Top Animation Trends 2025: What Creators and Brands Need to Know Now

As we move deeper into the digital era, the world of animation is experiencing a creative and technological revolution. From the tools used to craft visually stunning content to the storytelling styles that captivate global audiences, animation trends 2025 are reshaping how creators and brands engage with viewers. Whether you're an independent animator, a marketing agency, or a content producer, understanding these trends is key to staying ahead.

This year, new tools like Toon Boom Animate, the strategic use of animatics, and the explosive growth of animatedvideos across social platforms are driving this transformation. Let's explore how these trends are influencing the animation industry in 2025—and how you can leverage them to create content that resonates.

1. The Rise of Short-Form AnimatedVideos

One of the most significant animation trends in 2025 is the dominance of short-form content. With platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts commanding billions of views daily, audiences now expect bite-sized videos that deliver value quickly. This trend has given rise to a new wave of animatedvideos that are not only entertaining but also educational and brand-driven.

Businesses and creators are using short-form animation for:

• Product tutorials

• Explainer clips

• Brand storytelling

• Social media marketing

Tools like Toon Boom Animate empower creators to produce these videos efficiently, offering advanced rigging, timeline control, and seamless export options tailored to mobile formats.

2. Animatics Are Back—and Smarter Than Ever

Animatics, once seen as rough pre-visualizations, are now being embraced as a crucial part of the animation process. In 2025, animatics go beyond simple sketches; they’re smarter, more dynamic, and integrated into the entire production pipeline.

Modern animatics serve multiple purposes:

• Visualizing complex sequences early in production

• Testing pacing and dialogue timing

• Aligning teams on story direction before full animation begins

The rise of collaborative, cloud-based animation tools allows studios to create animatics that include voiceovers, temporary soundtracks, and camera moves. This gives stakeholders a clearer vision of the final product, reducing revisions and saving time.

Using Toon Boom Animate, animators can easily transition from animatics to final production, as the software allows for scene continuity, frame annotations, and layer-by-layer adjustments.

3. 2D Animation is Thriving—Thanks to Toon Boom Animate

While 3D animation continues to grow in cinematic and gaming industries, 2D animation is experiencing a renaissance in online content, educational media, and brand storytelling. Toon Boom Animate is at the heart of this revival, giving animators the power to craft traditional frame-by-frame animation with digital ease.

Some reasons 2D animation remains a favorite in 2025:

• It's nostalgic and emotionally resonant

• It offers a unique hand-crafted aesthetic

• It’s more cost-effective for short- to mid-length projects

• It allows for greater stylization and character expression

With Toon Boom Animate, artists gain access to powerful rigging tools, onion skinning, vector drawing, and bitmap painting—all in one streamlined environment. Whether you're animating a web series, a business explainer, or a marketing ad, this tool enhances efficiency without compromising quality.

4. AI-Powered Animation Workflows

Artificial intelligence is redefining animation workflows in 2025. AI isn’t here to replace animators but to assist them in speeding up repetitive processes, enhancing creative possibilities, and ensuring smarter production cycles.

Key AI applications include:

• Auto in-betweening (generating frames between two poses)

• Lip-syncing voiceovers

• Background generation

• Real-time character rigging

These features are already being integrated into tools like Toon Boom Animate, making it easier for creators to spend more time on storytelling and less on tedious frame adjustments.

5. Animation for Business and Education

Animatedvideos are no longer confined to entertainment. In 2025, businesses, startups, and educators increasingly use animation to deliver information in a more digestible and memorable way.

Examples include:

• Financial institutions using animated explainers for onboarding

• Healthcare providers offering animated PSAs

• Teachers using animated tutorials for remote or hybrid classrooms

Why this works:

• Animation simplifies complex topics

• It improves information retention

• It’s visually engaging across all age groups

Creators using Toon Boom Animate and well-planned animatics can develop powerful educational or promotional animatedvideos that cater to niche audiences while maintaining a professional look.

6. Personalized Animated Content

With the growth of data-driven marketing and content personalization, animation trends in 2025 are also leaning toward customized animated experiences. Brands now produce animatedvideos that adapt based on user preferences, locations, or behavior.

This trend is prominent in:

• Email marketing with animated GIFs

• Interactive video ads

• Personalized learning paths in e-learning platforms

Creating these flexible formats requires an agile production process. That’s where tools like Toon Boom Animate and animatics help creators plan alternate story paths or modular animation components that can be mixed and matched.

7. Globalization and Multilingual Animation

Animation is one of the few storytelling mediums that transcends language barriers. In 2025, more creators are localizing content to reach diverse markets. This means producing animatedvideos in multiple languages, with culturally relevant characters and themes.

With streamlined workflows in Toon Boom Animate, teams can create multilingual versions of their projects by:

• Swapping out lip-syncing

• Adjusting voice tracks

• Customizing cultural elements in scenes

Planning these adaptations early in the animatics stage helps ensure that the final product feels natural and relatable to each target audience.

Final Thoughts: Embrace the Animation Revolution

From tech upgrades to creative experimentation, animation trends in 2025 are all about flexibility, speed, and connection. With the right tools and mindset, animators and brands can produce content that not only keeps up with audience expectations but also inspires, educates, and entertains.

To succeed, creators should:

• Embrace tools like Toon Boom Animate for streamlined, high-quality production

• Use animatics to plan and test ideas before full production

• Invest in short-form and personalized animatedvideos to meet modern content demands

The future of animation is dynamic and full of possibility—and with these trends, you're well-equipped to bring your stories to life.