WeAnimate 2026-04-21 | wam#0077

Cathrine Baab Holm is a freelance character and creature animator living in Copenhagen whose skills also include effects animation and project management. She has worked for Mint, Hydralab, Qvisten and more, on a diverse range of projects. She is also currently serving on the board of ANIS. We recently spoke with her about her career, her hobbies, and recent developments at ANIS.  

WA: To begin with, tell us a bit about how you transitioned to animation after starting with degree in business.

Cathrine Baab Holm: Like a lot of people, I had the childhood dream of drawing for Disney. I was so immersed in animation and fictive worlds as a kid. I didn’t like dolls, but I loved stuffed animals, and animals of all kinds, and then there were animal characters in movies! It beat everything.

But I grew up in a very practical household, and once I got older it seemed like drawing wasn’t a realistic profession. I still wanted to do something creative, maybe with creative problem-solving, so I went to business school, as a means to become an entrepreneur. I think I wanted to have some kind of design business, and maybe I would be able to go abroad or something… I wanted to try it.

Then I went to an educational fair, where a lot of different educational institutions presented their programs, and saw a presentation from The Animation Workshop. I thought it was really interesting, so then I went to an open house in Viborg. And I just felt so at home, even though I actually had very little contact with anyone while I was there. The people and the environment of the school felt very open and authentic. It really resonated with me. It was so different from how I felt studying business, even though I liked the subjects and thought it was interesting.

So I went to the Drawing Academy, testing out the environment and getting to know people. I did Open Workshop and prepped my portfolio, and I was lucky enough to get into The Animation Workshop the second time I applied. So it was a lot of different random circumstances that got me there.

A: You do a lot of animation with animals and creatures. What is the appeal of creature animation?

Cathrine Baab Holm: I think it ties back to spending so much time with animals as a child. I was a horse girl, and there have always been pets in the house, whether it’s been cats or dogs or guinea pigs or fish…. And of course bingeing nature documentaries, even as a kid. So the movement of a creature or an animal feels very intuitive to translate, even if I can’t necessarily mimic it with my own body; it just feels very natural to me. It can also be a bit of a challenge, because suddenly there are a few more limbs and parts that need to tie together.

The voice actor is such an inspiration for a character animator. If there is any dialogue at all, the timing just sits better and feels better. You don’t have that with most creature animation, which may make it seem more difficult. Of course there is always a brief of what the creature is supposed to do, but there’s still a lot of freedom in how you express that. I find it very intuitive, perhaps because of all that time I’ve spent looking at animals.

I’ve always had a fondness for the subtle. But it’s also nice to get the challenge of performing something that is wacky and weird. I think as long as there is time to do good work, and space for exploration, it’s really good.

WA: You’ve done a huge variety of projects, from features and shorts to commercials and education. Is that deliberate, or is that just part of trying to make a living?

Cathrine Baab Holm: I think it’s a bit of both. As a person trying to get into the Danish animation industry, there’s not a lot to pick from. I’ve been fortunate to get all these different types of gigs, and that people have trusted me. After graduating I was lucky enough to work at the same place for almost two years, but when that ended I had to go out and build the network I needed, especially in Copenhagen. That was a bit scary but it worked, and I’ve been very fortunate that I haven’t had a lot of down time.

I also try to stay open minded, and don’t put myself in a box. I could have decided to only do one specific type of animation, but it doesn’t seem like being picky is the right decision for me. I really believe I can do most things. I mean, impostor syndrome is real, but I’m not going to make the choice to limit myself. So if people are choosing to contact me about something, or if I am reaching out and they are considering me for something, I can be transparent about my experiences. I can say “Okay, well I haven’t worked with that software before” or “I’ve only lightly touched this specific skill.” But if they don’t feel like that’s an issue, who am I to say that it is? That’s a mindset, and it’s helped me not lump myself into a box.

I’m a firm believer that if you want something enough, it’s not about if, it’s about when. And that kind of became my mantra, ever since I started to apply to The Animation Workshop. I met so many people who knew how hard the application process was, and who would say “Oh, but what if you don’t get in?” And that just rubbed me the wrong way, because if someone wants something bad enough, they are not going to give up on it. You only fail if you give up. Going into things with a positive mindset helps you not to close doors on yourself. It’s also a very conscious decision to have that mindset, and it is something that requires upkeep.

WA: You also have a lot of creative and crafty hobbies on the side.

Cathrine Baab Holm: Yes. Creating things from scratch just gives me such a dopamine kick. I have three different knitting projects going on right now. I’ve done lace, I’ve sewn a little bit, I do leatherwork, I might be painting DnD miniatures, or making paper flowers… anything I can do with my hands.

I also think that perhaps a toxic trait of mine is the idea that, “Yeah, I can do that. I haven’t tried it, but I would probably be pretty good at it.” I haven’t done ceramics before, for example, but I think I could probably do it. 

WA: Do you have any advice for young animators?

Cathrine Baab Holm : Don’t be afraid to ask questions, but also don’t be afraid to believe in yourself. I think you can ask questions and still believe in your ability to get the job done. Ask questions to clarify, ask questions to understand, and be open to the answers. Also be open to constructive criticism. That’s something I really had to learn; not to see it as a criticism of my skill or ability, but to receive feedback with curiosity.

I would also circle back to the idea of not being the one to say no to yourself. Leave it to other people to say no, and most likely they won’t say no. Most people are actually really interested in helping out, and want to help each other. When I was looking for an internship, I wanted to look at different places in Copenhagen, or at least places that I could commute to, and see what the vibe was like. So I sent a bunch of messages like “Hi, I’m in town and interested in getting to know more about the studio. Do you have time for me to come by for a coffee?” And most people were really interested and eager to find out if we could connect. So I didn’t have to worry too much about actually applying for an internship when the time came, because I had already made these contacts. So make your face more than an image online, because human interaction is so valuable.

WA: Tell us more about what you’re doing with ANIS.

Cathrine Baab Holm : In the beginning, I honestly didn’t know much about what ANIS was. I joined it when I was in school. I’ve been interested in getting better working conditions for animators and creatives in the industry for a long time. It’s something I’ve been very vocal about. Last year Claus convinced me to raise my hand when they were electing new people to the board, so I did. They basically said that they really want new people below the age of 40, and I thought “Perfect! I’m not 40 yet!”

For me as a junior animator it felt like there was a lack of transparency in the industry, especially around pay. I also want stronger protections for people in the industry. I don’t want anyone to feel like they are being run over by the industry, and I want people to feel like they can talk to each other. Because everyone is good friends, everyone knows everyone, and I’m sure no one is actually trying to fuck each other over. But I can also see how being more organized, being unionized, would give us more power to create boundaries that would benefit everyone, including the studios. So that’s really what got me into ANIS in the first place, and I’m super motivated to work on it now.

Of course the dream is to get higher budgets, but a big part of that comes down to a lack of funding, and an industry that’s not being treated like an industry, but more like a culture and passion project. In commercials, it’s more of a business, since it doesn’t rely on funding but clients, but as an animation creative commercials are more unstable than a 6-9 month contract on a film or tv series. It’s a conflict between instability with better pay vs. better stability with lower pay.

We have lots of different people in ANIS. We have directors and producers and so on, because it’s an industry forum, and it should remain that way. So when talking about transforming ANIS, we need to set up a structure where people can be part of ANIS without being part of the union, which we are working on now.

WA: What are your long-term plans?

Cathrine Baab Holm: I am still in exploration mode in terms of what I want to do long term with my career. I have this side of me that is very organized and likes to solve problems, so I still wonder if I should transition to the production side of the business, and if that would give me more satisfaction. Part of me really likes that sense of control, the feeling of having a grip on something, because constantly jumping from one project to another can be quite hectic. That’s the hard part of all these small, short-term contracts. It’s always nice to have longer-term work, so that you also have time to take a breather from very high-paced productions.

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