Question: Do Animators Draw Backgrounds in Every Frame?
Many animations feature detailed backgrounds that the characters move against; the backgrounds also sometimes move. Do animators draw and paint these backgrounds in every frame of animation?
Answer: No. Animation backgrounds tend to be static, or only minimally animated, which allows for more detail and intricacy. In traditional animation, animated characters are drawn and painted on transparent cels. The cels are overlaid on the background art to make them seem all one image. The same is true when working with layers in digital animation; one layer contains the background, while the characters are animated on layers above it.
This way the background only has to be drawn once - sometimes a few more times if it's necessary to view the scene from a different angle. Many animated TV shows have recurring backgrounds that they use for various locations.
In the case of panning, zooming, or moving backgrounds, the camera (whether real or virtual) moves over the background image to create the illusion of motion without actually having to animate.
Often backgrounds that appear animated aren't. Instead scenery elements are animated in layers atop the static background, and drawn in a style that makes them seem to blend into the background art.
