Cel animation

Also called Cel-based animation

Named after transparent celluloid sheets, cel animation layers painted characters over backgrounds and photographs them frame by frame. Reusing the background made production practical, while outlines and flat colours became familiar features; a digital cel-like appearance does not necessarily use this physical process.

Kind: Technique
Lineage: Traditional Frame-by-frame Animation
Related styles: 3

Key traits

01Transparent layers over backgrounds
02Drawings change frame by frame
03Defined painted areas

Prompt

[subject], traditional cel animation, hand-drawn contours, flat cel colors, hard shadow levels, 12/24fps exposure, painted background

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Related styles

3 more styles for members

Lineage & relations

Influenced these styles

Cel-style coloringCel shading draws on traditional cel animation’s flat colour and separated shadows, extending the appearance to illustration and digital images.

Same lineage

Traditional Frame-by-frame AnimationView in domain

Rubber-hose animationVisual grammar

Sources

NFB：Film and Animation Terminology