The document outlines the 12 principles of animation as described by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston in their 1981 book, known as the 'bible of animation.' These principles include concepts such as squash and stretch, anticipation, staging, and exaggeration, which are essential for creating realistic and engaging animations. Each principle is explained with notes on its application, importance, and tips for effective execution.

1. ANIMATION PRINCIPLES
Vu Phuong Hoang
2015/08

2. The 12 principles of animation
 From the famous book
 By Frank Thomas &
Ollie Johnston
 Published in 1981
 “Bible of animation”

3. The 12 principles of animation
1. Squash and stretch
2. Anticipation
3. Staging
4. Straight ahead action and
Pose to pose
5. Follow through and
Overlapping action
6. Slow in and Slow out
7. Arc
8. Secondary action
9. Timing
10. Exaggeration
11. Solid drawing
12. Appeal

4. 1.1. Squash & stretch
 Make object longer or wider to emphasize:
 Speed
 Momentum
 Weight
 Mass

5. 1.1. Squash & stretch
 Note:
 More squash & stretch
means softer
 Less squash & stretch
means stiffer
 Keep the volume consistent
 Don’t overdo this

6. 1.1. Squash & stretch

7. 1.2. Anticipation
 Prepare for next action to make it more realistic
 It helps communicate actions with viewers

8. 1.2. Anticipation
 Note:
 Viewers tend to look at
where the character’s
looking at
 Use multi-levels
anticipation if necessary

9. 1.2. Anticipation

10. 1.3. Staging
 Make sure that viewers knows where to look at
by using:
 Camera
 Light
 Direction
 ...
 Help them understand the ideas

11. 1.3. Staging
 Note:
 Use far-away camera for big
action
 Use close-up camera for
expression
 Use pauses properly
 Add supplementaries
 Remove redundant things

12. 1.3. Staging

13. 1.4. Straight ahead action, pose to pose
 Draw frame by frame  Draw keyframes first
 Draw in-between frames
later

14. 1.4. Straight ahead action, pose to pose
Straight ahead action
 For undefined shapes
 Can combine with pose-
to-pose
Pose to pose
 For defined shapes
 Easy to maintain size
 Can have levels of detail
 Easy to change frame

15. 1.4. Straight ahead action, pose to pose

16. 1.4. Straight ahead action, pose to pose

17. 1.5. Follow through, overlapping action
 For more realistic movements
 Follow through: Appendage
should continue moving after the
main body has stopped
 Overlapping action: Appendage
should move with different rates
 Drag: Appendage should start
moving a few frames after the
main body

18. 1.5. Follow through, overlapping action
 Note:
 How appendage move
depends on it’s nature
 Add appendage after finishing
main body’s animation
 Use previous frame as
indicator
 How your arms move ?

19. 1.5. Follow through, overlapping action

21. 1.6. Slow in and Slow out
 To simulate acceleration
 Objects need time to accelerate and slow down

22. 1.6. Slow in and Slow out
 Note:
 Follow physical laws
 Analyze frames to adjust
 Be familiar with Bezier
curves

23. 1.6. Slow in and Slow out

24. 1.6. Slow in and Slow out

25. 1.7. Arcs
 Most natural actions follow an arched trajectory

26. 1.7. Arcs
 Note:
 Arcs can help maintain size
 Use arcs to guide motions
 Connect poses by smears

27. 1.7. Arcs

28. 1.8. Secondary action
 Support main action

29. 1.8. Secondary action
 Note:
 Secondary actions can express
the personalities and
expressions
 Don’t take attention away
from main action – remember
“Staging” ?

31. 1.9. Timing
 Time represents nature and personalities

32. 1.9. Timing
 Note:
 An action can have different
meanings depending on
duration
 Slow motion can be jittery if
drawing on one
 Drawing on one can have
more details

34. 1.10. Exxageration
 Represent action in a wilder, more extreme form

35. 1.10. Exxageration
 Exxageration make action
more apparent
 Don’t distort object too much
 Extreme form has to become
to normal after exxageration
 Exxageration duration affects
the extreme level
 Try and adjust

36. 1.10. Exxageration

38. 1.11. Solid drawing
 Take 3D forms into account when drawing

39. 1.11. Solid drawing
 Follow principles of perspective:
 Cube’s edges should be bent
towards the vanishing point
 Follow the contour of the
sphere’s surface
 Draw perspective lines on the
ground to track the distance

40. 1.11. Solid drawing
 Use basic shapes to form the
object
 Add overlap details to define
where surfaces come out and
recede
 Paired features should not do the
same thing at a time

41. 1.12. Appeal
 Make the character interesting to look at

42. 1.12. Appeal
 3 steps for dynamic design:
1. Use variety of shapes
2. Play with proportions
3. Keep it simple

43. The 12 principles of animation
SUMMARY

44. References
1. Wikipedia
2. Digital tutors (3D animation)
3. The illusion of life – Tumblr (GIF)
4. The art of UI animations (Slide)
5. HowDesign.com (Motion examples)
6. University of Washington (Comparison)
7. CSS Animation
8. Smashing Magazine
9. Google’s material design

45. Any questions?