What is Cel Animation?

Today we're going to talk about cel animation, a technique used in many animation studios to bring stories to life, create worlds, and give characters personality. Despite the popularity of 3D animation today, cel animation is still highly regarded, especially within animation studios, thanks to its close connection to the artist, which gives each movement and each frame a character of its own.

A distinctive feature of cel animation is the picture-by-picture drawing process, which stands out through its detail and its clear sense of rhythm and timing as the animation plays.

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From traditional cell animation to modern processes

Cel animation was the industry standard for most of the 20th century and was widely used in professional animation studio production. Every scene was drawn by hand. Characters and moving elements were created frame by frame on transparent sheets, which were then placed on top of painted backgrounds.

Each scene was photographed separately, making the process labor-intensive and time consuming. Despite this, thousands of dynamic and expressive animations were created, many of which still resonate today through their distinctive character and soul.

Modern cel animation is based on the same basic principles, but instead of pencil and paper, animation studios now work digitally. Animators use drawing tablets and specialized software, which simplifies editing and allows for greater creative freedom. This development preserves the spirit of traditional animation while adapting the technique to the production needs of modern animation studios.

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Modern tools for cell animation

Today, cel animation is created with digital tools that enable an efficient workflow without losing the feel of hand-drawn animation. Among the most widely used programs are:

• Toon Boom Harmony — industry standard for professional 2D animation, common in television and advertising production
• TVPaint — known for its organic brush engine that mimics traditional drawing materials
• Animate — often used for picture-by-picture animation in combination with design-based processes
• Photoshop — used for picture-by-picture animation, illustration, and texture work

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The process of working in cell animation

Crafting animation is exciting at every stage, because each animation is unique in every frame and character.

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Picture-by-picture drawing

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The work begins with the animator drawing key poses — keyframes — at predetermined frames. These set timing, rhythm and sense of movement. After that, in-betweens are drawn manually to bind the key images together, unlike programs that create betweens automatically.

The more intermediate shots used, the smoother and more detailed the movement will be. This phase occurs most often in rough sketches where the focus is on dynamics and legibility rather than detail.

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Work with layers

Once the movement is approved, the animation moves on to clean-up. Characters, backgrounds, effects and lights are separated into different layers. This allows individual elements to be adjusted without affecting the entire animation and provides great flexibility in production.

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Color and compositing

The next step is color matching and shadow passes, which enhance mood and depth without losing the hand-drawn feel. After that, all parts are joined together in the compositing stage, where camera movements, depth of space and atmospheric effects are added as necessary. The result is a cohesive, expressive and engaging animation.

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Celanimation in practice

Ponvory — Blackout

Ponvory — Blackout is a project where celanimation forms the basis of the visual language. The project is a minute-long anime-inspired animation for Vanda Pharmaceuticals, begun in the fall of 2024 and premiering on ABC during the Academy Awards in March 2025.

The animation is completely picture-by-picture cartoon, which makes it possible to convey character, emotions and the rhythm of movements with great precision. Work started with script and storyboard, then characters and animation developed in parallel. In the final production, cel animation is combined with 3D and 2.5D techniques to create depth and dynamism, while preserving a warm, organic and handmade expression.

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Other projects illustrate how animation can be used selectively or combined with other techniques:

The Tube (SVT)

The Tube is an animated children's program created in conjunction with Snowbird and Alaska. In each episode, the characters explore the world through questions that all children recognize, and the visual language makes complex topics simple, fun, and understandable.

Here, cel animation is selectively used—primarily for environments, details, and individual movements—while the characters are rigged. Hand-drawn stop-motion-like animation combines with 2D rigs and 3D elements to create a vibrant and flexible expression with an efficient production pace.

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Sweden Rock 2026

For Sweden Rock Festival 2026, we developed a new graphic identity where cel animation interacts with 3D. The goal was to make the 3D animated sword feel as hand-drawn as possible. This was achieved through smear frames and deliberately distorted perspectives, giving the whole a distinct retro aesthetic with a 1980s feel.

The result is a visual language that feels loud, energetic and retro, while being instantly recognisable to the festival audience.

Together, these projects show how flexible cel animation is — from full-scale character animation to hybrid processes and mood-creating background work.

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Why we work with cel animation

Cel animation is an invaluable tool for creating unique and balanced animation. We strive to make work that sticks in memory, and celanimation interacts perfectly with other techniques to lift the overall result.

Each line is drawn by a human, giving the animation warmth, character and emotional depth. At the same time, the digital process makes it possible to work quickly, collaborate smoothly and easily manage changes and customer requests — without losing the connection with traditional animation values.

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