[2] His 1964 work, Clay or the Origin of Species, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and established claymation as a medium.

He co-founded the studio Alligator Planet with Ralph Guggenheim and directed animation sequences for the documentaries Under Our Skin and The Most Dangerous Man in America.

[9] Noyes also used sand for his animations, including in his 1973 work Sandman and the 1976 pixelated stop motion Peanut Butter and Jelly.

[7] Noyes and Laybourne Enterprises became established as the east coast branch of Colossal Pictures, from which they produced animation and network graphics for MTV's Liquid Television, as well as commercials for several major brands.

[11] In association with Colossal, Noyes directed and illustrated the 1994 interactive CD-ROM Ruff's Bone for Living Books, a project of Broderbund and Random House.

Noyes directed animation sequences for two films which were shortlisted for the 2009 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, Under Our Skin and The Most Dangerous Man in America, a final nominee.