Straight ahead action scenes are animated frame by frame from beginning to end, while ' pose to pose' involves starting with drawing key frames, and then filling in the intervals later. These are two different approaches to the drawing process. The essence of this principle is keeping focus on what is relevant, and avoiding unnecessary detail.

This can be done by various means, such as the placement of a character in the frame, the use of light and shadow, or the angle and position of the camera. Its purpose is to direct the audience's attention, and make it clear what is of greatest importance in a scene Johnston and Thomas defined it as 'the presentation of any idea so that it is completely and unmistakably clear', whether that idea is an action, a personality, an expression, or a mood. This principle is akin to staging, as it is known in theatre and film. The technique can also be used for less physical actions, such as a character looking off-screen to anticipate someone's arrival, or attention focusing on an object that a character is about to pick up. A dancer jumping off the floor has to bend the knees first a golfer making a swing has to swing the club back first. The 12 principles of animation Squash and stretch Īnticipation: a baseball player making a pitch prepares for the action by winding his arm back.Īnticipation is used to prepare the audience for an action, and to make the action appear more realistic.

While originally intended to apply to traditional, hand-drawn animation, the principles still have great relevance for today's more prevalent computer animation. In 1999, The Illusion of Life was voted the 'best animation book of all time' in an online poll done by Animation World Network. The book has been referred to by some as the ' Bible of animation', and some of its principles have been adopted by traditional studios. The main purpose of these principles was to produce an illusion that cartoon characters adhered to the basic laws of physics, but they also dealt with more abstract issues, such as emotional timing and character appeal.

The principles are based on the work of Disney animators from the 1930s onwards, in their quest to produce more realistic animation. Book cover of Disney Animation: The Illusion of Lifeĭisney's twelve basic principles of animation were introduced by the Disney animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas in their 1981 book The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation.

The Illusion of Life by Frank Thomas