From Callison Slater’s Blog

Famous examples of animation, along with how much each second cost to create (Budget Adjusted for Inflation / Running Time).

Hopefully, this can help other animators and potential clients judge pricing more clearly.

Keep in mind, though, that the employment laws and studio systems differ from country to country, and different animation styles require different amounts of time and resources.

Studios usually hire entire teams of animators, celebrity voice actors, etc., so not every bit of the budget went toward animation, but animation is typically the most expensive part of any film.

Plus, if you were hired to create something that looked like Toy Story 3, for example, someone would need to pay for the rigging, modeling, animation, and rendering, so most expenses are unavoidable.

For more tips on animation, storytelling, and film-making, check out the free eBook here

 Tangled

$49,059 per second


 


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Toy Story 3 (2010)

$36,639 per second


 

 Brave (2012)

$33,217 per second


 


 Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

$24,689 per second




Ratatouille (2007)

$25,759 per second


 


Finding Nemo (2003)

$21,027 per second


 


Hercules (1997)

$19,292 per second


 


Coraline (2009)

$11,690 per second


 


Toy Story (1995)

$9,990 per second


 


Beauty and the Beast (1991)

$6,906 per second


 


Snow White (1937)

$5,448 per second



Akira (1987)

$2,852 per second


 


The Simpsons (1990)

$1,030 per second


Steamboat Willie (1928)

$495 per second


 



Millennium Actress (2003)

$397 per second


 

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South Park (2006)

$223 per second


 

For more tips on animation, storytelling, and film-making, check out my free eBook here

Sources:

https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/most-expensive-animated-movies-of-all-time/

http://www.powerhouseanimation.com/wp-content/themes/maxima-v1-02/dist/index.php

http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/budgets/all

http://www.imdb.com/

https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm

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