Lessons from Mickey: Cartoon Animation Careers

by Kirk Bangstad
kirk.bangstad@theanimationschooldirectory.com
Animation School Directory Columnist

Mickey Mouse was the character in one of the first animated shorts films, or cartoons, and now he has become a symbol of how far animation has come since the early 1900s.

Today, many major motion pictures are filmed with animated special effects, and some of the most popular films in the last decade have been fully animated. Kids still wake up early on Saturday mornings to catch the best cartoons, and are continuously entertained by the funny cartoons of yesteryear starring Bugs Bunny, Foghorn Leghorn, and Wile. E. Coyote. In fact, cartoons are so popular that an entire cable channel, the Cartoon Network, has been dedicated to them.

Cartoons Offer Alternative Animation Career Paths

Although most of the animators with higher salaries work in the film industry, there are plenty of animation studios still making traditional funny 2d cartoons. Traditional cartoons differ from emerging computer film animation in that they require more traditional animation techniques, such as the 2d drawings that become the cartoons we see on the Cartoon Network and other channels. Those who prefer working with 2d animation often find work suitable for them in various short cartoon animation studios.

Online Cartoons are an Emerging Market

A smaller segment of the 2d cartoon market exists as Internet entertainment. The word about a cool cartoon website spreads from teenager to teenager, colleague to colleague, and pretty soon, it gets thousands of hits per day. The animators who create these cartoons can make money through advertising. A lot of companies are willing to advertise on a website that gets a large nationwide or worldwide audience each day.

If you'd like to animate cartoons but don't know how to get your career off the ground, you may want to start by enrolling in a reputable animation school.

About the Author

Kirk Bangstad is a Senior Columnist for Animation School Review.