animator
n.a person who creates moving images for movies, games, or cartoons. They draw or design each frame to make characters and objects look like they are moving.
n.a person who creates moving images by drawing or manipulating objects, typically for film, television, or digital media.
“The animator spent weeks drawing every frame of the movie.”
“The studio hired a senior animator to lead the team working on the new children's series.”
“While digital tools have streamlined the process, the animator's hand remains essential for capturing the subtle nuances of human expression that software alone cannot replicate.”
“Wallace and Gromit became Aardman's most famous characters after animator Nick Park joined the studio in 1985.”
From Latin animātor. By surface analysis, animate + -or. Piecewise doublet of animateur.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.