Yeldar, Zing Productions, Shelley Collective and Watering Can Media, as well as directly for brands and broadcasters.

How quickly can you start?

It depends on our schedule at the time, so tell us your deadline when you get in touch. We are used to tight turnarounds, such as four minutes for HSBC in four days and a conference sequence for Prudential in eight.

How many rounds of changes are included?

Review rounds are agreed at the start and built into each stage. The exact number is set out in the quote, so there are no surprises.

Need an animator

Tell us what needs animating, what you already have and when you need it. We will tell you how we can help.

Start a Project