Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive the development of embryos requires a detailed knowledge of the way cells divide, move, change shape, interact with one another and die during embryogenesis. Ideally this should be analysed in intact embryos using minimally invasive techniques. Because of their easy accessibility, external development and excellent transparency the teleost embryo has emerged as probably the premier vertebrate model for this type of study. This review will discuss some of the recent advances in this field including attempts to image every cell and their movements during the first 24h of development as well as other studies that focus on the development of specific organs or high resolution analyses of the behaviour of individual cells.