How Much Does An Animated Film Cost To Make
The cost of making any film can seem like a never-ending uphill battle, but that’s not always the case. Some people make it look like that!
Filmmakers spend money all the time, and there’s really no way to know what they're paying for until you've worked in their organization. As such, we decided to do some research and figure out just how much it costs to make an animated movie.
We focused only on production expenses - things like paychecks are negligible. And we excluded capital expenditures like camera equipment and studio space since those don't carry overhead. So if you're ever wondering why even the most successful animators aren't earning very many dollars per frame, this is one of the main reasons.
What we were able to determine is how much it typically costs to produce a feature length (defined as longer than 10 minutes) animation by breaking down the numbers for five popular movies. By comparing these budgets to what experts say is a reasonable budget, we were also able to get an average cost per minute for each movie.
Second, the script
The second major cost of making an animated feature is the screenplay. It’s not necessarily expensive to write a good movie, but it can be costly if you don’t have much experience writing scripts. Writing a great script that people will want to read is like baking a delicious cake - it takes time and effort!
There are many ways to get started as a screenwriter, from taking courses at community colleges to picking up beginner books and reading them. Many large corporations offer professional development programs for writers.
In fact, Pixar offers two different professional writer training programs: one for students who already have some writing under their belt and another for absolute beginners. Both include classes about story structure, editing, marketing, and other important fundamentals.
If you're already familiar with storytelling and/or edit your own work, then this course isn't for you.
Third, the production
Length-wise, it takes around twelve months to make a feature length film. This includes all twenty or so weeks of filming as well as the time it takes to edit the movie down to its final cut.
Films typically start off with a script. Once the writers are ready to move onto the next part of their career, they usually have to wait for someone else to agree to work with them before that can happen. While some people are naturally inclined to write, most need guidance in doing so!
That’s where the writing process comes into play. A screenwriter needs to be trained in how to write a screenplay. Luckily, there are many resources available these days to help anyone get started.
After those basics are covered, the writer must find professionals who will work with them on their project. These can include other writers, actors, directors, and more. Finding the right balance is very important since your director, actor, and writer may disagree at times, but you want to keep the ball rolling.
And finally, once everyone has agreed to work with you, the shooting begins! Most likely, this means finding locations, renting equipment, and going through various legal procedures to ensure everything is okay to use.
Fourth, the marketing
The final cost of making an animated movie is mostly marketing. This includes creating the trailer, filming the teaser, finding sponsors or additional funding to cover production costs, and promoting the film.
Marketing an animated feature can easily add up to a large amount of money because it takes a lot of time!
It’s important to be budgeted for this. General estimates are that it averages around $750,000 per movie. This does not include paying artists, writers, or other professionals to contribute to the project.
These expenses usually are not known until later in production, though. You will have to make sure you have enough money set aside to pay these things as they come up.
Fifth, the distribution
The next major cost of making any animated film is actually getting it into theaters! This is typically done through either your studio or company’s internal marketing team or through third-party distributors that play well with others.
Most studios have their own internal movie marketeers who help spread the word about the films they are promoting, but most don’t have much budgeted time to do this.
That’s where third party companies come in. They can afford paid advertisements like TV commercials or billboards, which promote your movie for you, or them to put up posters and flyers at local venues such as theaters or restaurants.
These types of ads usually aren’t very expensive, especially if you hire someone to do them for you.
Sixth, the ratings
The final cost of making any feature film includes the production budget as well as the distribution costs. These are typically two separate items with different timing for when they are met.
The distribution costs include things like advertising, theaters rent/fees, and movie tickets. All of these add up very quickly!
Most films have their initial launch distributed by a distributor that is paid per screen view or ticket sale. This is where most of the money is spent, especially in the beginning. After this, however, the distributors share of the profits usually slow down.
Overall, creating an animated feature can start at around $2-3 million dollars.
Seventh, the awards
The main rewards for creating an animated feature are in fact not monetary. Most notably, you get to tell someone else’s story! As of this writing, there have been 30 theatrical features that won the Academy Award for Best Feature - which is considered the highest honor in film.
That’s just one category out of many others! You also receive kudos, some small amount of money (feeling very rich!), and lots of inspiration. Plus, most studios have a movie department where people can work as assistants or interns - even if it’s only for a few months.
There are always new things to learn, so don’t feel like you need to be a master before you try.
Eighth, the box office
The final cost of making any animated feature film is the movie’s budget. This number varies quite a bit depending on several factors, such as whether or not it is a full length feature, what medium the animation is done in (traditional 2D, 3D computer-generated imagery (CGI), or both) and if there are special effects involved, but overall budgets for most features are in the range of $10 million -$20 million.
The higher end of that range is typically spent on marketing, whereas the lower end is usually set aside for production.
Marketing can be very expensive due to the fact that it requires lots of visuals and advertisements which take up valuable resources. Whereas production costs are more constant, like having enough crew members ready at a time.
There are also additional fees related to this, like paying people to work during filming hours, providing transportation, etc.
Ninth, the critics
The main cost of making any kind of movie is filming. This includes location scouting, rehearsing scenes multiple times, recording new footage, and shooting the final product.
Filming takes around nine months- that’s about eighteen months total! A lot of people are drawn towards animation because you don’t have to go through this process as many time. You can usually shoot your film in six to eight weeks which cuts down on costs quite a bit.
However, this doesn’t mean it's free! There are additional costs for things like costumes, sets, and props. These costs add up quickly when you're talking about a feature length film.