Animation Characters and Rigs

Expand Your Imagination with these Exclusive Characters

Acting Characters

AIA

Aia is a passionate artist, an action hero, and an investigative journalist ready to jump into any animated scene. Aia’s character rig is highly customizable with a full range of facial controls, and is great for any acting shot.

Get access beginning in our Introduction to Acting class.

ARISTOTLE

Aristotle can take on many roles, from loveable sidekick to Frankenstein’s monster. This character rig has varied customization options, which allows for diverse gender presentation and creative character depictions.

Get access beginning in our Introduction to Acting class.

DARIUS

Darius is ready to tackle any role, from a supportive teacher to an action star to a talented musician. This rig is a joy to animate with and is highly expressive, allowing animators to create powerful and engaging performances.

Get access beginning in our Introduction to Acting class.

JULES

Jules can be a sensitive friend ready to share a quiet moment, or a playful goofball ready to share a laugh. This character is very expressive, allowing for a high level of nuanced performance. Jules is a tribute to a passionate animator.

Get access beginning in our Introduction to Acting class.

MOYA

Moya can be an approachable and friendly character, or take on the role of a strong commander. She’s great for dialogue shots and is a welcome addition to our acting character lineup.

Get access beginning in our Introduction to Acting class.

QUINN

Quinn is an adorable and playful child, ready to jump into any adventure. This flexible character rig offers a number of customization options, including flexible gender presentation. Quinn is a fun addition to our family of acting characters.

Get access beginning in our Introduction to Acting class.

VIKTOR

Viktor can be a tall imposing character, or a mild, down-to-earth gentleman. His flexibility allows him to fit nicely into many of our students’ animation shots and stories.

Get access beginning in our Introduction to Acting class.

Body Mechanics Characters

SQUIRRELS

Squirrels is a basic and mischievous rig. This character teaches personality and movement with easy-to-use Autodesk Maya controls.

Squirrels is FREE to the public. Download Squirrels now.

STEWART

Stewart is a rig for all levels. This rig is great for exploring physical movement, as well as dyanamic and exciting action sequences. Built to emphasize body mechanics and teach students how to animate hips, chest and torso, Stewart is a great starting place for any character animator.

Stewart is FREE to the public. Download Stewart now.

BIRD BALL

A basic rig and member of the Animation Mentor Tribe. Long legs allow students to explore walks, before moving onto advanced bipedal characters.

Get access beginning in our Animation Basics class.

BLIP

You can get great character and personality out of this little mech character, perfect for quadruped and body mechanics animation.

Get access beginning in our Introduction to Acting class or Creature Animation workshops.

MONSTER BALL

Monster Ball is a fun and playful creature, who exemplifies the use of the 12 principles of animation. This character teaches overlapping action as well as squash and stretch.

Get access beginning in our Animation Basics class.

PINKY

An impish member of the Animation Mentor Tribe. Limited facial controls let students focus on mastering body mechanics.

Get access beginning in our Advanced Body Mechanics class.

ROCK

An impish member of the Animation Mentor Tribe. Limited facial controls let students focus on mastering body mechanics.

Get access beginning in our Advanced Body Mechanics class.

SARGE

Sarge is a great addition to the Crew line. A full armored character ready for dynamic body mechanics action.

Get access beginning in our Advanced Body Mechanics class.

SLOAN

Sloan is a good dog! A great companion to any of our other character rigs, or ready to go on an adventure of their own. A great introduction to animating quadruped mechanics.

Get access beginning in our Body Mechanics class or Creature Animation: Locomotion workshop.

STAN

Stan is a multi-talented character who can dance with the best of them. This is an intermediate rig, built to emphasize body mechanics and teach students how to animate hips, chest and torso.

Get access beginning in our Body Mechanics class .

STELLA

Stella is a rig for all levels. This rig can be used for foundational walk cycles or daring acrobatic feats. Stella is an intermediate character, built to teach body mechanics.

Get access beginning in our Body Mechanics class .

TWIG

An impish member of the Animation Mentor Tribe. Limited facial controls let student focus on mastering body mechanics.

Get access beginning in our Advanced Body Mechanics class .

Creature Characters

CAT

An advanced rig, built to teach the basics of quadruped locomotion and secondary motion, in a variety of sizes, from a lynx to a house cat.

Get access beginning in either of our Creature Animation workshops.

DOZER

A modern quadruped rig to showcase realistic weight and creature behavior with a dynamic character.

Get access beginning in either of our Creature Animation workshops.

DRAGON

An advanced rig, used to teach the concepts of animated flight. Bat-like wings act as forearms, allowing students to move quickly from flight into quadruped motion.

Get access beginning in our Creature Animation: Fight or Flight workshop.

HATCH

Hatch is a fully rigged, walking, mechanical quadruped. Hatch has a fully operable cockpit, and is a great rig to integrate with our other characters.

Get access in our Creature Animation workshops.

OGRE

An advanced, bipedal big rig, with a quadruped option. Use to illustrate animated fight scenes and explore hulking body mechanics.

Get access beginning in either of our Creature Animation workshops.

Partnered Characters

KAYLA

Created and rigged by our partner, Josh Sobel Rigs, Kayla is a perfect addition to our rig library. She has great appeal and flexibility for animating children.

Get access in our Introduction to Acting class.

KYLE

Kyle is the male counterpart to Kayla also from our partner, Josh Sobel Rigs.

Get access in our Introduction to Acting class.

Donated Characters

BEAVER

Beaver is just what you need to explore the basics, from overlap, to squash and stretch, and more. A fun rig donated by Animation Mentor student Steve Milligan.

Get access beginning in our Animation Basics class.

FUZZBOT

Fuzzbot is an intermediate rig created and donated by Patrick Clarke and Greg Bekken.

Get access in our Body Mechanics or Creatures Animation classes.

LION

Blocky Lion is an intermediate, unique rig created and donated by Animation Mentor student Thawatchi Chunhachai.

Get access in our Body Mechanics or Creatures Animation classes.

Classic Characters

BALLIE

A classic ball-and-legs rig used to teach students the basics of hip movement and animating biped walk cycles.

Get access beginning in our Animation Basics class.

BISHOP 2.0

Our signature rig with detailed facial controls. Flexible, with thousands of options for body-type customization. Teaches students everything from acting to body mechanics.

Get access beginning in our Introduction to Acting class.

STEWIE

A classic body mechanics rig, the first step up from a ball with legs. Teaches students how to animate hips, chest and torso.

Get access beginning in our Body Mechanics class.

TAILOR

A classic ball-and-tail rig used to teach the basics of overlapping action, squash and stretch and secondary motion.

Get access beginning in our Animation Basics class.