In the movie Toy Story, a group of toys come to life. In a TV commercial, a car races down the highway. The car is going so fast that it flies into the air. Suddenly, the car has stripes and claws. It has turned into a tiger! How do all these things happen? The answer is in the fascinating world of computer animation. Animation has been around for a long time. You may remember Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny. These cartoon characters were created in a procedure called cel animation.
Cel-animation cartoons are drawn on clear sheets of plastic. To make them move, the artist draws a series of pictures. The artist makes each picture slightly different from the one before. Then, the artist shows the pictures at an accelerated pace. This process makes the cartoons seem to move. To make longer films, like Bambi or Snow White, artists need to draw thousands of cels. It is very tedious work.
A newer technique uses computers to make cartoons seem alive. It is different from cel animation in many ways. One of the most significant changes is very simple. If you look closely, you’ll notice that cel animation cartoons look flat. You can see them move but they don’t look real. The images are two-dimensional---they have height and width, but they have no depth.
Computers enable animators to create lifelike, three-dimensional, or 3-D, images. First , the animator or artist records the shape of an object, animal, or person from all sides. Once recorded in the computer, the 3-D image can be rotated, moved, and twisted. The artist can add and change details. The image is transformed into a cartoon character with its own personality and flair. Cartoon artists have discovered a sensational new tool. Cartooning will never be the same.

Computer and cel animation are alike because...Immersive Reader
(1 Point)
A. Both are used only in movies
B. Both are done on a computer
C. Both make images that move and seem to come to life
D. Both are easy to do