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Traditional Animation Jobs (NOW HIRING)

$14.75 - $19.50/hr

This is not a traditional internship. This is a hands-on, execution-focused role centered on ... Animation / Motion Short-form content, storytelling, and character animation for Adventure Ted Core ...

$15 - $19.75/hr

This is not a traditional internship. This is a hands-on, execution-focused role centered on ... Animation / Motion Short-form content, storytelling, and character animation for Adventure Ted Core ...

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Traditional Animation information

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$39

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How much do traditional animation jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 12, 2026, the average hourly pay for traditional animation in the United States is $39.41, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $21.88 and $63.94 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a traditional animation?

A Traditional Animation job involves creating hand-drawn frames to produce fluid motion in animated films, television shows, advertisements, or video games. Animators sketch each frame on paper or digitally replicate the traditional process to bring characters and scenes to life. This role requires strong drawing skills, an understanding of motion, and knowledge of animation principles like timing and spacing. Professionals in this field may work as key animators, inbetweeners, or clean-up artists, depending on the production stage.

What does a typical workday look like for a traditional animator, and how do they interact with other team members?

A typical day for a traditional animator involves sketching or inking animation frames by hand, reviewing animatics or storyboards, and refining character movement to maintain consistency across scenes. Traditional animators often work closely with directors, layout artists, and clean-up teams to ensure visual continuity and incorporate feedback. Daily tasks may include attending team meetings, collaborating on scene revisions, and coordinating with digital departments if the project blends traditional and digital techniques. This collaborative environment allows animators to contribute their creative skills while working towards the shared vision of the animation project.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the traditional animation position, and why are they important?

To thrive in Traditional Animation, you need strong drawing abilities, a solid understanding of animation principles (like timing and movement), and often relevant educational background such as a degree in animation or fine arts. Familiarity with animation tools such as light tables, peg bars, and industry-standard software for scanning and compositing, as well as a portfolio demonstrating your work, are important. Creativity, keen attention to detail, time management, and teamwork are vital soft skills in this field. These combined skills ensure the creation of fluid, expressive animations that meet production deadlines and collaborative artistic standards.

How to become a traditional animator?

To become a traditional animator, develop strong drawing skills and a solid understanding of animation principles such as timing and spacing. Obtain a degree or training in animation, art, or a related field, and build a portfolio showcasing your work. Gaining experience through internships or entry-level positions helps establish a career in traditional animation.

What types of traditional animation jobs are there?

Traditional animation jobs include roles such as animator, storyboard artist, character designer, background artist, and layout artist. These positions often require skills in drawing, storytelling, and knowledge of animation principles, with work typically done in studios or freelance settings. Each role focuses on different aspects of the animation production process, from creating characters to designing backgrounds and planning scenes.
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What cities are hiring for Traditional Animation jobs?

Cities with the most Traditional Animation job openings:

What are the most commonly searched types of Traditional Animation jobs?

The most popular types of Traditional Animation jobs are:

What states have the most Traditional Animation jobs?

States with the most job openings for Traditional Animation jobs include:

Infographic showing various Traditional Animation job openings in the United States as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 25% Full Time, 70% Part Time, and 5% Contract. Highlights an 90% In-person, 5% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $81,974 per year, or $39.4 per hour.

Head of Cinematography, Layout- Ink

Vancouver, WA • On-site

Netflix
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation • 5 - 10K employees

$74.68/hr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 27 days ago


Key responsibilities

  • Collaborate with creative leadership to define and execute the show's camera language and visual style.

  • Direct the staging and choreography of characters and layout elements to enhance cinematic storytelling.

  • Partner with Tech and Production teams to develop, test, and refine workflows integrating traditional tools with GenAI technologies.


Netflix rating

5.8

Company rating: 5.8 out of 10

Based on 15 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz


Job description

At Netflix, our mission is to entertain the world. Together, we partner with creators as they experiment with a range of cutting-edge tools that bridge innovation with imaginative storytelling. Come join Inkubator to shape what's next and explore the creative possibilities.

Position Summary

We are seeking a Head of Cinematography, Layout to join our pioneering team to create animated content using experimental GenAI-native production pipelines, with the goal of producing feature-quality content. This role oversees the cinematic vision and visual storytelling, collaborating closely with creative leadership to realize the Director's vision. We seek a candidate with deep expertise in cinematography, storytelling, and filmmaking who is ready to build and iterate within a fast-paced, creator- and artist-led environment and who thrives at the intersection of traditional artistry and emerging technology. This role requires technical curiosity to navigate, build, and support hybrid workflows-integrating traditional tools with emerging GenAI technologies to create feature-quality content.

Key Responsibilities
  • Collaborate with the Director(s) and creative leadership to architect, define, and execute the show's camera language (lenses, positions, movement) and visual style (staging, composition).

  • Direct the staging and choreography of characters and layout elements to maximize cinematic storytelling, ensuring visual clarity, emotional resonance, and narrative flow throughout.

  • Proactively partner with Tech and Production teams to define, test, and refine traditional, GenAI, and hybrid workflows, bridging 2D and 3D integration for high-quality visual aesthetics and pipeline efficiency.

  • Partner with production leadership to forecast pipeline needs and mitigate bottlenecks before they impact delivery.

  • Build and champion necessary workflows, templates, and scripts; actively document crew learnings and best practices to scale future capabilities.

  • Foster and lead a high-performance, exploratory team culture that thrives on collaboration and creative experimentation.

  • Receive and incorporate feedback quickly to ensure consistency with creative direction, production guidelines, and sprint timelines.

  • Provide upward, constructive feedback to leadership to improve scalability and creative excellence.

  • Spearhead the mentorship and technical training of the layout team, ensuring all artists are proficient in navigating both traditional animation pipelines and new GenAI-integrated tools.

Qualifications
  • Minimum 7 years experience in film, TV or games industry

  • Minimum 4 years experience in a leadership or supervisory role for film, TV or games

  • Samples and/or credits demonstrating excellence in layout/previs

  • Solid knowledge of Previs, Camera, and CG shot production and its iterative process

  • Layout and previsualization production experience on feature films, shorts or series

  • Advanced working knowledge of CG software tools such as Autodesk Maya, Houdini or Nuke

  • Understanding of Python and/or MEL scripting a plus

  • Understanding and knowledge of GenAI native tools a plus

  • Experience in working and adhering to production budgets and timelines

  • Strong and proven leadership, communication and problem-solving skills

  • Demonstrated and genuine interest in Generative AI imagery and video, with a proactive, hands-on approach to exploring new GenAI tools to enhance visual storytelling capabilities

  • Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to deliver high-quality work on schedule in a fast-moving environment

  • Ability to take direction positively, collaborate across disciplines, and communicate clearly with creative, technical, and production partners

  • A scrappy, builder's mindset with a high degree of independence, out-of-the-box application, and initiative as production support and workflows evolve alongside the creative process. Demonstrated experience working in ambiguous environments where the core production pipeline is being built and rapidly iterated upon

  • Comfortable taking big-picture approaches while willing to build new workflows in a fluid, evolving production environment

  • Ability to provide upward, constructive feedback to leadership for improved scalability.


This job may be covered by a collective bargaining agreement. If so, pay for the position is governed by the currently effective applicable collective bargaining agreement and thus will be no less than $74.68 an hour and up to any better conditions and terms negotiated and obtained as expressly provided therein.

Depending on whether you are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, INK benefits can include medical/dental/vision plans, mental health support, retirement programs, and family-forming benefits, paid leave of absence programs, and paid time away programs to be used for vacation and sick paid time off.

Inclusion is a Netflix value and we strive to host a meaningful interview experience for all candidates. If you want an accommodation/adjustment for a disability or any other reason during the hiring process, please send a request to your recruiting partner.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and celebrate diversity, recognizing that diversity builds stronger teams. We approach diversity and inclusion seriously and thoughtfully. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, caste, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic makeup, marital status, or military service.


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About Netflix

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with 222 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries, feature films and mobile games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.

Industry

Arts, entertainment, and recreation

Company size

5,001 - 10,000 Employees

Headquarters location

Los Gatos, CA, US

Year founded

1997