What Is Animation - Definition, History and Types of Animation

9/29/23, 6:17 PM What is Animation — Definition, History and Types of Animation
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What is Animation — Definition,

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History and Types of Animation 101
BY ALYSSA MAIO ON MAY 7, 2023 0
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nimation has allowed storytellers to tell stories in unique ways. The visceral
A fantastical worlds in animated films can reignite inspiration and the magic of
stories no matter what age. So if you’re a storyteller, or want to be, the animation is
a great place to start. So what is animation? And what are the types of animation cartoonists
and artists use? Let’s jump in.
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Watch: The Ultimate Guide to Animation

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HOW IS ANIMATION MADE
What is the definition of animation?

The simulation of movement created by a series of pictures is animation. But how it actually
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works is a bit more complicated than that. Before we get to the various types of animated Shares
motion pictures, let's start with an animation definition.

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A N I M AT I O N D E F I N I T I O N
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What is animation?
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Animation is a method of photographing successive drawings, models, or

even puppets, to create an illusion of movement in a sequence. Because our
eyes can only retain an image for approximately 1/10 of a second, when
multiple images appear in fast succession, the brain blends them into a single
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In traditional animation, pictures are drawn or painted on transparent celluloid

sheets to be photographed. Early cartoons are examples of this, but today, most
animated movies are made with computer-generated imagery or CGI.
To create the appearance of smooth motion from these drawn, painted, or

computer-generated images, frame rate, or the number of consecutive images
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that are displayed each second, is considered. Moving characters are usually Shares
shot “on twos” which just means one image is shown for two frames, totaling
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in at 12 drawings per second. 12 frames per second allows for motion but may
look choppy. In the film, a frame rate of 24 frames per second is often used for
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smooth motion.
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Different Types of Animation:

Traditional Animation
Rotoscoping
Anime
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3D Animation
3D Animation
Stop Motion
Motion graphics
Now that we have an animation definition, let’s dig into the different types of animation. 244
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Traditional
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This is one of the oldest types of animation in film. It’s sometimes called cel animation. As
mentioned above, in traditional animation objects are drawn on celluloid transparent paper.
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In order to create the animation sequence, the animator must draw every frame. It’s the same
mechanism as a flip book just on a grander scale.
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Traditional is most often 2D animation. Aladdin, The Lion King, and other earlier cartoons
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are the best examples of this.
In the earlier years, the animator would draw on a table that had a light inside of it, so the
creator could see his or her previous animation. While the traditional style is not nearly as
prevalent today, drawings are generally done on tablets. And manual coloring hasn’t been
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Here's an explanation of how animator Aaron Blaise creates traditional, hand-drawn

animated movies.
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Animation definition • How is animation made?
Anime
Anime could technically be considered a subcategory of traditional animation. But anime

simply refers to any of the types of animation which comes out of Japan. Take a look at this
scene from Akira, one of the most celebrated anime films of all time:
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Animation definition • Akira
Japan has become a powerhouse of animation, and anime has been massively influential
around the world. One of its most distinctive characteristics is that often, anime is animated
on 3s, which means there is a new image every three frames, rather than in the US, where 244
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most animation is every two frames.

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This allows Japanese animators to draw with more detail, since fewer images are required. It
also gives anime a distinct feel to its movement. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule:
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some US animation is done on threes, and some anime is done on 2s or even 1s.
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For a more in-depth dive into anime, check out this video:
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The history of anime • Animation definition

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2D (Vector)
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2D animation can fall under traditional animation like most early Disney movies —
Pinocchio, Beauty and the Beast, etc. But there is something called Vector-based animation
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that can be 2D without being traditional.
With Vector-based, the motion here can be controlled by vectors rather than pixels. So, what
the heck does that mean?
244 Images with familiar formats like JPG, GIF, BMP, are pixel images. These images cannot be
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enlarged or shrunk without affecting image quality. Vector graphics don’t need to worry
about resolution. Vectors are characterized by pathways with various start and end points,
lines connecting these points to build the graphic. Shapes can be created to form a character
or other image. Below is an example.
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Animation definition • Vector Style
Vector-based animation uses mathematical values to resize images, so motion is smooth.

They can re-use these creations so the animator doesn’t need to keep drawing the same
characters over and over again. You can move around these vectors and animate that way.
This is also helpful for animators who aren’t the best drawers. Yes, these people exist.
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3D
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Today, 3D or computer animation is one of the most common types of animation. But just
because computers have stepped in instead of actual drawings, it’s not necessarily easier. The
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computer is just another tool, and 3D animation is still a long, intense process.
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In 3D animated movies, the animator uses a program to move the character’s body parts
around. They set their digital frames when all of the parts of the character are in the right
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position. They do this for each frame, and the computer calculates the motion from each
frame.
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Animators adjust and tweak the curvatures and movements their characters make
throughout. From Toy Story in 1995 to today’s Coco, 3D animation has become one of the
dominant types of animation.
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What is Animation • Top 3D Animation Movies

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3D animation is also unique in that, unlike 2D or other traditional methods, the character’s
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the side profile in 2D animation, but in 3D, the entire body still needs to be visible. So again,
even though computers are being used, with new technology comes with way more
considerations.
Whether you’re using drawing in 2D or computing in 3D, animators and filmmakers alike
look to storyboards to plan out each frame. Unlike live- action, animation movies can’t rely
on camera tricks in a shot. Storyboards are the lifeline for creating animation. Here are the
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storyboards used for Disney's classic animated feature Aladdin organized in StudioBinder’s Shares
storyboard tool.
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View Sample Storyboard 60
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Aladdin • Magic Carpet Scene • View Storyboard
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Motion Graphics 60
Motion Graphics are digital graphics that create the illusion of motion usually for ads, title
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sequences in films, but ultimately exist to communicate something to the viewer. They’re
often combined with sound for multimedia projects.
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They’re a type of animation used mostly in business, usually with text as a main player. Below
are a few examples of motion graphic animation, using the top trends of today. 0
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Motion Graphic Design Inspirations • Subscribe on YouTube
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Stop Motion
Stop motion encompasses claymation, pixelation, object-motionm, and more. But the basic
mechanics are similar to the traditional style like a flipbook. However, instead of drawings,
stop motion adjusts physical objects in each frame.
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Shares If moved in small increments, captured one frame at a time, the illusion of motion is
produced. Whether puppets, clay, or even real people, these manual adjustments can make it
a long, arduous process. Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run, and The Nightmare Before
Christmas are all great examples of stop motion films.
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Wallace & Gromit • The Bunny Vacuum Scene
Stop motion is definitely an older form in the history of animation, especially compared to
3D computer animation. But the process of animating pictures dates back way before Disney
or Pixar.
Cutout Animation 244

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Cutout animation is one of the oldest forms of animation. The technique is essentially 2D
stop motion. An animator moves cutout shapes (hence, cutout) from frame to frame to create 83
the illusion of movement.

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The technique is cheaper and slightly easier than other animation styles, so it proliferated in
independent spaces. Think of Monty Python animation: 0
But it was in 1832 when the Phénakisticope was invented by Joseph Plateau that the first
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widespread device came into place. Using the principle, it created a fluent illusion of motion.
When multiple images blend into a single moving image in the brain it’s called persistence of
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vision. See below.
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What is animation? • Different types of animation

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The earliest surviving animated feature, Lotte Reiniger’s The Adventures of Prince Achmed,
uses cutout animation.
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ANIMATION EVER 60 0 101 0
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History of animation
While it’s unclear when and where first animation ever came to life, the concept of
storytelling has been around for centuries. Let’s look at the history of animation
From shadow puppetry in about 200 A.D., to the magic lantern in the 1650s, the first real
image projector — telling a story through motion has been happening forever.
But it was in 1832 when the Phénakisticope was invented by Joseph Plateau that the first 244
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widespread animation device came into place. Using the persistence of vision principle, it
created a fluent illusion of motion. When multiple images blend into a single moving image 83
in the brain it’s called persistence of vision. See below.

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101
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What is Animation • History of animation
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In 1834, William George Horner created a similar motion picture projector, putting the
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drawings inside of a drum that turned in a circular fashion. This was one of the biggest
innovations that laid the foundation for projecting film. Horner originally named it the
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Daedatelum, or “wheel of the devil” but French inventor, Pierre Desvignes, renamed his own
version after the Greek word for “things that turn,” or the Zoetrope.
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What is Animation • Zoetrope Animation
These early feats of animation carved out the path for the animation we know today. And if 101
we want to get specific about who really had the biggest hand in its birth, we should take a
look at the “Father of Animation” himself...or themselves? 0
The Father(s) of Animation
The history of animation tells us that many different people were involved in creating
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Shares animation. There even seem to60be two “first animation 0ever” examples. 101 0
The Father of American animation is James Stuart Blackton. Though a British filmmaker,
Blackton created the first animation in America and was one of the first to use the stop
motion technique.
In 1900, he is credited for creating the first-ever animated film called The Enchanted
Drawing.
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What is Animation • First animation ever?
In 1906, he went on to create a silent film where drawings on a blackboard are captured 244
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using film at 20 frames per second. He called it, Humorous Phases of Funny Faces.
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What is Animation • Humorous Phases of Funny Faces
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However, if you were to ask the world who is considered the “Father of Animation,” you
would find one name that stands out. French cartoonist Emile Cohl created what is 83
considered the first fully animated movie ever made. In 1908, Fantasmagorie premiered in
Paris. 60
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What is Animation • Wait, is this the first animation ever?
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In 1914, Earl Hurd created cel animation, thereby becoming a founder of traditional
animation. This would of course, revolutionize the entire industry for the majority of the
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20th century.
That same year, way before Mickey Mouse came into fruition, the first animated short to 101
have a distinguishable character was made by cartoonist, Winsor McCay. A dancing “Gertie
the Dinosaur” comes to life on screen. 0
Disney
But no cartoon is as iconic as Mickey Mouse. While the first Mickey cartoon is technically a
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short, dubbed, “Plane Crazy,” it was never distributed. “Steamboat Willie,” premiered as the
first Disney cartoon with synchronized sound in 1928.
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What is Animation • Steamboat Willie
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In 1937,
83 Snow White and the Seven
60 Dwarfs was the first
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hand-drawn. 0
Th b d
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-animation-definition/
fS Whi di i l i i i l f Di df 28/42
The beauty and success of Snow White gave traditional animation its legs for Disney, and for
the entire industry.
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What is Animation • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
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Between
83 popular 2D and traditionally
60 animated movies0 to today’s CGI, storytellers
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df i l
i d ld ll h b ibl i 29/42
created fantastical animated worlds to tell the best possible stories.
From the influential stop motion extended skeleton battle scene in Jason and the Argonauts
(1963).
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Jason and the Argonauts • The Amazing Skeleton Fight Scene
To the claymation stop motion in Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
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Wallace & Gromit • Bunny Breakfast 0Scene
To computer animation in… well nearly every recent Disney Pixar.
Animation is one of the most beloved film formats across many generations, and it’s exciting
to see what new technique may develop next.
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UP NEXT 83
Techniques in stop motion 60
The coolest part about animated filmmaking is its accessibility to anyone who wants to
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create. Sure, many types of animation require the creator to be a great artist, but stop motion
isn’t one of those. And you don’t need fancy equipment to pull it off either. Try out some DIY
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techniques found in the next post.
Up Next: DIY Stop Motion →
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Showcase your vision with elegant 83
shot lists and storyboards.

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Create robust and customizable shot lists. Upload

images to make storyboards and slideshows.
0
Learn More➜
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0
GET STARTED FOR FREE
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Tags: Aladdin, Animation, Beauty and the Beast (1991), Chicken Run, Coco, Fantasmagorie,
Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, Jason and the Argonauts, Movie Genres, Snow White
and the Seven Dwarfs, Steamboat Willy, The Enchanted Drawing, The Lion King, The Little
Mermaid, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Toy Story, Wall-E, Wallace and Gromit
Alyssa Maio 244

Alyssa Maio is a screenwriter from New Jersey, now living in Los Angeles. She works as a Shares
copywriter here at StudioBinder.

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22 COMMENTS
0
Arena Animation Tilak Road
August 13, 2020 at 1:28 am
Nice information. Arena Animation Tilak Road is the best animation courses in Pune.
Jaishree Borah
244 83
October 12, 2020 at 6:50 am 60 0 101 0
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H ll St di Bi d
d Al M i Th k f ti thi l bl d d t il t t 34/42
Hello StudioBinder and Alyssa Maio. Thank you for posting this valuable and detail content on
what is animation – it’s history and types. I am graphic designer and 3D Animator by profession. I
personally liked the way you explained each type with appropriate video content. According to me,
if one applies the basic principles of animation appropriately and understand the importance of
timing, one can easily generate the illusion of movement with still images over time. Looking
forward to read more informational content on Graphic Design and Animation from your end.
Thanks again 🙂
Ramninder Kaur 244

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December 7, 2020 at 5:20 am
useful valuable content …will surely try the stop motion technique..Do share detailed content for
83
stop motion too…
60
Anonymous
January 3, 2021 at 6:57 am
0
I have decided to learn about new things and write about them. I really enjoyed this article and will
share it. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me.
101
Dr Sukhvinder Singh Deora

January 6, 2021 at 5:13 pm
0
Gone through the history of animation through these short clippings (historic collection). Will
definitely share with my learners. Hopefully, it will instill a sense of becoming an animator in some
of them.
Khushimedia
244 83 60 0 101 0
February 15, 2021 at 9:41 am
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Thank You so much. I really appreciate your article.
Anonymous
Great
Suliaman Bangura
March 4, 2021 at 1:34 pm
Hello My name and i love cartoon movies so much so i decided to learn animation and i only have
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a windows pc will you suggest a suitable animation software for total beginners like me please and
how to get or download them thank you
83
Josh
60
March 7, 2021 at 2:21 pm
helpful info. Its easily understood

0
Douaa
March 25, 2021 at 5:48 am 101
You can start by adobe animate pr adobe flash with graphic tablet that allows you to draw with it
easily also its good to practice by your hand ( tradional draw in papers ) 0
Creative Mafiaz
May 2, 2021 at 11:17 pm
It's really helpful and nice information for everyone. Thank You Admin for this kind of writing.
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Dev Sharma
May 3, 2021 at 2:15 am
I appreciate you for a good definition.

Job
July 26, 2021 at 1:21 am
Great explanations bravo
nidha
November 18, 2021 at 1:43 am
Thank you for sharing such a great insight on 2d animation and animation types. Much 244
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appreciated.
83
Yisa
June 19, 2022 at 11:38 am
60
nice
0
Jetweb Solutions
June 20, 2022 at 3:46 am
101
A very well-written blog, that has everything in it regarding the animation and its types. Have to say
very well written and informative. Worth reading would love to read more.
0
james douglas
December 14, 2022 at 8:28 pm
i like this
244 Rizatgraphics
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Shares December 25, 2022 at 12:39 pm
Great information. Thanks for sharing this article. 🙂
Aksh
Nice designing
Excellent explanations
Ethan Muccino
May 26, 2023 at 11:36 am 244
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animation
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Sanjay Parmar
June 5, 2023 at 12:45 am
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I like this video
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jimena
July 8, 2023 at 6:16 am
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this was such a cool experens.
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9/29/23, 6:17 PM What is Animation — Definition, History and Types of Animation

What is Animation — Definition,

History and Types of Animation 101

BY ALYSSA MAIO ON MAY 7, 2023 0

Watch: The Ultimate Guide to Animation

Subscribe for more filmmaking videos like this.

HOW IS ANIMATION MADE

What is the definition of animation?

motion pictures, let's start with an animation definition.

Animation is a method of photographing successive drawings, models, or

In traditional animation, pictures are drawn or painted on transparent celluloid

To create the appearance of smooth motion from these drawn, painted, or

Different Types of Animation:

Here's an explanation of how animator Aaron Blaise creates traditional, hand-drawn

Animation definition • How is animation made?

Anime could technically be considered a subcategory of traditional animation. But anime

Animation definition • Akira

most animation is every two frames.

The history of anime • Animation definition

Animation definition • Vector Style

Vector-based animation uses mathematical values to resize images, so motion is smooth.

What is Animation • Top 3D Animation Movies

View Sample Storyboard 60

Motion Graphic Design Inspirations • Subscribe on YouTube

Wallace & Gromit • The Bunny Vacuum Scene

Cutout Animation 244

the illusion of movement.

What is animation? • Different types of animation

in the brain it’s called persistence of vision. See below.

The Father(s) of Animation

What is Animation • First animation ever?

What is Animation • Humorous Phases of Funny Faces

first Disney cartoon with synchronized sound in 1928.

What is Animation • Steamboat Willie

What is Animation • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Jason and the Argonauts • The Amazing Skeleton Fight Scene

To computer animation in… well nearly every recent Disney Pixar.

Techniques in stop motion 60

Up Next: DIY Stop Motion →

Showcase your vision with elegant 83

shot lists and storyboards.

Create robust and customizable shot lists. Upload

Alyssa Maio 244

copywriter here at StudioBinder.

Ramninder Kaur 244

Dr Sukhvinder Singh Deora

Thank You so much. I really appreciate your article.

helpful info. Its easily understood

May 3, 2021 at 2:15 am

I appreciate you for a good definition.

Great explanations bravo

Great information. Thanks for sharing this article. 🙂

Your email address will not be published.

How to Use a Green Screen in iMovie — 4 Quick and Easy Steps

ABOUT FEATURED BLOG POSTS

Terms A Better Film Crew List Template Booking Sheet

Privacy Best Storyboard Softwares (With Free Storyboard Templates)

LEARN MORE COMPARE

Pricing & Plans Movie Magic Scheduling

Product Updates Gorilla Software

Featured On Storyboard That

Advanced Filmmaking Techniques

TV Writing And Development