Animation is the technique in which each frame of a film is produced individually

Animation is the technique in which each frame of a film is produced individually, whether generated as a computer graphic, or by photographing a drawn image, or by repeatedly making small changes to a model unit (see claymation and stop motion), and then photographing the result with a special animation camera. If the frames are strung together and the resulting film is viewed at a speed of 16 or more frames a second, there is an illusion of continuous movement (due to the persistence of vision). Generating such a film is very labour intensive and tedious, though the growth of computer animation has greatly sped up the process.

File formats such as GIF, QuickTime, Shockwave and Flash allow animation to be viewed on a computer or on the Web.

Because animation is quite time-consuming and often quite expensive to make, the majority of animation for TV and movies comes from professional animation studios. On the other hand, the field of independent animation has existed at least since the 1950s, with animation being produced by independent studios (and sometimes by a single person). Several independent animation producers have gone on to enter the professional animation industry.

Limited animation is a way of increasing production and decreasing costs of animation by using”short cuts” in the animation process. This technique has been pioneered by UPA and popularized by Hanna-Barbera, and adapted by other studios as cartoons moved from movie theaters to television. [3]

Though most cartoon studios are currently using digital technologies in their own productions, there is a particular style of animation that depends on picture. Cameraless cartoon, made famous by moviemakers such as Norman McLaren, Len Lye and Stan Brakhage, is painted and drawn right onto pieces of film, then run through a projector.