Way back before Outsourcing Animation was standard practice, a small studio called Rankin/Bass Productions pioneered sending animation work overseas. These innovative cats built a business around farming out production to partner studios in Asia to create classics like Rudolph cost-effectively. Understanding how R/B tapped into global talent provides insight into how outsourcing exploded from a risky gambit into a core strategy for animation today.

A Brief History of Early Animation Outsourcing

While Rankin/Bass Productions developed outsourcing into a solid business model in the ‘60s, the basic concept of using overseas animation existed decades before in limited forms.

Disney’s Early International Studios

In the 1930s, Walt Disney Productions had satellite studios in France and California. It gave them access to international artists and a backup if labor problems went down in Hollywood. However, sharing assets between sites was still slow back then before modern digital pipelines.

Limited Early Outsourcing

In the ‘50s and ‘60s, some big studios like Hanna-Barbera occasionally outsourced basic animation to Australia and Asia to save money. Certain animated commercials also tapped overseas studios. But inconsistent quality and turnaround times limited extensive outsourcing until our heroes at Rankin/Bass came to save the day.

Founding Rankin/Bass Productions

Rankin/Bass Productions was founded in 1960 by director Arthur Rankin Jr. and producer Jules Bass in New York City. Their goal was to cook up affordable animated content by dividing up production across global squads.

Origins of the Partnership

Rankin and Bass first met in the late ‘50s while working at NBC Television. Seeing they made a solid team, they decided to branch off into their own studio.

As executives, they maintained tight creative control over their projects. Importantly, they were both open to trying new techniques to maximize productivity and control costs.

Building the “Animagic” Strategy

By studying the animation business, R/B realized the high expense of traditional techniques was limiting the output of new animated content for television. Inspired by earlier outsourcing experiments, they devised their unique global production model called “Animagic.”

This branded process used stop-motion figures animated partially at their NY studio and partially overseas. The hybrid system lets them access global talent pools while keeping oversight on the most important animation. It mirrored strategies major studios still use today.

Rankin/Bass’ Innovative Outsourcing Workflow

The Animagic process broke down production into steps across studios in multiple countries:

Pre-production in New York

R/B handled pre-production like storywriting, design, and voice acting in their NY studio. Controlling creative development internally ensured quality across episodes.

• Story development 
• Scriptwriting
• Character/set design
• Storyboarding
• Voice acting recording
• Music scoring

Model Fabrication in Japan 

Physical models and sets were constructed at TCJ Animation in Tokyo. Making the models locally in the US would have been crazy expensive, so outsourcing the fabrication provided major savings.

Fabricating models locally at Rankin/Bass would have been prohibitively expensive. Animation outsourcing fabrication provided major cost advantages.

Animation and Photography in Japan

TCJ Animation then handled the primary animation of the figures based on the storyboards. Their experienced stop-motion animators knew just how to breathe life into the puppets. The animated frames were captured on film and sent back to New York.

The animated frames were captured on film cameras, and the reels were shipped back to New York. MaintainingKeyframe animation domestically allowed close supervision by Rankin/Bass.

Secondary Animation in Hong Kong

Next, R/B shipped the reels to Rembrandt Films in Hong Kong for secondary animation like lip and eye movements. Keeping this polish work overseas cuts costs without sacrificing quality

Post Production Back in New York

Finally, scoring, sound design, editing, and distribution were done back at Rankin/Bass’ facilities to ensure everything came together crisply.

Rankin/Bass’ Popular Productions

Using their efficient blended Animagic animation process, They produced dozens of beloved animated holiday specials throughout the 1960s to 1980s. Rankin/Bass’ Popular productions included timeless classics like:

• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
• Frosty the Snowman
• Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

– Beloved Christmas special following misfit reindeer Rudolph

– Voiced by Burl Ives as Sam the Snowman narrator

– Highest viewed special in TV history upon release; remains most iconic Rankin/Bass work 

The Little Drummer Boy (1968) 

– Heartwarming Christmas tale with memorable “Peace on Earth” finale

– Controversial young casting for main drummer boy role

– First special made explicitly for TV by Rankin/Bass

Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (1970)

– The origin story of Santa’s life starting as infant Kris Kringle

– Narrated by Fred Astaire as a local mailman 

– Featured iconic stop-motion puppet of young Kris

Here Comes Peter Cottontail (1971)

– Springtime Easter special based on the famed song

– Title character voiced by Casey Kasem of radio fame

– Introduced classic villain Irontail to the franchise

Alongside their holiday classics, Rankin/Bass found success with animated adaptations of stories like Jack Frost, The Hobbit, The Last Unicorn, and many more. Their productions spanned genres from fantasy to monster horror. 

Many figures like Frosty the Snowman debuted in Rankin/Bass specials before becoming franchises. Their unique outsourced animation process enabled prolific output to shape generations’ childhoods.

Rankin/Bass’ Significance and Legacy 

While eventual shifts to digital techniques outpaced their signature Animagic process, Rankin/Bass’ pioneering efforts established outsourcing’s value for decades of animation production to follow.

Proving Cost-Effectiveness 

By proving foreign studios could complement domestic work cost-effectively, they made outsourcing animation a legitimate strategy. Seeing their success, major studios increasingly outsourced animation for TV and commercials in the 1970s and 80s.

They found the right balance between control and outsourcing. Retaining pre-production and key animation in-house while outsourcing defined secondary steps maximized quality and savings.

Inspiring Mainstream Animation Outsourcing

Most importantly, Rankin/Bass’ efficiently produced specials became iconic family holiday traditions through endless TV reruns. Their groundbreaking global collaboration created indelible classics like Rudolph, whose magic endures.

Hanna-Barbera’s The Yogi Bear Show relied significantly on Korean artists. Rankin/Bass showed that with strong oversight, outsourcing could expand scope rather than just cut costs.

Lasting Cultural Impact

Most importantly, Rankin/Bass’ beloved specials became family holiday traditions through omnipresent television reruns. Their efficiently produced animation continues delighting new generations yearly.

Modern viewers may take for granted the global efforts behind classics like Rudolph. But Rankin/Bass’ pioneering cross-border process enabled the creation of these indelible cultural icons.

The Future of Outsourced Animation

Looking forward, new technologies will bring even more changes to outsourcing. Machine learning automation will likely handle more basic animation steps previously done overseas. But studios will still oversee creative vision and complex animation. The balance R/B struck continues.

The Rise of Animation AI

Artificial intelligence and software are increasingly automating parts of the animation pipeline traditionally handled by outsourced studios.

Machine learning can generate background character animation, simulate physics, polish renders, and more. Simple labor will shift from overseas vendors to algorithms.

However, studios still oversee creative vision and complex animation tasks requiring human artistry. The balance between emerging tech and human craft pioneered by Rankin/Bass continues. 

New International Hubs

Certain outsourcing locations like India and South Korea have developed unmatched animation expertise after decades of studio investment. But as costs fall globally, new international hubs may emerge. 

Africa’s untapped talent pool shows potential to impact animation. Rankin/Bass built their operation by embracing globalism early before competitors, setting them up for success.

Preserving the Human Element

Ultimately, technology enables more ambitious animation but must support storytelling and artistry. Outsourcing lets artists worldwide contribute their unique cultural voices to beloved stories.

The enduring appeal of Rankin/Bass classics like Rudolph comes from the creativity and care of artists across borders. The human imagination remains animation’s lifeblood.

Conclusion

Rankin/Bass Productions pioneered an outsourced animation workflow decades ahead of competitors. Their globally distributed Animagic process balanced creative oversight with international collaboration and cost-efficiency. 

The beloved productions made possible by Rankin/Bass’ innovation continue entertaining families globally every holiday season. They proved the viability of international animation partnerships long before they became commonplace.

Just like in 1960, embracing both global possibility and creative focus will determine the future of outsourcing. If studios follow R/B’s pioneering lead, animation’s most magical tales will continue capturing imaginations across all borders.