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| Who are the most famous animators? The most famous animators include Walt Disney, Tex Avery, Hayao Miyazaki, Osamu Tezuka and Brad Bird. Seth MacFarlane, Genndy Tartakovsky, Matt Groening, John Lasseter and Tim Burton complete this list. Their work includes Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Spirited Away, Astro Boy, The Simpsons and Toy Story. |
| # | Animator | Known for | Style |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walt Disney | Mickey Mouse, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Hand-drawn features with sound and colour |
| 2 | Tex Avery | Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Droopy | Fast, exaggerated comedy |
| 3 | Hayao Miyazaki | Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away | Hand-drawn films rooted in nature |
| 4 | Osamu Tezuka | Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion | Early TV anime and manga |
| 5 | Brad Bird | The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, Ratatouille | Character-driven features |
| 6 | Seth MacFarlane | Family Guy, American Dad! | Adult animated comedy |
| 7 | Genndy Tartakovsky | Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Primal | Stylized action |
| 8 | Matt Groening | The Simpsons, Futurama | TV satire |
| 9 | John Lasseter | Toy Story, Cars | Computer animation |
| 10 | Tim Burton | Vincent, Frankenweenie, The Nightmare Before Christmas | Gothic stop motion |
This list covers popular animators and cartoonists from the United States and Japan. Some drew every frame by hand. Others directed large teams or created the characters that teams animated.
Each entry covers what the animator is known for, how their style works and one lesson brand videos can take from it.
Each animator on this list had to meet these criteria:
We checked every date, award and credit against each animator’s Wikipedia biography. Each entry links to its source.
Walt Disney is one of the most influential figures in animation history. With Ub Iwerks, he developed Mickey Mouse in 1928. His studio used synchronized sound on Steamboat Willie, the first post-produced sound cartoon. In 1932 it filmed Flowers and Trees in full-colour three-strip Technicolor.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs followed in 1937. It was the first animated feature made in full colour and sound. It proved that a hand-drawn cartoon could hold an audience for a full film. The studio’s cel animation process set the standard for decades.
Disney won 22 Academy Awards, a record for one person. His films, shows and theme parks still carry his name.
Disney built worlds and characters that people come back to across generations. He also adopted new technology early, from sound to colour. For a brand, that means using new tools when they help tell the story better.
Tex Avery redefined cartoon comedy with a fast, bold and irreverent style. He directed at Leon Schlesinger Productions, the Warner Bros. cartoon studio, from 1935 to 1941. He then moved to MGM, where he worked until 1955.
Avery directed Porky’s Duck Hunt (1937), the short that introduced Daffy Duck. His A Wild Hare set Bugs Bunny’s personality and the line “What’s up, doc?”. At MGM he created Droopy, who first appeared in Dumb-Hounded in 1943.
His cartoons are full of wild takes, stretched faces and rapid-fire gags. Exaggeration is one of the 12 principles of animation, and Avery pushed it further than most of his peers.
Avery showed that humour can come from the unexpected. Breaking the rules led him to new ideas. For a business, that means trying an unconventional approach and letting the brand show some fun.
Hayao Miyazaki co-founded Studio Ghibli with Isao Takahata in 1985. He is often called one of the best anime animators of all time. His films include Princess Mononoke (1997) and Spirited Away (2001). Spirited Away won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The Boy and the Heron (2023) won the same award.
His style is known for detailed hand-drawn animation, painted backgrounds and a deep respect for nature. His films explore how people live with nature and how hard it is to stay peaceful in a violent world. Many of his main characters are strong girls or young women.
Studio Ghibli kept drawing by hand while digital ink and paint became part of production. Our guide to cel animation explains that change.
Miyazaki’s films stay true to the values behind them. A brand message works the same way. Build it on values the company actually holds, such as care for the environment, and audiences will notice.
Osamu Tezuka is known as the “god of manga” and the “father of manga”. In 1961 he founded Mushi Production. Its Astro Boy series, first aired in 1963, was the first domestically produced animated program on Japanese television.
Jungle Emperor followed in 1965. In English it is known as Kimba the White Lion. It was the first Japanese animated series produced in full colour.
Tezuka brought cinematic techniques to his work. He used pans, close-ups and zooms to create a sense of motion. His stories took on social issues and the human condition. Anime artists around the world still draw on his work.
Tezuka experimented with genres and formats throughout his career. Businesses can do the same with their content. Astro Boy and Kimba also show the value of characters that audiences relate to across generations.
Brad Bird is an animator and filmmaker known for The Iron Giant, The Incredibles and Ratatouille. He made The Iron Giant (1999) at Warner Bros. Feature Animation. He then moved to Pixar. The Incredibles (2004) and Ratatouille (2007) each won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. He returned for Incredibles 2 in 2018.
Earlier, Bird worked as an executive consultant on The Simpsons for its first eight seasons.
His characters have relatable struggles. His films mix humour, action and emotion, and they speak to children and adults. He is known for close attention to character animation and camera work.
Bird balances humour, action and emotional depth. His characters are flawed but heroic. Even a serious brand can use humour and warmth. His attention to detail shows why craft matters in work that lasts.
Seth MacFarlane studied animation at the Rhode Island School of Design. He then worked at Hanna-Barbera on series such as Johnny Bravo, Dexter’s Laboratory and Cow and Chicken.
He created Family Guy, which first aired in 1999. He voices Peter, Stewie, Brian and Quagmire. He also co-created American Dad! and The Cleveland Show.
His style blends irreverent humour, pop culture references and social commentary. Family Guy is known for its cutaway gags. Some viewers find the humour too edgy. Still, his shows helped prove that cartoons are not just for kids. They opened the way for more adult animated comedies.
MacFarlane writes for a clear audience and does not soften his shows for everyone else. A brand video works best the same way. Decide who it is for and speak to that audience in its own language.
Genndy Tartakovsky is a Russian-American animator born in Moscow. His series Dexter’s Laboratory began in 1996. His style uses bold lines, exaggerated expressions and fast action.
Samurai Jack followed in 2001. Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) won Emmy Awards. Primal began in 2019. It has almost no dialogue and tells its story through action. It won the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program in 2021. He also directed Hotel Transylvania (2012), his first feature film.
His shows prove that stylized 2D animation can carry big action and real emotion.
Primal and Samurai Jack tell stories with few words and simple shapes. Sometimes less is more. A brand video that sticks to the essentials is easier to remember.
Matt Groening is an American cartoonist and animator. He drew the comic strip Life in Hell from 1977 to 2012.
The Simpsons began as shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987. The half-hour series premiered in December 1989. Futurama followed in 1999 and Disenchantment in 2018.
Groening’s style uses bright colours and simple, expressive character designs. The Simpsons family is recognized around the world. His shows pair satire and social commentary with characters people relate to.
Groening’s characters feel familiar, and his stories start conversations. Know your audience and make content about the things they care about.
John Lasseter was one of the founding employees of the Pixar Graphics Group. He won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Tin Toy.
He directed Toy Story (1995), the first computer-animated feature film. He went on to direct A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Cars and Cars 2.
Lasseter later served as chief creative officer of Pixar, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disneytoon Studios. He left Disney at the end of 2018 and has led Skydance Animation since 2019.
Pixar paired new technology with strong stories. Toy Story worked because audiences cared about Woody and Buzz. Brands can use new tools the same way, in service of the story.
Tim Burton began his career at Disney. He worked as an animator, storyboard artist and concept artist on The Fox and the Hound (1981). While there, he made Vincent (1982), a six-minute black-and-white stop-motion short.
He moved into live-action directing with films like Beetlejuice (1988) and Edward Scissorhands (1990). Animation stayed part of his work. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) was directed by Henry Selick and produced by Burton. It is based on Burton’s original story, world and characters. Burton directed the stop-motion films Corpse Bride (2005) and Frankenweenie (2012).
His gothic look, dark humour and whimsical character designs show up in his live-action and animated films alike.
Burton’s work shows the power of a distinct point of view. A brand with a clear identity stands out. Daring to be different leaves a lasting impression.
Walt Disney is the most widely recognized name on this list. With Ub Iwerks, he developed Mickey Mouse in 1928. He won 22 Academy Awards, a record for one person.
Hayao Miyazaki and Osamu Tezuka are the two anime creators on this list. Tezuka’s Astro Boy was the first domestically produced animated program on Japanese television. Miyazaki co-founded Studio Ghibli and directed Spirited Away.
Walt Disney won 22. Hayao Miyazaki won Best Animated Feature for Spirited Away and The Boy and the Heron. Brad Bird won it for The Incredibles and Ratatouille. John Lasseter won Best Animated Short Film for Tin Toy.
Matt Groening created The Simpsons and Futurama. Seth MacFarlane created Family Guy. Genndy Tartakovsky created Dexter’s Laboratory and Samurai Jack. All of these shows use 2D animation.
John Lasseter directed Toy Story (1995) at Pixar. It was the first computer-animated feature film.
Tim Burton made the stop-motion short Vincent (1982). He directed the stop-motion films Corpse Bride (2005) and Frankenweenie (2012).
Animation is the process of creating movement from a sequence of frames. A cartoon is one kind of animated work. It is usually stylized and simplified, and often funny. Our guide to types of animation styles covers the main techniques.
The best animators on this list worked in different countries, decades and styles. Each of them created characters people remember. Each chose a clear style and used the technology of the time to serve the story.
The same ideas apply to a short brand video. At Mammothic Films, we use them in the animated videos we make for companies and nonprofits.
Larry is the Founder and Producer at Mammothic Films, with more than 15 years of production experience. He leads a team that creates story-driven videos for businesses and brands. A marketer, designer, and animator, Larry has overseen the production of more than 1,500 videos for Fujitsu, Logitech, Warner Brothers, NFL, Blockdaemon, Astronomer, Canonical, and 370+ other companies in Canada, the United States, and around the world.
Larry is a devout Christian who believes in placing God first, and that everything else is a blessing that comes from serving Him. When he’s not working, he’s hanging out with his wife and three kids, playing the piano, or sightseeing.
