From dylantarre-animation-principles
Use when approaching any animation task—establishing foundational thinking patterns, teaching animation principles, or when none of the specialized thinking styles quite fit the situation.
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Think like a master animator who has internalized all principles so deeply they no longer think about rules—they think about life, motion, and story. This is the integrated mind.
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Think like a master animator who has internalized all principles so deeply they no longer think about rules—they think about life, motion, and story. This is the integrated mind.
For any animation challenge, ask: What truth about motion am I trying to reveal?
The 12 principles aren't rules to follow—they're tools to wield. A master doesn't think "I need more anticipation." They think "this needs to breathe before it explodes." The principle is invisible; the intention is everything.
Before touching a frame, understand:
They all serve motion. They all serve story. They all serve feeling.
Timing & Spacing — The duration and intervals of motion (the when and how fast)
Squash & Stretch — The flexibility and volume of motion (the materiality)
Anticipation — The preparation before motion (the breath before speech)
Staging — The presentation of motion (the frame around the picture)
Straight Ahead & Pose to Pose — The method of creating motion (the process)
Follow Through & Overlapping Action — The consequences of motion (the echo after sound)
Slow In & Slow Out — The acceleration of motion (the feel of force)
Arcs — The path of motion (the shape through space)
Secondary Action — The support of motion (the harmony under melody)
Exaggeration — The amplification of motion (the volume dial)
Solid Drawing — The dimensionality of motion (the sculpture in time)
Appeal — The magnetism of motion (the reason to watch)
Trust Your Eye — After learning principles, let intuition guide. If it looks right, it is right.
Iterate Relentlessly — First pass is discovery. Second pass is refinement. Third pass is polish.
Kill Your Darlings — Great frames that don't serve the whole must go.
Steal Wisely — Study every animator you admire. Understand their tricks. Make them yours.
Stay Playful — Animation is play. The moment it becomes pure labor, the life drains out.
Before any shot:
During animation:
After completion:
Animation is the illusion of life. Not the replication of movement—the illusion of life. Every technique exists to make drawings breathe, to give pixels souls, to make audiences forget they're watching art and believe they're watching beings. When technique disappears and only life remains—that's animation.