For decades, the feature animation biz has consisted of just one model: studio-run animation houses that employ a roughly consistent number of animators who move from project to project.  That model continues today at Disney's Pixar and Walt Disney Feature Animation, DreamWorks Animation, Fox's Blue Sky Studios and Sony Pictures Animation. Because they bear the cost of staying active on an ongoing basis and try to push the envelope on technology and artistry, they typically spend well over $100 million on each project. 

But this year, for the first time, saw several toons with a different model: animators hired on a contract basis to work on a single project while using off-the-shelf technology. The results of this effort to get a piece of the hot CG market are films like Paramount's "Barnyard" and WB's "The Ant Bully," which cost roughly $50 million.

The entire article appears in Variety . 

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