How Animated Videos Are Made: The Animation Production Process, Step by Step

An animated video might look simple on screen. A character gestures, a chart comes to life or a complicated idea is explained in a few seconds. But there’s a fair bit of work behind it, from planning and scripting to design, animation and sound.

Understanding how the process works helps you plan your project, give useful feedback and avoid unnecessary delays.

Here’s how an animated video goes from an initial idea to the finished film.

Step 1: The brief and goals

Before getting started, the animation studio needs to understand who the video is for, what it needs to achieve and where it’ll be used. That might be on a website, across social media or in a sales presentation.

This usually starts with a conversation between the animation studio and the client to get everyone on the same page.

The clearer the goal, the easier it is to make the right creative decisions. “Explain our service to first-time customers in 60 seconds” gives the team a much better starting point than “make a cool animation”.

Step 2: The script

Once the brief is agreed on, it’s time to write the script. Most animated videos are relatively short, so every word needs to earn its place. As a rough guide, a one minute video will usually have around 130 to 150 words of voiceover.

A good script sticks to one main message, uses plain language and gives the viewer a clear next step where appropriate.

It’s also worth keeping the visuals in mind from the start. Animation gives you plenty of ways to get information across, such as infographics and text on screen, so there’s no need to spell out every detail in the voiceover.

Step 3: The storyboard

The storyboard maps out what the viewer will see, scene by scene, alongside the script. Think of it as a comic book version of your video.

It’s one of the best opportunities to make changes before production gets too far along. Moving a scene around at this stage is much easier than reworking a finished animation.

With the storyboard, you’ll want to check that the story flows, the visuals make sense and each scene supports what’s being said in the script.

Step 4: Style and design

With the storyboard approved, the team starts working out how the video will look.

Designers create style frames, which are finished examples of the visual style. These establish things like the colours, characters, fonts and overall look and feel of the animation.

Once the style is approved, the team creates the artwork needed for the full video, including characters, backgrounds, icons and other graphic elements.

Step 5: Voiceover and sound

If the video uses a voiceover, this is ideally recorded before the animation begins. You’ll generally have the chance to approve the voice and delivery first, as the timing of the recording helps shape the animation.

Music and sound effects are also considered at this stage, although the final sound mix usually comes later.

Step 6: Animation

This is where everything starts to come together. Animators bring the artwork to life, adding movement to characters, shapes, text and other elements, scene by scene.

Timing is important here. Every movement needs to work with the voiceover and music, while keeping the video clear and engaging.

The studio will usually share a draft for feedback once there’s enough of the animation in place to see how the video is working as a whole.

Step 7: Review and revisions

Once you’ve received the draft, it’s time to review it and provide feedback.

It’s worth sharing the video with everyone who needs to have a say, then gathering their comments into one clear list before sending them back to the animation studio. This avoids conflicting feedback and makes the revision process much smoother.

Be as specific as you can about what needs changing and why. Most projects include an agreed number of revision rounds, so clear feedback helps keep things on track.

Step 8: Final delivery

With the revisions complete, the animation company finishes the sound mix and exports the video in the formats you need.

That might include a high-quality version for your website, shorter edits for social media or vertical versions for mobile viewing. Captions can also be added to make the video easier to follow with the sound off.

The aim is to have a finished video that’s ready to use wherever your audience needs to see it.

How long does animation production take?

It depends on the length of the video, the style of animation and how much detail is involved. A short, relatively simple animation might take a few weeks, while longer or more complex projects can take considerably more time.

The approval process also makes a difference. Delays in signing off the script, design or storyboard can push the whole schedule back.

Making the process run smoothly

Good animation takes planning, but it doesn’t need to be complicated for the client. The best way to keep things moving is to agree on the goal early, make key decisions before production gets underway and have one main point of contact to coordinate feedback and approvals.

At Pickle Pictures, we guide you through the entire process, from the initial idea and script through to design, animation and final delivery. If you’re looking for Animated video production, we’ll help you work out what you need and bring it all together. With a clear plan and good communication, the process can be straightforward, and the end result is a video that does the job it’s meant to do.