Do you have to know or work in the industry to be a great animator?

Answer 1

Short answer: no! There are plenty of animators who don't work in the industry but still animate for the love of it. They'll animate on their own time and submit their animations to film festivals or the Annies. It's certainly not required to work in the animation industry to be a good animator--however getting the right education for animation and working in the industry certainly help one get to being a good animator. When I say "education" I don't necessarily mean school, either. A lot of people learn how to animate with their own resources that doesn't involve a degree--I will say that getting a degree does make it easier though!