Animation is the art and technique of creating the illusion of movement by displaying a sequence of images in rapid succession, each slightly different from the last, so that the brain perceives continuous motion. Unlike live-action filmmaking which captures real-world movement through a camera, animation constructs motion synthetically from drawn, painted, modeled, or computationally generated images created frame by frame.

Animation encompasses an enormous range of techniques and traditions. Traditional hand-drawn animation, the foundation of classic studio output, creates motion through sequences of individually drawn frames. Computer-generated animation uses 3D software to model, rig, and animate digital objects and characters. Stop motion animates physical objects through incremental repositioning between frames. Motion capture translates live human performance into digital character movement. 2D digital animation uses software to automate and assist the frame-by-frame process. Each technique produces a distinct visual aesthetic and suits different types of content, budgets, and creative goals. The common thread is that all animation involves the deliberate construction of motion rather than its capture from reality.

AI generation has introduced new possibilities for animation production at every level, from generating reference imagery and concept art to producing animated sequences directly through text-to-video workflows. Animating static images using AI tools, generating stylized animated content from prompts, and using AI to accelerate traditionally expensive pipeline stages like in-betweening and background generation are all active areas of application that are reshaping what small teams and individual creators can produce.