About traditional animation. In traditional animation, animators draw images on a transparent piece of paper fitted on a peg using a colored pencil, one frame at the time. Animators usually test animations with very rough drawings to see how many frames they would need for the action to work. The animation process of traditional animation can be lengthy and costly. Once the clean-up and the in-between drawings are complete, the production would move on to photographing each individual frame.
An opinion is different from actual advice. Legal advice is a pretty gray line, frankly. But it generally comes down to something like: this is the law and this is what you should do in your specific situation. Keep in mind though that the specifics are going to be defined by jurisdiction.
As a consultant, you face more than technical challenges. You face legal ones as well. For this reason, the more you know about these legal matters, the less chance you have of getting into trouble. Although this article is not meant as legal advice, it can help you be aware of some issues that concern you. At the very least, it will alert you to questions and issues you might need to raise with your own attorney. Note: This article is also available as a PDF download.