Among many animation styles that have emerged lately, 2D animation — a timeless approach known for decades – remains one of the most important mediums for reaching different audiences. For businesses, standing out isn’t just about what to say — it’s about how to say it. Therefore, more companies are turning to 2D animation studios to bring their ideas to life. From explainer videos to marketing cartoons that connect emotionally, 2D animation helps brands engage their audiences.
However, choosing 2D animation studios for hire is far from simple. Your marketing efforts, corporate training, or product video depend on selecting the right partner to shape your project’s success. To make a proper choice, you need to know what makes a good animation studio and what the best ones out there are.
This article will explore the best animation studios shaping the industry standards. 🚀
Summary
- The evolution of 2D animation studios
- How to choose a 2D animation studio?
- 15 leading 2D animation studios in the industry
- How “Blue Carrot” can help your business
- FAQ
The evolution of 2D animation studios
As previously stated, 2D animation has a long history and has changed drastically. In its early days, it was a manual process mainly used for creating cartoons due to its high cost and complexity. Artists drew every frame by hand, and its application was more relevant to large-budget productions.
What happened to hand-drawn animation when the world entered the digital era? First of all, animation is way more affordable now. The abundance of automation tools has opened up more creative possibilities for artists.
Various 2D software tools allowed studios to transition and streamline their workflows. In turn, it opened doors to new industries. Today, 2D animation is a go-to tool for online advertising, commercial videos, and explainer videos.
How to choose a 2D animation studio?
Before we look at the best 2D animation studios list, let’s talk about choosing the right animation vendor for your needs. So, what is a good animation studio? A typical answer usually spins around “the best crew” — designers or animators with the most advanced tools.
Based on our observations, the best studio balances many aspects of their work — from high-level expertise to goal awareness, unique creative approach, and communication.
When selecting the right 2D animation studio for your project, several key factors can make or break your decision. Here’s what to look for:
📌 Vast portfolio
Look for a studio with a solid portfolio that has worked on similar projects. Their previous work should show they can deliver quality results consistently, especially in the selected industry or type of animation.
📌 Marketing goals focus
An agency must understand a video is just a tool, not the ultimate goal. Marketing results always come first; clients need videos to achieve specific marketing objectives. Ask what measurable results they’ve delivered for their clients.
📌 Animation styles arsenal
The versatility of the creative team matters — it is proof that various technical abilities back up their creative visions. You can trust their vision if they’ve worked in many industries with different animation styles. For instance, if you plan to outsource your e-learning content development, ensure your chosen company is proficient in other spheres.
📌 Storytelling skills
Technical expertise is the backbone of the best 2D animation studios, but without storytelling and emotion-triggering techniques, it loses its overall value. Why? Any marketing goal includes getting a specific reaction from the target audience. Today, it is vital to break through the noise and make people care about your words.
📌 Service range
Top 2D animation studios are usually full-cycle companies, taking care of all the processes, from script creation to finding the right voice-over artist for your video and the audience. Since a single team handles the entire process, you’ll see a cohesive and consistent outcome.
📌 Transparency and proactivity
It is only possible to expect excellent results if the two parties’ communication is open. There should be no unexpected turns in an animation studio’s flow and deliverables. Every process should be understandable and clearly communicated.
Proactivity is another sign of a good animation studio. A studio doesn’t have to wait for a client to check the current process; it should update the client regularly and offer solutions based on the client’s needs.
📌 Client reviews
Client reviews are one of the best ways to learn about a studio’s approaches to work, collaboration skills, project management, etc. A professional team is most likely to rank highly on review platforms like Clutch, TrustPilot, Dribble, and others.
15 leading 2D animation studios in the industry
Discover the top animation studios shaping 2D animation with this curated list of 15 industry-leading studios:
#1 Blue Carrot
Blue Carrot is a full-service agency established in 2014, specializing in marketing video production and educational content creation. Our company brings together two key strengths — educating and inspiring audiences.
On the marketing side, Blue Carrot guides clients in selecting the right animation for their needs and handles production from the first point to the finish. The agency creates videos that touch the heart, share humor, and convey the purpose of businesses, turning their marketing and learning objectives into great stories. This video production company also provides a full spectrum of services for e-learning purposes — from designing comprehensive online courses to localizing existing educational materials for diverse audiences.
Blue Carrot offers a comprehensive approach to creating videos for every stage of a marketing funnel. Not to boast, but the experience is impressive — the company’s portfolio consists of over 300 works in various animation styles. Among happy clients are top universities, NGOs, and Fortune 500 companies. Based on 35+ Clutch reviews, Blue Carrot is rated as a 5-star animation studio.
👉 Specializations
Marketing video production & Educational content creation. 2D & 3D & Live.
👉 Clients
DNB, United Nations, Takeda, Charite, University of Southern California, Air Products.
#2 Explainify
One of the most trusted animation vendors that produces high-quality commercial videos. They’ve created personalized storytelling pieces to engage various audiences and produced exceptional videos for healthcare, education, biotech, and other industries. Explainify is one of the top performers in the industry with global recognition for their work.
👉 Specialization
Commercial animation, telecommunications, media and entertainment
👉 Clients
MGA Systems, DevSquad, Panasonic, Bayhealth.
#3 Yum Yum Videos
A 2D animation studio specializing in creating custom-tailored videos with 12 years of experience on the market. Trusted by global brands, they focus on both small projects and enterprises. Yum Yum videos boast great reviews on Clutch, Google, and Trustpilot.
👉 Specializations
Animated marketing videos, tutorials, how-to-videos, and whiteboard animation.
👉 Clients
Amazon, McKesson Corporation, American Express, Vodafone, Red Bull.
#4 BluBlu Studios
An animation, design-driven studio famous in the industry for its creative solutions. They are known for delivering top-notch results for their clients and being awarded the prestigious Sundance Prize. All of their works are of the highest animation quality standards. Their goal is “to create impactful, visually striking, and audience-hooking animations.”
👉 Specializations
Brand, product & explainer videos, video series, illustrations, commercials.
👉 Clients
Lenovo, IBM, Nestle, Forbes, Visa.
#5 Wyzowl
One of the best 2D animation companies specializing in delivering top-notch explainer videos. Wyzowl has been in the market since 2011, and they’ve created over 3,000 videos for over 1,500 companies in over 40 countries. They have worldwide service and the ability to work in many animation styles.
👉 Specializations
Explainer and commercial videos.
👉 Clients
AppToPay, SalesMath, SessionCam.
#6 Pigeon Studio
With a decade in the animation industry, this European animation studio has a unique design-driven style. Pigeon Studio has created animation commercials for businesses, marketing agencies, government organizations, and top global companies.
👉 Specializations
2D & 3D animation.
👉 Clients
Honda, Vintem, Infinitum X.
#7 Kasra Design
Kasra Design is an award-winning explainer video animation company based in Malaysia, Singapore, and the United States. With customer service as the priority, they’ve created custom-made videos for top businesses worldwide. Kasra Desing is one of the best animation production companies globally, and it’s full of animation and independent film awards.
👉 Specializations
2D & 3D animation.
👉Clients
Intel, Grab, HP, WWF.
#8 Thinkmojo
Founded in 2011, this studio has vast experience working with different animation styles. They mix animation with live-action videos when their clients need them. With various educational, commercial, and editorial pieces in its portfolio, Thinkmojo is on the list of top animation teams.
👉 Specializations
Motion graphic animation, marketing animation.
👉 Clients
Fico, LinkedIn, Lattice, OpenSea, Zendesk.
#9 Demo Duck
A team of experienced marketers, advertisers, writers, animators, designers, editors, directors, and producers. They are known for taking animation to a whole new level of creativity. Their studio portfolio is impressive, proving they are following and creating animation trends.
👉 Specializations
Animation and Live action.
👉 Clients
Weizmann Institute, IMB, Zocdoc.
#10 Shoot You
One of the most experienced studios on our list. Founded in 2000, the company has witnessed many giant changes in the industry and seamlessly adapted. Today, Shoot You is known for creative solutions for companies worldwide. They’ve expanded over the years and delivered many services beyond 2D animation.
👉 Specializations
2D/3D, stop-motion, hand-drawn animation, brand films.
👉 Clients
Aggreko, Willis Towers Watson, State Street.
#11 The Motion Story
A small studio that delivers big projects. They often use storytelling and powerful animation to bring brand stories to life. They value projects that can create positive change, so they partner with many global companies and organizations with shared values. With more than 150 completed projects, they are a trusted partner for many clients.
👉 Specializations
2D & 3D animation, AR and VR.
👉 Clients
United Nations, BatNav, Gillette, Colgate.
#12 Sandwich Video
Companies that specialize in both animation and live-action are rare. However, when you find them, expect an unexpected blend of techniques and powerful final results. This is exactly what Sandwich Video does — making complex products easy to understand. They call themselves “tech-obsessed filmmakers at heart,” and it’s hard to argue with that statement once you see their work.
👉 Specializations
2D & 3D animations.
👉 Clients
Playdate, Lumos, Fairmint.
#13 Art&Graft
A renowned creative studio based in London. Diverse in their animation services and capabilities, Art&Graft has created extraordinary artistry for top brands globally. Their portfolio consists of character-driven animations blended with brand visions at their core.
👉 Specializations
2D animations, live action.
👉 Clients
Google, Meta, Ford.
#14 Digital Spark Studios
A small animation company focusing on 2D branded stories and corporate video production. Despite having only under 10 employees, this team has been fruitfully working in the animation industry for over a decade. The company focuses on high-quality video content that can be used for different goals across industries.
👉 Specialization
2D & 3D animation, live action.
👉 Clients
Lesux, CVS, Orbis, Hoover, CTE.
#15 Bearded Fellows
Under such a humorous name hides another small team with many big names in their portfolio. The studio was founded in 2012 and, since then, has evolved into a true powerhouse. Bearded Fellows delivers high-quality animation videos and learning and development content pieces for B2B and B2C clients today.
👉 Specialization
Film, 2D animation, motion design.
👉 Clients
Kaplan, Roche, BBC Sounds, Tesco.
How “Blue Carrot” can help your business
Blue Carrot offers 2D animation solutions for businesses worldwide. Founded in 2014, we almost immediately provided a full-cycle production approach. Today, we handle everything from helping clients choose the right style and type of video to guiding them through the production process.
We have a proven track record of delivering high-ROI content tailored to diverse business needs, including:
- Promo Videos: Perfect for product launches and marketing campaigns.
- Explainer Videos: Simplify complex ideas with custom-made animations.
- E-learning Content: Make training materials and tutorials more efficient.
- Corporate Videos: Strengthen internal and external communications.
In one of our 2D animation cases for Supplyframe, we successfully broke down a niche tech product for a broader audience — a challenge many tech companies face when establishing clarity around complex offerings. Thanks to our comprehensive storytelling, we have emphasized the potential positive impact of the client’s solution on its industry.
Blue Carrot brings heart, humor, and purpose to every project. Our professional 2D animation services offer a cost-effective way to achieve higher conversions. At the same time, our experience in the industry and perfect understanding of its standards allows us to deliver top-notch results.
If you have any questions regarding 2D animation or want to schedule a free consultation, contact our team!
Final thoughts
Choosing the right animation production partner for your business can be challenging. However, once you know the criteria, you can make an informed and rational decision to suit your company with the best vendor on the market. Besides, with the list of the top animation companies, you may already have seen your perfect choice.
To sum it all up, most of the best animation studios excel in various styles, have unmatched industry experience, and are strict with quality control.
FAQ
✅ What should I look for in a 2D animation studio?
When choosing a 2D animation studio, check client reviews and explore award lists, such as those on DesignRush or Behance, to discover studios recognized for their excellence. Consider studios’ versatility in delivering various types of animation and ensure they have a clear communication framework for a smooth collaboration.
✅ How much does a 2D animation project typically cost?
A 2D animation project can range from $1,000 to $5,000+ per minute, depending on factors like video length, animation complexity, and the agency’s expertise. At Blue Carrot, we believe there’s no one-size-fits-all pricing — the final quote can adjust up or down based on your project’s unique needs and goals.
✅ How long does it take to create a 2D animation video?
The typical timeline is a month. However, every studio has its own timeframes; each project may take more or less time, depending on its complexity.
