Emphasizing the importance of economy and efficiency in the production of computer animation, this master's thesis outlines methodologies that can be used to develop animated sequences with the highest quality images for the least expenditure. It is assumed that if computer animators are to be able to fully exploit the available resources, they should have a working understanding of computer programming methods. The animation problems that are presented and explored are solved from an animator's viewpoint, but solutions to some of the problems used as examples were arrived at through computer programming techniques. The thesis is divided into six chapters: (1) Computer Graphics Overview; (2) Storyboards: The Animation Guideline; (3) Analyses and Customization; (4) Motion Control Systems; (5) Reflections, Highlights, Glows, Glints, and Shadows; (6) Natural Phenomena; and (7) Conclusions. Eleven figures are included in the text, examples of thumbnail sketches and timing sheets are provided in three appendices, and 32 references are listed. (MES)