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Why does full animation require so many drawings for a short scene?

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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.

Full animation requires a high volume of drawings because the medium relies on the precise, frame-by-frame construction of movement to create the illusion of life on screen.1

In standard film projection, 24 frames are displayed every second. To achieve "full" animation, each of these 24 frames must be minutely varied from the last to record the successive phases of a subject's motion. Because mobility is tied directly to time, animators must choreograph these movements with the same precision as notes in a musical score, ensuring that every second of action is accounted for through a specific number of drawings.12

The process involves:
* Key Animators: These artists draw the "salients" or highlights of a movement—typically only a few of the 24 frames per second—to establish the character's rhythm and liveliness.3
* Assistant Animators: Often called "in-betweeners," these artists are responsible for filling the gaps by creating the intermediate drawings required to bridge the key frames.3

Ultimately, because every second of action requires 24 distinct adjustments to the image, even a short scene can necessitate hundreds of individual drawings to maintain fluid, high-quality motion.1