Senior Animator

The multi‑Oscar‑winning creative Film & Episodic Studio at Framestore has worked with some of the greatest storytellers in film today. Collaborating with directors and producers across the complete filmmaking process to help design, plan and create beautiful images, we focus on finding innovative creative solutions to support their vision and set new standards for visual effects in cinema. Framestore combines talent and technology to bring life to everything we create. Driven by creativity and inspired by the future, we set out every day to reframe the possible.

About the role

As a Senior Animator, you will be a key creative force in breathing life, weight, and personality into complex three‑dimensional characters and photorealistic creatures. You’ll jump straight into the heart of our storytelling, crafting everything from nuanced, emotional facial expressions to epic, high‑action combat performances. If you have a passion for mastering complex anatomy and love the challenge of making mythical beasts—whether they walk, fly, or breathe fire—while remaining grounded in reality, this is the place to do it.

What you’ll do:

• Collaborate closely with your Animation Lead and Supervisor to produce premium, story‑driven animation that elevates the pacing and style of the film.
• Partner with our Rigging and Pipeline teams, sharing direct feedback to refine character setups, enhance visual quality and build smoother tool workflows.
• Animate both primary and secondary characters, ensuring every element in the frame possesses authentic motion and soul.
• Take ownership of your workflow, keeping production schedules transparent and hitting your deadlines consistently.
• Mentor and support less senior artists, sharing your craft and helping them grow their skills.
• Actively tackle creative changes and follow through constructively on supervisor notes and technical feedback.

Qualifications:

• Significant experience animating on large‑scale, photorealistic VFX projects, with a showreel that highlights exceptional creature and character performances.
• Deep production knowledge of Maya.
• A natural grasp of physical motion, weight, balance, and spatial awareness.
• A strong foundation in human and animal anatomy, which underpins how you animate complex fantasy muscle structures and locomotion.
• An understanding of character rigs, animation pipelines, and data transfer between production tools.
• Clear, constructive communication and a genuinely collaborative approach to working across distributed pipeline teams.
• Adaptability, an open mind for direction, and a calm, reliable focus when deadlines approach.

You might also have:

• Experience working with, clean‑up, or editing of motion capture data.
• A traditional background in sketching, life drawing, or classic 2D animation.
• A working knowledge of Modelling or basic scripting (Python/MEL) to streamline workflows.

Our London studio is fully accessible, with step‑free entry, accessible toilets on all floors, and quiet spaces available. We are committed to supporting disabled colleagues and providing an inclusive workplace for everyone.