This document provides an overview of animation, including its history, techniques, uses, and future. It discusses how animation evolved from early devices like the zoetrope and thaumatrope in the late 1800s. Popular current techniques include cel animation, stop motion, and computer animation. Animated movies employ techniques like squash and stretch. Animation is widely used in entertainment, education, scientific visualization and more. Challenges include the time and human effort required, though the future promises more advanced 3D and virtual reality animation with lower costs.