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How can computers create in-between drawings for animated characters?

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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 traditional animation, senior animators draw the key frames—the essential highlights of a movement—while assistant animators, known as "in-betweeners," manually complete the intermediate drawings to bridge those gaps.1

Computers can automate this labor-intensive process by supplying the in-between drawings required for full animation. When a figure is digitized into computer terms, the software can calculate and generate the necessary frames to move or rotate the object smoothly through space. This application is part of computer animation, which animators categorize into two main approaches:2

Computer-assisted animation: Uses technology to facilitate specific stages of the production process, such as automating in-betweening or camera movements.2
Computer-generated animation: Creates imagery directly through mathematical or computer language rather than relying on traditional drawing or photography.2

Additionally, computers can be used to modify or enhance drawings that were originally initiated through traditional methods.2