Top Draw Animation
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 1999
- Employees
- 201-500
- Offices
- 1
About Top Draw Animation
Top Draw Animation is a Philippine animation studio providing full-service 2D production for international television, streaming platforms and feature films. Founded in 1999 by Wayne Dearing and Stella Dearing, the studio operates from Pasig City in Metro Manila and works with entertainment producers on series, specials and theatrical projects. Its production capabilities span digital cut-out animation and traditional paperless hand-drawn animation.
From development to finished animation
The studio supports projects from early visual development through final scene assembly. Pre-production work includes concept visualization, storyboards, animatics, character model sheets, location and background design, and color palettes. These services establish the visual foundations used throughout production, whether a project calls for rigged characters or hand-drawn movement.
Its animation services cover layout, character rigging, key posing, in-betweening, digital ink and paint, visual effects and compositing. For paperless hand-drawn productions, the studio also supplies rough tie-down and clean-up work. Teams use Toon Boom Harmony and Adobe Animate across workflows suited to the requirements of individual productions.
International production partnerships
Top Draw undertakes both animation service assignments and co-production partnerships. Its work serves children’s and family television, animated features, web series and short-form content, with production relationships spanning international broadcasters, streaming services and animation companies.
Its portfolio includes animation contributions to Glitch Techs, Carmen Sandiego, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and Star Trek: Lower Decks. Feature assignments include The Loud House Movie and The Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie, with the latter involving paperless hand-drawn animation, character layout, effects and compositing.
The studio became part of Grom’s family entertainment business following its acquisition in July 2016. Within that wider group, it continues to provide animation production for external partners alongside work connected to the group’s content activities.
More about Top Draw Animation
Leadership and background
- Cyrus Mistry was appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2024 to oversee daily studio operations.
- Co-founder Wayne Dearing previously worked with Hanna-Barbera and Fil-Cartoons. Russell Hicks succeeded him in studio leadership following his retirement.
- Gregory Little leads North American business development and studio partnerships; Sabrina Maybituin handles client relations.
Talent development
Top Draw Academy is the studio’s in-house training programme. It provides intensive, mentor-led instruction in Toon Boom Harmony and Adobe Animate, preparing emerging Filipino artists for commercial animation production.
Production scale and collaboration
- The report records more than 2,000 half-hours and 71,000 minutes of animation across over 110 international series, specials and features.
- Within the wider group, Curiosity Ink Media develops children’s and family intellectual property upstream, while Top Draw supplies animation production.
Notable credits
19 creditsOffices
Where Top Draw Animation is based
- Unit 601, 6th Floor, West Tower, Tektite Towers (Philippine Stock Exchange Centre), Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Metro Manila, Philippines, 1605Pasig, Metro Manila, Philippines
Pasig office
HeadquartersAbout this office
Global headquarters and central production facility, housing animation workstations, rigging suites, screening theaters, management offices and Top Draw Academy.
Open roles
Find your next role at Top Draw Animation