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Essay / The History of Animation - 607
Animation is simply the illusion of movement, generated by a succession of rapidly moving images. It can be in 2D and 3D format and supports a range of media. Today, animator drawings and backgrounds are either scanned or drawn directly into a computer system. During the 20th century, celluloid (or hand-drawn) animation was primarily used. Each frame in the film was drawn individually, with slight differences to mimic animation. The animator's drawings of the characters were traced onto transparent acetate sheets called cels, and the colors were painted on the side opposite the lines. Each of these character cells was placed on the motion picture film against the background and photographed using a grandstand camera. With this process becoming obsolete in the 21st century, animation dates back to early human cave drawings, where the image of movement attempted to be captured with animals having "extra" limbs to demonstrate movement. Ancient Egyptian structures contain animated panel murals, often depicting daily life. While...