1. He is an animator.

Question

2. He is an animation maker.
(Can we use #2? are both the same? Do you have another name for 'animator'?)

Answer 1

We probably would not use #2. Synonyms for "animator" don't quite apply. They include "illustrator," "craftsman", and other words that don't seem to fit well (to me). We might say someone creates animation, which is a moving picture as in a video or film.