What is Animation

Animation means – ‘Giving Life to an Animated Character’, i.e. making an animated character to move, speak, etc. Animation is a visual technique which provides an illusion of motion. This illusion is generated by displaying a collection of images in fast sequence. Object that are positioned differently are make to move through a series. These objects can be anything ranging from text to pictures, charts, SmartArt graphics, shapes, even movie clips. Animated movies and videos are still not widely used as the technique of animation is quite costly to produce and is also very time-consuming.

Cartoon animation is one of the oldest forms of animation. The production of animated short cartoon films became an industry of its own during the 1910s. It was during this time that the cartoon pictures were produced to be shown in theaters. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck are some of the most famous and favorite cartoons that were well appreciated by kids as well as adults. At that time, the most successful animation producer was John Randolph Bray, who, along with animator Earl Hurd, dominated the animation industry for the rest of the decade.

Nowadays, many animated films are being made, especially for children some of which include Bal Ganesha, Hanuman, Jumbo, Roadside Romeo etc. There are many cartoon channels also which offer some very good and different forms of animation. When used properly and creatively, animation can enhance the user experience while providing a more dynamic look and feel. Now, it is possible to create the 3D animations as well using digital animation techniques. 3D animated movies look so real that they are difficult to distinguish from real ones. ‘Toy Story’ is the first full-length feature film rendered entirely using 3D graphics, which was created in 1995.

Animation is basically a very powerful tool used for the purpose of entertainment, but is also considered as a form of art. It is also used for educational purposes. As animation is still in its nascent stage and there is a scope for vast improvements in this industry, many institutes are even offering degree and diploma courses in the field of animation and lots and lots of students are enrolling for these courses to make animation as their preferred career choice.