Have you ever watched a student highlight demo reel and said, “where did they get that rig from” or “what character rig is that”? Since I’m exploring CG character animation, I have searched and found several rig downloads. I am using them to study rigging and practicing character animation in Maya.
This list is provided for character animators or TDs looking for quality rigs for training, studying, animation, short films, demo reels, character acting, 11-second club, etc.; this is not a top ten list. Instead, it is a simple resource to bookmark and share when animators are ready to do character animation.
There are several lists online of character animation rigs available already. However, these are my top picks, primarily cartoon-style rigs – inspired by Pixar, Disney, and Blue Sky Studios. 😛
Updated April 2021: Updated Broken Links, Updated prices.
Updated Aug 2020: Updated Broken Links.
Disclaimer: Before you download a rig, please read the terms and conditions of each rig.
Maya Rigs – Basic
*useful for learning principles and body mechanics
Ultimate Rigs by Ugur Ulvi Yetiskin (Free) 
Stewart and Squirrels
by Animation Mentor (Free)
Flour Sack
by Joe Daniels (Free)
jd Juice Box
by Joe Daniels (Free)
Body Mechanics Rigs
by Joe Daniels ($40.00+)
Maya Character Rigs – Advanced
*useful for pantomime acting and animating dialogue
Malcolm 2.0
by AnimSchool (Free)
Mery
by Meryproject.com (Free)
Ray
by CGTarian (Free)
Luna Rig
by Adien Dendra (Free)
Morpheus Rig
by Josh Burton (Free)
Henry
by Cogswell College (Free)
Caroline
by Cogswell College (Free)
Bonnie by Josh Sobel (Free) 
Bonnie 2
by Josh Sobel ($12.00+)
Kayla w/ Kyle mod
by Josh Sobel ($10.00+)
Ronan
by Josh Sobel ($8.00+)
Maya Creature Rigs
*useful for learning to work with quadrupeds and creatures
Wolfdog
by Paks (Free)
Squirrely Rig
by jjburton (Free)
Dragon
by Cogswell College (Free)
Have fun animating. 🙂
Please remember to bookmark and share.