Animated shows and films begin their journey as works of art created on a page. Characters and scenes are drawn by artists. Each of the scenes are drawn repeatedly, and then photographed or filmed in a series. In each picture there are slight changes. When the photographs are run as films, these changes produce visual motion for the viewer. The characters are literally animated by the small changes in each picture. There are many cultures that have experimented with this form of storytelling art. Japanese artists and film makers have successfully explored it more than most.