What is silhouette?

 

Silhouette animation is animation in which the characters are only visible as black silhouettes. This is usually accomplished by  ​backlighting

articulated cardboard cut-outs, though other methods exist.

 

Silhouette animation is most often created in black and white, with either a black paper or cardboard silhouette on a white backdrop, or a white silhouette on a black backdrop.

 

In many ways this style of animation requires more finesse and skill, because it relies solely on motion, shape, pacing, timing, and music to convey emotion without the benefit of things like facial expressions.

 

Technically, any animation that involves a silhouette moving on a contrasting background could be considered silhouette animation, but the original silhouette animation technique was almost more a form of puppetry using what was essentially hinged paper dolls with their parts tied together with wire.