Best Animation Studios in Chicago (2026)

Introduction

These 10 studios are the Chicago animation and motion design teams doing the most consistent work for brands, television and film in 2026. Chicago has a long history of character animation for advertising, much of it commissioned by the big agencies in the Loop and River North, and several studios here still make spots for some of America's best-known cereal and food mascots.

The local scene changed after Technicolor's collapse closed The Mill's Chicago office in early 2025. Thinkingbox opened a Chicago office for its motion studio The Heist in March 2025, led by former Mill creative leaders, and smaller studios picked up work too. Chicago animators also had a prominent public commission this year: Manual Cinema made two films for the Barack Obama Presidential Center, which opened on 19 June 2026.

Every studio here has an active Chicago base in 2026. Chicago is a smaller animation market than New York or Los Angeles, so this list is shorter than others in the series, and it includes studios that mix animation with live action. Studios focused on visual effects sit on our separate VFX list. The list runs in no fixed order of merit.

The best animation studios in Chicago

1. Sarofsky

Independent · Fulton Market · sarofsky.com

Sarofsky is a design-driven studio founded in 2009 by Erin Sarofsky, who remains its executive creative director. It covers 2D and 3D animation, character design, illustration and kinetic typography, with live action and VFX in house. It also runs workshops through Sarofsky Labs.

Its best-known work is main titles. Recent projects on its site include the title sequence for Amazon MGM Studios' Butterfly and work on Superman, following Beef for Netflix and Peacemaker for HBO Max. On the commercial side it made two fully animated CG spots telling patient stories for Penn Medicine.

2. Calabash Animation

Independent · Chicago · calabashanimation.com

Calabash is one of Chicago's oldest animation studios. Ed and Monica Newman founded it as Calabash Productions in the 1980s, and in 2004 long-time staff Wayne Brejcha and Sean Henry bought the business, now Calabash Animation Inc. Brejcha is creative director and Henry executive producer. The studio lists an Academy Award nomination for the 2002 short Stubble Trouble.

Its speciality is brand characters. Calabash has animated Lucky the Leprechaun, Charlie the Tuna and the Trix Rabbit, and does a lot of toy advertising for Hasbro and Spin Master. Recent work includes a Plants vs. Zombies 3 teaser for Electronic Arts and a Nature's Miracle spot, and it works in 2D, 3D and stop motion.

3. Noodle

Independent · Chicago · noodleanimation.com

Noodle is a small motion design and animation studio led by creative director Doug Alberts. It works across 2D and 3D animation, stop motion, illustration, character design and motion systems for brands. In 2025 it won two Collision Awards Golds, one for its Discord safety project and one for a project called Origin.

Clients include Discord, Duolingo, Netflix, Hulu, Target and TED-Ed. Its work has been featured on STASH and It's Nice That. Noodle suits product and tech brands that want an animation style they can reuse across many short pieces.

4. The Heist

Part of Thinkingbox · Chicago · theheist.com

The Heist is the motion design and live action studio of Thinkingbox, the creative network that also includes the strategy agency AntiSocial. It opened its Chicago office in March 2025, after Technicolor's bankruptcy closed The Mill. Patrick Coleman joined from The Mill as executive creative director, overseeing North America from Chicago, with Blake Nickle as director of production.

The studio also works from Los Angeles, Toronto and Vancouver, and covers 2D and 3D animation and live action with post-production in house. Thinkingbox's recent clients include Magic: The Gathering and Dr. Oetker. Ask which Chicago artists will work on your project, since the team can draw on several offices.

5. Manual Cinema

Independent collective · Chicago · manualcinema.com

Manual Cinema was founded in Chicago in 2010 by Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, Ben Kauffman, Julia Miller and Kyle Vegter. It makes films and live shows from handmade shadow puppetry, overhead projectors, live cameras and live music. It won an Emmy in 2017 for The Forger, a film commissioned by The New York Times.

Its shadow puppet sequences appeared in Nia DaCosta's Candyman (2021). In 2026 it delivered two films, Ten Letters a Day and Power of Place, for the Barack Obama Presidential Center, and its stage show The 4th Witch is touring. It suits cultural and institutional clients who want a handmade look.

6. Demo Duck

Independent · West Town · demoduck.com

Demo Duck started in 2011 as an animated explainer studio and now makes animation, live action and mixed media from its studio on West Hubbard Street. It has around 16 staff, mostly in Chicago, with some team members in Austin, Kansas City and Salt Lake City.

Recent work includes a multi-year partnership with Rippling using animation, live action and puppets, an animated insurance series for GEICO, financial explainers for Northwestern Mutual, and health education videos for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. It is a practical choice for software and healthcare companies with complex products to explain.

7. Mode Project

Independent · Chicago · modeproject.com

Mode Project is a Chicago studio of producers, filmmakers, editors, designers and animators, founded in 2002. It combines design and animation with documentary-style live action, and lists Cannes Lions, Emmy, New York Festivals and Telly recognition since it started.

Recent work includes pieces for Emerson Collective's Chicago CRED, HP, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Northwestern Engineering and Acuity Insurance. Past clients include AT&T, Boeing, Nike and Kraft. It suits organisations that want animation and filmed storytelling from one team.

8. Leviathan

Independent · Fulton Market · lvthn.com

Leviathan is a design-led production studio founded in 2010, based on North Aberdeen Street. Its leadership came from digital agencies, VFX and motion studios, and its capabilities run from photoreal CG and motion graphics to broadcast design and interactive development. Recognition includes the One Show, an AICP Next shortlist and Themed Entertainment Association awards.

Much of its work now takes motion design into physical spaces: projection mapping, digital installations, data visualisation walls and branded environments. Clients have included Samsung, Microsoft, Disney, Nintendo, HP and Fox Sports. It is the studio here to consider when the animation has to run on a building or in a venue.

9. Midnight Snack FX

Independent · Chicago · msfx.tv

Midnight Snack FX is a post studio working from Chicago and Los Angeles. Its services cover 2D and 3D animation, motion graphics, compositing, editorial and design, with portfolios split between motion and edit work.

It was among the newer Chicago studios cited in 2025 as taking on animation and effects work in the city after The Mill closed. Its size suits motion graphics, broadcast packages and web content where a nimble team is more useful than a large pipeline.

10. Almost Gold

Independent · West Town · almostgold.com

Almost Gold is a motion, design and colour studio on West Hubbard Street, with Linas Jodwalis among its leaders. It produces animated and designed content for brands and agencies, and handles colour grading in the same building.

That combination is useful for campaigns that mix live action and animation, where the grade and the motion work need to match. Its public site focuses on its reel, so ask for case studies relevant to your category.

What to look for in a Chicago animation studio

Start with the type of animation you need. Character work for a brand mascot calls for animators who draw and act, and Chicago has a long line of them, with Calabash the clearest example. Motion design for a product launch or a title sequence is a different skill, closer to graphic design, which is where studios such as Sarofsky and Noodle are strongest. Some studios do both, but most have a centre of gravity.

Check the size of the team against the schedule. Most Chicago animation studios are boutiques of ten to twenty people, and many bring in freelancers for larger jobs. That works well, but ask who will direct, who will animate and how much of the work stays in house, particularly for a long series or a tight broadcast deadline.

Ask how the studio handles style frames, animatics and rounds of changes, and what is included in the fee. Animation costs rise quickly when changes come late, so agree at the start how many review stages there are and when the design is locked.

Finally, look at how files and feedback move between you and the studio. A single spot produces boards, animatics, character sheets, renders and several cuts. Agree where the latest version will live, how comments are collected and how approvals are recorded, so feedback does not get lost across email threads.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best animation studio in Chicago?

It depends on the job. Calabash has the longest record in brand character animation, Sarofsky is the strongest choice for title sequences and design-led motion, and Noodle won two Collision Awards Golds in 2025 for brand motion work.

Which Chicago studios animate brand mascots?

Calabash Animation is the best known, with work on Lucky the Leprechaun, Charlie the Tuna and the Trix Rabbit. Several other studios on this list make character animation for advertising, but few have a mascot record of that length.

Do Chicago animation studios work on TV and film?

Some do. Sarofsky makes main titles for series such as Beef and Butterfly, and Manual Cinema's shadow puppetry appeared in Candyman (2021). Most Chicago animation work still goes to advertising and branded content.

What is the difference between an animation studio and a VFX studio?

Animation studios create images from scratch, in 2D, 3D or stop motion. VFX studios mostly add to or alter filmed footage, through compositing, CG elements and clean-up. Several Chicago studios do both. For effects-led work see the best VFX studios in Chicago.

How long does an animated spot take to make?

A 30-second animated spot usually takes several weeks, from script and style frames through animatic, animation and final delivery. Character animation and 3D take longer than motion graphics. Ask the studio for a schedule with fixed review points before work starts.

Related lists

Animation studios in other cities: New York · Los Angeles · London · San Francisco · Toronto

More in Chicago: Creative agencies · VFX · Post-production · Video production · Design agencies · Sound design

Run your studio on Fabric: Fabric for creative teams · Fabric for video editors · Best creative proofing tools