ROLE OVERVIEW
We are seeking a master of movement, a virtuoso of physical comedy, and an animator who understands that the soul of our stories lives in the elasticity of our rigs. As a Senior Character Animator, you will breathe tactile, clay-like life into our growing cast of mischievous characters. You’ll bridge the gap between traditional stop-motion aesthetics and cutting-edge 3D pipelines, creating animation that feels delicious, squishy, and wonderfully alive.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
- Animate high-fidelity character sequences with a strong focus on weight, squash-and-stretch, and physical slapstick comedy.
- Collaborate closely with our rigging and visual development teams to push the expressive capabilities of our clay-shaded digital meshes.
- Establish animation benchmarks and style guides for new intellectual properties, ensuring consistent character behavior.
- Mentor junior animators, helping them master Toonfic’s specific philosophy of beautiful, physics-defying movement.
- Participate in collaborative storyboarding, gag-writing, and visual brainstorming sessions across Brooklyn and Seoul teams.
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
- 5+ years of experience animating characters for episodic television, feature films, high-end commercials, or stylized games.
- A spectacular portfolio demonstrating a profound understanding of classic stop-motion timing and retro cartoon kinematics.
- Expert mastery of Autodesk Maya, Blender, or equivalent 3D animation environments.
- Strong command of non-verbal storytelling, facial acting, and physical comedy choreography.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills to sync seamlessly with our multi-cultural, bi-continental studio environment.
NICE TO HAVE
- Experience working with physical mediums like oil clay, stop-motion armatures, or traditional cel-animation.
- Familiarity with Python or custom scripting pipelines in Maya/Blender to streamline animation workflows.
- A deep, borderline-obsessive collection of designer vinyl toys, vintage comics, or retro animation memorabilia.