Why are American animations more expensive than Asian animations?

[Anonymous]

Nezha 2 had a budget of 80 million while Inside Out had a budget of 200 million. There are several other examples where Asian animations with a lower budget and with the same quality as American animations manage to achieve the same results or even be superior.

[BCA6010]

You're leaving out the fact that your "American" animation example came from Disney. Disney's animated movies typically cost twice as much as what comes out of DreamWorks, so they're very high even by US standards.

There's a lot of contributing factors, but probably the biggest one is bloat. For example, most Japanese or European animated stories will only have one writer and maybe an assistant, while many American productions (not just animation) have dozens, and a very obnoxious union that throws a fit any time this gets pointed out. There's also a lot of corruption in Hollywood, with pointless and redundant jobs being overpaid, and marketing campaigns that frequently cost as much as the movie itself. Speaking of Disney, they've recently become infamous for basically casting directors while executive producers are actually doing most of the directing. There's a reason why most actual directors try to cut ties with them after their first experience, and actors who can make it on their own will do so. Furthermore, there's a tendency for Hollywood figures to "fail upwards" instead of being truly meritocratic, which drags out the problem.

[DryGermanGuy]

It's called Bangladeshi sweatshop. Only they draw pictures instead of sewing clothes.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

A lot of it has to do with the relative value of currency and how much each creative party is willing to be paid for their work.

[AI Opinion]

American animations often have higher budgets due to several factors. The cost of living and labor in the US is generally higher, leading to greater expenses in salaries and production costs. American studios may invest more in advanced technology, marketing, and distribution. Additionally, the talent pool often includes well-known actors and expansive behind-the-scenes teams. The industry prioritizes high-quality visual effects and detailed animations, which can add to the overall cost. Meanwhile, Asian animations often make efficient use of resources to produce high-quality content at a lower cost. 🎬✨

[exitseven]

The Asians work for 2 bowls of rice a day. Americans want to make 6 figures.

[HusamRocks]

Labor is cheaper there 👍🏻