The Best Animation Studio in California

For a professionally produced 60 to 90 second 2D video, most companies end up in the low four- to mid-five-figure range, depending on style and complexity. Industry guides put typical professional 2D pricing at roughly $2,000 to $7,000 per minute for marketing-quality work, with high-end campaigns going higher. 

If your budget is tighter, look for an affordable 2D animation studio for marketing that is upfront about what is and is not included so you can adjust scope without killing quality.

Most 60 to 90 second 2D explainers take around 4 to 8 weeks from briefing to final delivery, assuming feedback comes on time. Shorter timeline projects are possible, but they usually mean simpler visuals or fewer revision rounds. The big time drivers are script approvals, the number of characters and scenes, and how polished you want the animation to look.

You mainly need three things: your business goal, a rough budget range, and a simple explanation of what you want to say. A studio can help turn that into a script, storyboard, and visual style, so you do not need to arrive with a finished idea. Bringing any brand guidelines, past campaigns, or reference videos will just help them lock onto your style faster.

Yes, 2D animation can be a very smart move for startups because it explains what you do in under a minute and looks far more professional than quick DIY content. A single well-made explainer can live on your homepage, pitch deck, social ads, and investor presentations. When you look for the best 2D animation services for startups USA, focus on studios that understand funnels, not just pretty drawings.

Focus on three things before you sign: do you like their portfolio, do they show a clear step-by-step process, and can they prove results with case studies or testimonials? Guides on choosing animation studios all emphasize portfolio fit, communication, and process transparency as key checks. When you hire a professional 2D animation company online, hop on a call, ask how they handle feedback, and see if they actually listen or just hard sell.

A solid package normally covers concept or strategy, scriptwriting, storyboarding, design and illustration, animation, sound design or voiceover, and at least one or two revision rounds at each key stage. Many B2B focused studios describe a similar end-to-end pipeline, from early brief all the way to final export for web and social. 

If you are comparing quotes, make sure you are looking at the same scope of custom 2D animated video production for businesses, not just the final runtime.

In most commercial projects, you have the right to use the final video everywhere you agreed to once the invoice is paid. However, studios often keep the underlying source files and project files unless you specifically negotiate for them, which can affect future edits. Always check the contract for license terms, territories, and whether usage is unlimited or time-bound.

For most marketing, well-designed 2D animation is more than enough to make tech and B2B products feel premium and easy to understand. Many high-performing explainer campaigns for SaaS, fintech, and complex products use 2D because it is clearer, faster to produce, and more budget-friendly than 3D. 

3D is great for photo-realistic product visuals, but it is not required for a strong brand presence.

Most studios build 1 to 3 revision rounds into each stage, for example, on script, storyboard, and style frames, so that you can correct the course early. Extra rounds or big scope changes usually cost more, not because they are picky, but because they mean more production time. The safest move is to ask up front how many revisions are included and when feedback deadlines are, then stick to them.

Yes, a good studio will happily plug into your existing marketing or agency setup as long as you appoint one main decision maker on your side. They can share boards, style frames, and cuts in your existing tools, follow your brand guidelines, and coordinate with copy or media teams. The key is to centralize feedback and approvals so the animation team is not juggling five conflicting opinions at once.