12 Principles of Animation

Squash and Stretch: Gives objects and characters weight and flexibility by compressing or elongating them while keeping total volume constant.

‍Anticipation: Prepares the audience for a major action through a smaller preparatory movement or wind-up.

‍Staging: Directs the viewer's attention and makes the main idea, action, or mood of a scene immediately clear using composition and framing.

Straight Ahead Action and Pose to Pose: Two different workflows—drawing frame-by-frame for fluid spontaneity versus sketching key poses first and filling in the middle frames later.

Follow Through and Overlapping Action: Shows inertia and physics where parts of a body or attached objects keep moving or lag behind after the main body stops.

Slow In and Slow Out: Mimics real-world acceleration and deceleration by adding more frames at the beginning and end of a movement and fewer in the middle.

Arcs: Ensures natural, organic movement follows a curved trajectory rather than a robotic straight line.

Secondary Action: Adds smaller, supporting gestures or details that enrich the primary action without distracting from it.

Timing: Controls the speed and mood of a movement by adjusting the number of frames or drawings.

Exaggeration: Pushes poses, facial expressions, or physical reactions to an extreme degree for dramatic or comedic impact while staying grounded in realism.

Solid Drawing: Gives 2D characters a sense of three-dimensional volume, weight, and balance.‍

Appeal: Gives characters charm, charisma, and a design that connects with the audience.

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