Definition of animation camera

camera designed for use when the desired result is animated film. An animation camera shoots drawings or objects one frame at a time as those drawings or objects are moved on a table designed for this purpose (animation stand). The camera has a registration of art cells so that each frame will be in perfect register. There are many different types of animation cameras specific to the needs of the animator, from a simple 16-mm camera that shoots on one plane, to the highly sophisticated instruments used for the familiar Walt Disney animations. Recent advances in the development of computer technology have created a process of computer imaging where images are done digitally without a camera and transferred directly to film or videotape. The Walt Disney film Toy Story is an example of this new technology.