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How are animation cels prepared and photographed?

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Animated scene from The Wild Robot showing a round-eyed robot with a fox perched on its shoulder in a forest clearing. — Animation Scene from the 2024 science fiction animated film *The Wild Robot*, directed by Chris Sanders.

In cel animation, the preparation and photography of images are precise, labor-intensive processes designed to create the illusion of movement.

Preparation

The process begins with animators creating drawings on paper. Key animators draw the primary highlights of a movement, while assistant animators, or "in-betweeners," complete the intermediate drawings to ensure smooth transitions. These final drawings are then transferred onto transparent celluloid sheets, known as cels. Specialized artists trace the animators' work onto these cels and apply opaque paints or colored inks. Alternatively, animators may draw directly onto the cels using colored chinagraph pencils, which allow for easy corrections.12

Photography

To capture the animation, a rostrum camera is used. This camera is positioned to photograph downward onto a setup where a static background drawing is placed at the base. The cels, which carry the figures or parts of figures, are superimposed over the background. These layers are secured using pegs to ensure accurate registration, allowing for complex imagery through the layering of multiple cels.1