Summary of video
This video compares the processes of four storyboard artists working in different corners of the animation industry—Disney feature films, Aardman stop-motion, action-comedy TV, and primetime sitcom-style shows like Family Guy. Each artist shares their approach to thumbnails, staging, camera movement, and collaboration, highlighting both the common ground and unique demands of their formats. The insight shows how storyboarding adapts to fit storytelling styles, production pipelines, and audience expectations.
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what’s up everybody it is Jibril Mack with Animation Hustle and today’s video is dedicated to my fellow storyboard artists.
As you guys may or may not know, I draw storyboards, and I thought it’d be cool to put together a video that shows different storyboard artists in different parts of the industry.
We can compare and contrast how their processes are the same and how their processes are different, and hopefully share some insight that helps you guys out.
This kind of stuff would have been really valuable to know when I was getting started, so I wanted to put it together and share it with you.
In this video, you’ll see the process of four different artists who work in four different types of projects within the industry.
First up, there’s Disney story artists who describe the process working on Disney feature films.
We have an Aardman storyboard artist who talks about his process working on Aardman’s stop-motion features.
And then we have two TV storyboard artists: one who works in action comedy, and the other who works in primetime, like Family Guy-type stuff.
It’ll be cool to see how they all balance their work and what they have to think about when storyboarding for these different types of projects.
I’m hyped for you guys to see this—without further ado, let’s jump into it. Here is a storyboard artist process as described by four storyboard artists.
John Anderson – DC Super Hero Girls
My name is John Anderson, I am a storyboard artist on DC Super Hero Girls. In “Bunny Sitting,” Supergirl needs to save Metropolis from being overrun by bunnies.
What I’m gonna start doing is thumbnailing, and I have a page of 12 boxes. I get my script—it says we are in a high angle on the flood of bunnies as it pours through the streets.
There are so many different choices as a storyboard artist you have to make.
They’ve told me it’s a high angle, so probably look down at the street and see a bunch of bunnies. Let’s say those are our bunnies.
Then I look at that and think, well, that’s not that exciting—this is supposed to be an exciting moment. Why don’t we try a different angle? That’s kind of an interesting angle.
Then I think, are the bunnies just going to be moving through here? What if the camera is moving? To show that, I usually just put arrows in there.
I want the bunnies to show up, so I’ll do a little bit of color—let’s call the bunnies pink.
Supergirl flies in—okay, let’s draw Supergirl. We’re looking at her back here, but I probably want to see her face, so maybe we do a cut and see her from a different angle.
Let’s say she’s looking down at the bunnies, cape flying in the wind. Motion lines show movement behind her.
Then she’s going to say her line: “It’s time to take out the adorable trash.” Her mouth is open for that moment.
From there, I take my thumbnails and make them sequential—this will be the start of our animation. One shot at a time: Kara coming in, flying down, things moving.
Then I clean up the shots, putting her more on model—great hair in front of her face, expressive brow, mouth open as she talks, arm placement improved, cape flowing.
We give enough information to the animators so they know the feeling, the emotion, the action.
Ash Body – Aardman Animations
We work closely with the director, who briefs us on a sequence with a page of script. They talk through it—what shots work, what’s needed: crowd, scoreboard, celebrations.
There’s a lot of self-editing at this stage, removing what’s unnecessary.
Initial thumbnails are drawn on large sheets of paper with a Sharpie.
Sometimes we scan them, but often they’re pinned up for reference.
Digitally, I set my canvas to gray and block in with a fat brush where the character will be—quick, no refined detail.
If the character’s looking over here, I block that in. Rough drawings keep proportions consistent, using gray to mark head volume.
From here, I might lower opacity, adjust eyebrows, add whites of eyes to show surprise.
These expressions aren’t necessarily what the animator will use—they’re the clearest to tell the story.
Animators can interpret them later with full acting, but they need to understand the point of the scene through a few clear drawings.
After thumbnails and roughs, a good speed is 50–70 panels per day for a full sequence.
Example: Doug falls into a changing room, soap spirals, sees a football suit pass by, looks up—camera pans to reveal legs sticking out from behind a curtain. A quick gag beat.
Jason Hand – Disney Animation
I’ve been at Disney Animation for 13 years. The premise is to enhance the verbal script through the visual.
For primetime sitcom-style animation, staging mirrors live-action sitcoms: three-quarter front-facing toward an unseen “fourth wall,” characters arranged like Big Bang Theory.
This style originates from multi-camera sitcom filming—cameras A, B, and C shoot full, medium, and close-up shots simultaneously.
Horizon lines cut mid-chest on characters, matching TV camera setups from early television history.
In feature animation, the Disney story team, writers, and directors workshop the film’s story—discussing character, theme, structure, entertainment.
Beats are mapped on whiteboards, constantly updated. Writers turn these into scripts, which are divided among storyboard artists.
Artists read their pages, think about character wants and needs, possible gags, and the clearest staging.
Thumbnails are drawn quickly for exploration, then refined into sequences using storyboard software.
Pitches are made to the whole story team, with drawings projected on a big screen. Dialogue is performed to test pacing, jokes, and clarity.
Feedback is immediate—scenes are “beaten up” to improve them. Artists revise, sometimes multiple times, until sequences work.
Editorial then times drawings with scratch dialogue, sound effects, and temp music for screenings.
Screenings are group events, followed by “story trust” feedback sessions. Good ideas stick, weaker ones are thrown out.
The process repeats—testing, revising, throwing away, improving—until the team agrees it’s the best version possible before moving to layout and animation.