Review of the Scottish Animation Sector

This is the first comprehensive review of the animation sector in Scotland and develops a holistic snapshot of the sector across production, skills training, education and watching Scottish animation.

Some of our key findings were:

• The sector is made up of a small number of deeply passionate and talented professionals, producing high-quality work, including BAFTA winning and nominated work.

• With fewer than 50 animation companies, most of them employing 2-3 people, the sector struggles to achieve a critical mass of companies, studios and individuals to develop a sustainable industry

• These smaller companies struggle with the ‘feast or famine’ work cycle created by their limited capacity – they are often too busy working on one project to pursue or develop other work.

• New animators need more opportunities to hone their skills and scale up their work. We recommend a production initiative to bridge the gap between shorts and long-form production.

• Scottish universities and colleges deliver aware-winning and high ranking courses at a variety of levels. However, there is a training gap in developing industry-ready talent and better connection between education and industry is needed.

• Scotland struggles to retain the high-quality talent it develops; many new graduates pursue work in London or further abroad.

Our interviews and consultations revealed an inspiring passion and commitment to the sector. Despite the challenges there is a sense of untapped potential and excitement among Scottish animators. Many of our recommendations suggest building on this energy to more effectively advocate for the sector and support more collaboration amongst Scottish animation companies.

“The review gives a great summary of the diverse animation ecosystem in Scotland and highlights the need for everyone across Government, Broadcast, Education and Industry to work closely together to build on the huge potential that this sector holds.” – Ken Anderson, Red Kite Animation.

The full report can be downloaded below.