A character stays almost still while a curtain moves behind them. In another shot, only the eyes change before the scene cuts away. These choices invite a more useful question than “How many drawings are there?” Ask what the movement is directing you to notice.
Adobe’s overview of cel animation describes limited animation techniques that reuse material and create new elements where needed. The approach has practical production implications, but a finished scene also depends on framing, timing, sound and performance choices.
Separate stillness from a lack of intention
A held pose can give a line of dialogue room to land. A brief movement after that hold may feel more significant because the surrounding image has remained quiet. Conversely, an awkward hold can interrupt a scene. The effect needs to be judged in context.
Watch a short sequence at normal speed first. Note where your attention goes and what changes your understanding of the scene. Only afterward pause to examine which elements move. Counting frames before experiencing the scene can obscure the timing it was designed to create.
Look for the contribution of the background, camera movement and sound. A moving viewpoint across a drawing creates a different effect from a character changing pose. Describing those differences is more precise than treating every visible motion as the same kind of animation.
Write a shot note without inventing production history
An observation might read: “The face is held while the eyes shift, then the cut reveals the object being watched.” That describes evidence on screen. Claiming that the studio ran out of money requires production evidence that the shot alone cannot provide.
For a personal study, compare two scenes that use stillness differently and describe the emotional result. Avoid assuming that more movement always means more expressive work.
Limited animation is most interesting when examined as a set of choices. The question is how those choices shape attention and rhythm, while keeping any claims about budgets, schedules or artistic intention tied to reliable sources.