Animation involves quickly presenting a series of static images to the viewer, giving an impression of movement or "animation". It ranges from the simple flip books we did as children, to the full length animated movies by studios such as Pixar and DreamWorks Animation using cutting edge computer animation technology. Computer animation has also been used to insert lifelike characters into live action movies, such as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy using sophisticated motion capture techniques. 3D animation is the latest technology used to produce animated movies. 

Disney Pixar's latest animated movie is UP, which was released in May 2009 in 3D. Check out the official trailer here.

Despite the ability and availability of powerful computers to produce stunning animated movies, some animation is still made by hand. 2D animation for TV shows like The Simpsons is hand drawn and coloured by large teams of animators. Stop motion animation uses real life models (like LEGO pieces) and other objects (like plasticine or modelling clay – also called Claymation) which are adjusted by hand in small steps, frame by frame, to make a continuous series of movements. The Wallace and Gromitshort features and Shaun the Sheep episodes are great examples of what can be achieved with Claymation. The Robot Chicken TV series uses stop motion animation with ordinary toys and other objects to play out comedy sketches.

Animation for websites is now freely available to everyone with easy to use Flash animations and a wide range of free animated gifs. Animation software and animation programs can also be used to produce professional animated effects.