If you want something drop dead simple that won't cost you the earth, is easy to use and has the backup of a major compnay, just go to CoffeeCup - HTML Editor, Flash & Web Design Software - they sell flash animation software for about $35. Its not up to the professional flash making standards of Abdobe CS3 et al, but it will take you between 10 and 20 minutes to learn to create your first flash animation with it. My grandaughter, who is only 7 has figured out how to use it - thats how simple it is to use!

There is also an excellent piece of software made by Motion Artist go to Smith Micro Graphics - Poser & Shade - 3D Design, Modeling, Rendering Software, Flash Animation Software, Templates and Tutorials and look up Motion Artist Softare. Its about as easy as it gets and is entirely drag and drop and then you select the kind of flash effects you want. Click a few buttons and its done. Again you will be limited to what the software can do, BUT it is outstandingly good stuff for the money. Why bother to learn how to handle flash manually, when with this software you just don't have to? Its as easy to use as a word processor package.