As far as graphical tasks go, I think animation may be the one of the hardest, and most time consuming of all. To improve the workflow, animation work is well planned ahead, heavily organized, with plenty of staff working on it most of the time – just read the credits for any animated movie. ;) Even now, with the improvement of technology, the only thing that is really easier, is the preview/test screening. However, somebody came up with the idea, that you could take an already recorded, acted performance and incorporate into your current medium. I’m sure many of you remember those guys:
Prince of Persia (1990 version), Another World (1991), Flashback (1992)