Why Great Animation Doesn't Need a London Postcode

There's an old assumption in the creative industries that if you want the best work, you need to be in London.

For a long time, that assumption made sense.

London brought together agencies, brands, directors, designers, animators, producers and production companies in one enormous creative ecosystem.

But animation has changed.

And so has the way animation studios work.

The tools changed first

Modern animation production is incredibly connected.

A storyboard can be shared with a client instantly. Animation can be reviewed remotely. Designers and animators can collaborate across cities. A production can be managed digitally from the first idea to the final delivery.

The technology doesn't care where the studio is.

Neither does the audience.

They only care whether the film is good.

Then the industry changed

The creative industry is no longer concentrated entirely within London's boundaries.

There are excellent animation studios and independent creative teams throughout the UK.

Brighton has a particularly strong creative community. So do Bristol, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and many other cities.

That gives agencies and brands something valuable:

choice.

Instead of starting with geography and then finding the right studio, you can start with the creative problem and find the right people to solve it.

We're a good example

Cub Studio used to be a London animation studio.

Now we're based in Brighton.

That hasn't stopped us working with London clients.

We've continued collaborating with agencies, brands, broadcasters and creative teams across the capital and internationally.

In fact, moving away from London has reinforced something we already believed:

The work matters more than the postcode.

We still love London. We still visit. We still have strong connections there.

We're just not paying London rent to make animation.

Does that mean London doesn't matter?

Absolutely not.

London remains one of the world's most important creative cities.

If you're an agency or brand based there, you have access to an extraordinary creative ecosystem.

But the ecosystem is bigger than the city.

And that's particularly useful when you're commissioning animation.

Perhaps you need a character animation studio with a particular style. Perhaps you need a team that understands comedy. Perhaps you're looking for a studio that can take a project from script through storyboards, design and animation.

Those requirements are more important than whether the studio's front door is in Soho or Brighton.

The future of the animation studio

We think the future is less about where a studio is based and more about what it can bring together.

The right people.

The right ideas.

The right creative process.

The right technology.

And, most importantly, the right attitude to making the work.

So if your search starts with “London animation studio”, that's absolutely fine.

Just don't let the search box make the creative decision for you.

Great animation doesn't need a London postcode.

It just needs a great team.