Principles of Animation

Squash and Stretch

-Action that gives the illusion of weight and volume to an object. 

-Example: The bouncy ball is a classic example of squash and stretch. Even though bouncy balls don't have a tremendous amount of weight to them, the squash and stretch of the ball clues us in to the material the ball is made of. 

Anticipation

-A movement that prepares the audience for a major action that the character is about to perform; the recoil before an action. 

-Example: The jumper crouches closer to the ground before jumping. This recoil gives the audience a hint that he is about to jump, and makes the jump look much more realistic. 

Staging

-The position of all objects on camera, including the background and the character. 

-Example: In this scene, the character is in the center of the camera, with the objects in the background slightly blurred. This makes it clear that the focal point of the scene is the rat. 

Straight Ahead and Pose to Pose Animation

-Straight ahead animation starts at the first drawing of a scene and works through each individual drawing to the end. Pose to pose animation charts key poses and actions at important intervals in the scene first. 

-Example: The pose to pose animation seen here seems jumpy and disjointed. This is because the artist has only drawn the most major action points in the animation. 

Follow Through and Overlapping Action

-When the main body of the character stops and all other small parts continue to catch up to the main mass of the characters. Hair, long clothing, floppy ears, or a tail follow the path of action of the main body but will still swing through after the body has stopped. Overlapping action is when the character changes direction but their clothes/hair continue going forward. 

-Example: Even though Rapunzel is spinning in one direction, her hair takes a little bit longer to catch up with the rest of her body. As she spins, her hair follows through the path of action. 

Slow-Out and Slow-In

-Soften the action of an object to make it seem like it accelerates into an action naturally and decelerates out of it naturally. 

-Example: As he starts running, Jerry accelerates. Similarly, he gradually slows down a bit at the end of the action. 

Arcs

-All actions follow an arc or slightly circular path. Humans and animals especially follow arcs when they walk.

-Example: Walking and swinging arms are not completely linear motions. A more natural action follows circular paths. 

Secondary Action

-Adds to and enriches the main action and adds more dimension to the character animation. Supplements and re-enforces the main action. For example; a character's main action could be walking, and a secondary action could be swinging their arms. 

Timing

-The timing of all actions. Timing is incredibly important because it needs to look natural and engage the audience. Timing can establish the mood, emotion, and reaction of a character. A variety of slow and fast timing within a scene can add texture and interest to movement. 

-Example: Delays after an action can add comedic effect to the reaction. 

Solid Drawing

-The basic principles of drawing; form, weight, volume, and the illusion of three dimensions, are all used to give preliminary drawings life. These principles apply to animation as well. 

-Example: The concept art for Monsters University uses color, light, and shadows to give the illusion of three dimensions. Even though these are just preliminary drawings leading up to a 3D animation, the picture is still full of life. 

Appeal

-Appealing animations are aesthetically pleasing, and contain an engaging story line with well-developed characters.