There are more animated shows and movies made today than ever before thanks to digital art and animation software, which speeds up the process and allows for a few people to do the work of a dozen.
But back in the pre-digital days cartoonmaking was a very hands on process, with gangs of animators doodling their way through reams of paper, painters painting cels and backgrounds, and zany noisemakers creating that iconic cartoon sound.
These fun vintage photos give us a behind-the-scenes look at how Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio made the animated series Tom & Jerry during its golden age, circa the mid-1940s.
The pics are from a chapter in the classic Gene Byrnes book The Complete Guide To Cartooning called "How Animated Cartoons Are Made", written by Executive Producer at MGM Fred Quimby.
It'll make you appreciate how much work went into those cat and mouse cartoons!
See full chapter on How Animated Cartoons Are Made here
-Via Cartoon Brew