Animator vs. Animation
Stick figure battles its creator across digital worlds.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Animator vs. Animation (AvA) is an American animated web series created by Alan Becker. The series follows a stick figure attempting to escape the animation program in which it was created, using built-in tools or brute force. Known for its unique concept and high-quality animation, it became an immediate internet hit after its first installment was published on Newgrounds on June 3, 2006.
- creator
- Alan Becker
- first_release
- June 3, 2006
- field
- Web animation
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Stick figure escaping animation software
Lore & Background
The series began with a single animation posted on Newgrounds on June 3, 2006, followed by a sequel five months later. Almost every installment is animated in Adobe Animate or Blender, with live-action scenes starting in the fourth episode. The series contains almost no spoken dialogue. A Kickstarter campaign for a reboot episode launched on July 10, 2013, reaching its $10,000 goal on August 9, 2013, and the episode was released on October 2, 2014.
The story features several key characters: The Animator (a self-insert of Alan Becker), who initially shows disdain toward his creations before redeeming himself; victim (later H4CK3R), a traumatized stick figure who escapes and co-founds Rocket Corp; The Chosen One (later NO ONE), a powerful stick figure who loses his abilities after being renamed; The Dark Lord, a sadistic red stick figure programmed to destroy The Chosen One; and The Second Coming (Orange), an orange stick figure with latent abilities who leads the Colour Gang. Other groups include the Fighting Stick Figures (Red, Blue, Yellow, Green) and a team of mercenaries working under victim's orders.
Reader's Guide
Animator vs. Animation holds significance as a pioneering web series that demonstrated the potential of Flash and later HTML5 animation for storytelling. Its immediate success on Newgrounds and YouTube—receiving 4.78 stars on Newgrounds and 80 million views on YouTube—helped establish Alan Becker as a notable independent animator. The fourth installment gained nearly 5 million views on YouTube within a month, reflecting the series' sustained popularity. The series inspired two game adaptations: a browser game titled Animator vs. Animation Game: SE developed by Charles Yeh in 2006, and a fighting game called Animation VERSUS, successfully funded on Kickstarter on March 26, 2025, currently in development. The series' legacy includes influencing a generation of online animators and demonstrating how a simple concept—a stick figure fighting its creator—could evolve into a complex narrative with multiple characters and spin-offs, including the Animation vs. Minecraft series. Its lack of dialogue and reliance on visual storytelling made it accessible to a global audience.
Did You Know?
- The original animation was first published on Newgrounds on June 3, 2006.
- The series contains almost no spoken dialogue.
- A Kickstarter campaign for a reboot episode reached its $10,000 funding goal on August 9, 2013.
- Two game adaptations have been created or are in development: a browser game from 2006 and a fighting game funded on Kickstarter in 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Animator vs. Animation?
It is an American animated web series by Alan Becker in which a simple stick figure repeatedly tries to break free from the animation software that spawned it. The entire show is told through visual gags and physical comedy with zero spoken dialogue.
Who created Animator vs. Animation?
Alan Becker wrote, designed, and animated every installment himself. The very first short hit Newgrounds on June 3, 2006, and the series has grown from there entirely under his creative direction.
How does the series convey its story without any dialogue?
Every conflict is communicated through the stick figure's body language, exaggerated expressions, and its physical interactions with the software's built-in tools such as the pencil, eraser, and copy-paste. The audience reads the narrative purely from action and timing, much like a silent cartoon.
What is the central conflict of the series?
The stick figure battles its unseen creator—the Animator—across a series of escalating installments, using brute force or the program's own editing tools to try to escape or overpower it. Each new entry raises the stakes as the two sides clash within the digital workspace.
Why did Animator vs. Animation become such an internet phenomenon?
Its debut in 2006 struck a nerve because the premise of a tiny character rebelling against a godlike creator is instantly relatable, and the tight, expressive animation made it feel polished well beyond typical web shorts. It quickly became a touchstone of early online animation culture and put Alan Becker on the map.
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