An animation is simply a series of pictures that are seen one after the other and give the illusion of movement. The horse above took 14 different drawings (called cells) to create the animation.
Here are some of the cells used to make the cartoon horse run. Each one is slightly different.
Some other types of animations can be made very simply. If you would like to see some examples, choose from the following:
Part 2: Uses of Animations
Part 3: Simple Animation Effects
You can also make your own beginner animation by following this step by step guide.
Part 4: Creating your First Animation