you want "free" AND "high quality"? ;-) just kidding.
the first question is - what sort of animation - 2d "cel" animation, 3d animation, "doodle" pen art?
actually "Pixen" is a great FREE pixel art prog, for those classic 8 or 16 bit looks. GIMP is a photoshop like free prog, and Inkscape, like illustrator.
you Should Use Pixelmator It Has A Lot Of Diffrent Tools That Can Make Your Picture For Your Game Look AWESOME but the only thing is that It Fades The Color When You Export It For The Game, But Only A Little
I Think I Can Give You The Link For Pixelmator For Free Download
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the first question is -
what sort of animation - 2d "cel" animation, 3d animation, "doodle" pen art?
actually "Pixen" is a great FREE pixel art prog, for those classic 8 or 16 bit looks.
GIMP is a photoshop like free prog, and Inkscape, like illustrator.
I Think I Can Give You The Link For Pixelmator For Free Download
but if u prefer inkscape That's Fine