BURBANK – ANIMATION CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

While Burbank is famously known as the “Media Capital of the World” this is especially true for the timeless and wildly popular art of animation, with the city of Burbank boasting more animation studios and production houses per capita than anywhere else on earth.

Many of your favorite Saturday morning cartoons, blockbuster features, animated series, and adrenalin inducing video games are produced right here in Burbank by a vibrant community of cutting edge animation artists. These creative professionals bring their screen magic to life through a deft combination of masterful storytelling, state-of-the-art technology, and good old fashioned artistry.

In addition to playing host to the biggest names in the animation business − powerhouses like Disney, Nickelodeon and Pixar – the streaming mega-giant Netflix recently selected Burbank to be the new home of Netflix Animation, their rapidly growing animation production arm. Netflix chose Burbank in order to situate themselves right in the heart of Hollywood’s animation hub, working beside dozens of other animation studios, big and small, including the iconic DC Comics and its famed rival Marvel Animation Studios.

Just some of the leading animation players playing their craft in Burbank include:

• AMGI
• Backlot Burbank
• Bento Box
• Cartoon Network Studios
• DC Comics
• Disney Television Animation (DTVA)
• Frederator Studios
• Hasbro Studios
• Insomniac Games
• Lucasfilm
• Marvel Animation Studios
• Netflix Animation
• Nickelodeon Animation Studios
• Pixar Animation Studios
• Stoopid Buddy Studios
• Titmouse
• Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Warner Animation Group
• Wild Canary Animation

Draw Your Own Conclusion

For those with artistic ability of their own and dreams of joining the ranks of the world’s great animators, Burbank is also home to several of the country’s leading animation schools. New York Film Academy offers programs in 3D Animation, Visual Effects, Game Design and Virtual Reality, while students at the Burbank Campus of Woodbury University can earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an Animation focus.

The aptly named Brainstorm School, The Animation Academy, and CTN Studio are also based here in Burbank, offering a wide range of programs and courses in all areas of the animation arts.

Associations & Events

With so many skilled animation artists and companies working in Burbank, it’s no surprise that an array of related professional associations and annual events have been organized here to support the industry and its ever-growing community of artists.

The Creative Talent Network hosts a wide range of activities and events for the community, including their annual CTN Animation eXpo. Held each November, this centerpiece of Burbank’s annual Animation Week is a 3-day industry conference drawing animators from around the world. The CTN Foundation, a related non-profit, provides financial assistance to visual media storytellers, promoting education and independent creation.

Since 1952, The Animation Guild, based here in Burbank, has been representing the interests of the industry’s working artists, writers and technicians.

The International Animated Film Society, known as ASIFA-Hollywood, is based in Burbank as well, encouraging the art and craft of animation, including the presentation of their annual Annie Awards recognizing each year’s best animated productions and outstanding individual achievements in the field.

Fans of animation will want to be sure to attend the annual Burbank Arts & Animation Festival held each Spring, featuring a blend of more than 200 fine artists and world famous animators. One of the largest free art events in Southern California, this is your chance to meet and mingle with animation artists themselves, while exploring their creative process and the vivid world of animation up close.