Motion Capture Animation

The creation of Motion Capture in animation has been a fantastic move forward to create life like movements.
It's done by having the actor wear a suit covered in balls that pick up limb movements and head rigs that are attached to a camera which is constantly taking pictures of the actors face to capture his or her expressions. 

A key example of a well known film that has used Motion Capture is Avatar. It was probably the realistic animation and clarity that drew so many people to go see it. 

Not many directors had the oppertunity to use the facial motion capture at the point when Avatar was released but with it's multi-million dollar gain at the box office, it was probably worth it.