Also called: Stop-Frame Animator
Moves physical puppets a tiny bit at a time, taking a photo after each move, to create animation.
A stop-motion animator might spend a whole day on a few seconds of film, moving a puppet's fingers, eyelids, and mouth by millimeters for every single frame. Studios like Laika in Oregon make full features this way.
Approximate; few studios but steady commercial work.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Animation degree or apprenticeship; patience required.
Ways in: 4-year college, Apprenticeship, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Animation, Fine Arts, Sculpture.
Growing slowly. Tiny niche, but beloved and stable at a few studios.
Low risk for 10 years. Moving real puppets frame by frame is physical craft; AI may mimic the look, but handmade stop-motion keeps a loyal niche.
Classes: Art (sculpture), Film/video production CTE, Physics, Theater.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-1014.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.