Lead Animator

Lead Animators are team members that oversee the animation team on projects. They guide the overall style and quality, check the work of the animation team, and work closely with directors and other team members to ensure everything stays on schedule. Lead Animators bring the vision of the project to life and assist with technical and creative issues that other animators might face. They are both leaders and mentors, ensuring all animation meets the goals of each project. In long-form animation and movies, the term Lead Animator is commonly used. However, in the motion design and commercial animation industries, an equivalent title is often Animation Director. This distinction exists due to Director’s Guild Association (DGA) guidelines, which restrict the use of the title “Director” to DGA members in long-form animation.