This is kind of a semi-hot topic now with the art contests going on, so figured I’d dig up the topic.
Miramax: I really like the character designs of Miramax. Objectively, the quality of this animation is the worst of all these (barring the videogame) but they reimagine the set designs in a way that really does suggest the biomechanical, which I like because that’s harder to convey with the toys. The effects always look kind of weird and gimmicky in the Miramax films, though - Teridax’s Shadow Hand is a good example, it was really stiff and just felt off.
Ghost: Opposite end of the spectrum for me. Toy-accuracy is great for commercials, but not really what I’d go for on par. It definitely works fantastic for some characters (like Krika) but it’s quite harsh for others (such as Gadunka). Environments look stunning though, and it’s by far the highest in production budget out of the lot. Ghost has worked behind-the-scenes on a number of really big budget movies, they know what they’re doing - and I’d love to see their take on an actual film, rather than a commercial.
Tinseltown Toons: I can’t look at this style and not think Hero Factory, lol. It walks the tightrope between the two aforementioned styles, but it’s fails to solidly hit either. Not my favourite.
Journey To One (Volta): So I disliked a lot of the things about JTO, but the animation was not one of them. This visual style is one of my favourite things to come out of G2, and I wish it had a better plot to go with it. I think they could actually go a bit heavier on the cel-shading and make the characters blend with the backdrops a bit more, and some of the character designs (like the Beasts) don’t translate too well, but it feels like a comic that’s just come to life - evokes G1 better than many of the actual G1 animation styles, ironically. This + Miramax approach to character design would be amazing, in my opinion. Probably my favourite.
Bionicle: The Game: This one often gets overlooked, but it has some fantastic character designs - especially when it comes to Kanohi Masks, Rahi, and the Mata Build. Obviously looks the worst when looking at objective quality, but that’s because it’s both the oldest and a videogame. They also did a test trailer with more set-accurate designs, but those looked absolutely hideous, unfortunately.