>>95570829In truth they are given a lot of creative freedom, but oversight and expectations tend to be significantly lower than what they once were. Unless an animator is working on a show actively run by somebody like Genndy or McCracken, they can even get away with not following model sheets.
Discipline is not their primary issue, however. Current digital animation tech is not yet capable of replicating the freedom traditional animation is capable of. Given a few decades, it may well be, but for now it is simply inferior in quality. This is not a wholesale denunciation of Digital animation; it affords much faster and more economical production than ever before. It will just take time to reach the same level as hand-drawn.
