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Animation Director Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Curio Research

Name your own

San Francisco, CA · On-site

About us Curio builds bleeding edge crypto games and infrastructure. Since 2021, we've been pioneers in the onchain game space, shipped mini games to thousands of users, and we are about to ship our ...

Curio Research

Name your own

San Francisco, CA · On-site

About us Curio builds bleeding edge crypto games and infrastructure. Since 2021, we've been pioneers in the onchain game space, shipped mini games to thousands of users, and we are about to ship our ...

Mattel

Sr Manager, TV Animation

El Segundo, CA

$112K - $128K/yr

Reporting to the Sr. Director, Mattel Studios Animation Creative (Adult & Four-Quad), this position requires an experienced creative executive with a proven ability to manage projects across ...

Mattel

Sr Manager, TV Animation

El Segundo, CA

$112K - $128K/yr

Reporting to the Sr. Director, Mattel Studios Animation Creative (Adult & Four-Quad), this position requires an experienced creative executive with a proven ability to manage projects across ...

Mattel

Sr Manager, TV Animation

El Segundo, CA · On-site

$112K - $128K/yr

Reporting to the Sr. Director, Mattel Studios Animation Creative (Adult & Four-Quad), this position requires an experienced creative executive with a proven ability to manage projects across ...

Mattel

Sr Manager, TV Animation

El Segundo, CA · On-site

$150 - $210/hr

Reporting to the Sr. Director, Mattel Studios Animation Creative (Adult & Four-Quad), this position requires an experienced creative executive with a proven ability to manage projects across ...

Big Shot Pictures

Senior Animator

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$114K - $130K/yr

Collaborate closely with directors, designers, technical artists, and production partners to maintain a consistent visual and performance style * Optimize animation workflows to deliver appealing ...

Big Shot Pictures

Previs Animator

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

Collaborate closely with technical directors and the animation production team to leverage emerging tools, including AI-assisted workflows and generative tooling, to achieve clean output systems at ...

Big Shot Pictures

Mocap Animator

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

About Big Shot Pictures Big Shot Pictures is a next generation animation company founded by Brian ... Self-directed and resourceful: you can identify what's broken and fix it Nice to Have * Experience ...

AGBO

Expression of Interest - Animator

Los Angeles, CA · On-site +1

Collaborate with the Director, Leads, and other artists on the team to create a cohesive vision for animation assignments. * Performs other duties as assigned. Qualifications & Skills: * 5+ years of ...

Bonfire Studios

Lead Gameplay Animator

Irvine, CA · On-site +1

Push for animation excellence while always putting gameplay quality first. * Thrive in tight-knit, highly collaborative teams and communicate clearly across disciplines. * Are self-directed ...

Ten4

Senior Gaming Animator

Redwood City, CA · On-site

$129K - $148K/yr

Self-directed and independent worker Major Plus: * Excellent hand-keyed facial animation * Motionbuilder and Unreal Engine experience * First-person animations experience * strong design eye * Strong ...

Bonfire Studios

Lead Gameplay Animator

Irvine, CA

Push for animation excellence while always putting gameplay quality first. * Thrive in tight-knit, highly collaborative teams and communicate clearly across disciplines. * Are self-directed ...

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Showing results 21-40

All JobsAnimation JobsAnimation Director JobsAnimation Director Jobs in California

Animation Director information

See California salary details

$10.9K

$170.2K

How much do animation director jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 8, 2026, the average yearly pay for animation director in California is $168,760.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $168,800.00 and $168,800.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an animation director, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Animation Director, you need a strong background in animation principles, storytelling, visual design, and often a degree in animation or related fields. Proficiency with animation software such as Adobe After Effects, Maya, Toon Boom, or Blender, along with experience in project management tools, is typically required. Leadership, creative vision, and excellent communication are essential soft skills for guiding teams and collaborating with clients or stakeholders. These skills ensure cohesive, high-quality animations delivered on time, aligned with the project's creative goals.

What are some common challenges animation directors face when leading a team on a large project?

Animation Directors often encounter challenges such as aligning the creative vision across a diverse team, managing tight production schedules, and ensuring consistent animation quality throughout the project. Balancing creative input from animators, storyboard artists, and producers while adhering to budget and time constraints can be demanding. Effective communication, regular feedback sessions, and strong organizational skills are essential for overcoming these challenges and delivering a cohesive final product.

What does an animation director do?

An animation director is responsible for performing and overseeing a number of creative duties during the design, production, and post-processing of an animation. You may work at a film studio or video game company, collaborating with writers, illustrators, and visual designers to develop stories and graphics, and to define guiding aesthetic principles. You work closely with voice actors, animators, and sound design artists to create the final product, such as an animated movie, web short, TV show, or animation for a website.

How much does an animation director make?

Animation directors typically earn between $70,000 and $150,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and the size of the studio. Senior animation directors or those working on major projects can earn higher salaries, often supplemented with bonuses and benefits. Strong leadership skills and proficiency with animation software like Maya or Toon Boom are important for higher earning potential.

What is the difference between Animation Director vs Animation Supervisor?

AspectAnimation DirectorAnimation Supervisor
ResponsibilitiesOversees the overall animation style, guides creative vision, and manages animation teams to ensure consistency and quality.Manages day-to-day animation production, assigns tasks, and ensures deadlines are met within the animation team.
Required SkillsStrong artistic vision, leadership, and experience in animation production.Technical expertise, team management, and workflow coordination.
Work EnvironmentCreative leadership in studios, overseeing multiple animation projects.Supervisory role within animation teams, often reporting to the Animation Director.

The Animation Director focuses on the creative and artistic vision of the animation, guiding the overall style and quality. The Animation Supervisor handles the operational aspects, managing the team to meet production goals. Both roles are essential in animation production, with the Director setting the creative tone and the Supervisor ensuring smooth execution.

How much does an animation director earn?

Animation directors typically earn between $70,000 and $150,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and the size of the studio. Senior animation directors or those working on major projects can earn higher salaries, often supplemented with bonuses and benefits.

What is an animation director?

Animation Directors are creative professionals who oversee the visual development and production of animated projects such as films, TV shows, or video games. They manage teams of animators, guide the artistic direction, and ensure that the animation aligns with the project's vision and story. Animation Directors collaborate closely with producers, writers, and other departments to maintain consistency and quality throughout the animation process. Their role is crucial in bringing characters and worlds to life in a cohesive and engaging manner.
More about Animation Director jobs
What are the most commonly searched types of Animation jobs in California? The most popular types of Animation jobs in California are:
What are popular job titles related to Animation Director jobs in California? For Animation Director jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Animation Director jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Animation Director jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Animation Director jobs? Cities in California with the most Animation Director job openings:
Animation Director jobs near you
Infographic showing various Animation Director job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 84% Full Time, 13% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 92% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $168,760 per year, or $81.1 per hour.

Name your own

Curio Research

San Francisco, CA • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 15 days ago

Job description

About us
Curio builds bleeding edge crypto games and infrastructure. Since 2021, we've been pioneers in the onchain game space, shipped mini games to thousands of users, and we are about to ship our first major title Duper, a high-stakes, cross-genre social strategy game. Our game studio veterans hails from titles like Genshin Impact, Halo, Pacific Rim, help scaling those products to millions of users. We also raised 8M+ from top crypto investors to fuel our expansion.
Our vision is to build the ultimate fan-powered universe and competition platform around Duper. Our thesis around crypto games revolves around these pillars:
Crypto-centric gameplay: There exists a huge opportunity space for building truly crypto native gameplay such as high-stakes games. We not only build for hardcore gamers but also games for collectors, speculators, etc. In addition, smart contracts let 3rd party developers build additional experiences on-top of protocols, further boosting network effects.
Incentives and distribution: Crypto opens up innovation via removing roadblocks from traditional game platforms around user distribution and incentivization. In crypto, everything is a game, yet most current crypto games are still simple plug-and-plays from web2.
Community building: crypto has an unparalleled superpower in rallying a community around collectors, speculators, gamers. We leverage this to build an ultimate incentive aligned e-sports ecosystem around Duper instead of different parties extracting values out of one another.
Combined with our world-class game studio, we believe Curio can build the best crypto games out there.
About the role
You are excited about our mission ... and you have a lot to offer ... but you don't see the role for you on our careers page. We would love to hear from you and determine if you background and skills will be the right match for any of our teams. Please apply under this role and we will look at your resume to determine if there is a fit for at Curio now or in the future.
Even if the above qualifications aren't an exact match, passionate and enthusiastic people who love to quickly learn are always welcome! Feel free to reach out or apply regardless and we would love to chat.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

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