Slow In and Slow Out

Spongebob Squarepants - Patrick Sitting Down

This clip from Spongebob illustrates how the humanoid form (Patrick) accelerates, then decelerates to perform the action of sitting down. This action is composed between two key frames, 'slowing in' as Patrick bends to sit down, mentaining speed as he falls back, and 'slowing out' as he sits down. 

Mickey Mouse - The Opera House

Another example of 'slow in and out' is depicted above (02:25): Mickey is seen jumping up and down on the piano, as if on a trampoline. This again switches between two key poses, slowing in and out of those positions. 

Written By Robert Markland

Arcs

Natural action tends to follow arcs. For greater realism it is essential animation adheres to these principles. Speed and momentum affect the shape of the arc. For example if a ball is thrown at speed the arc will be boarder than if it were thrown lightly.

Pendulum Swing Animation

All characters limbs are affected by arcs because they are attached to a pivot, the exception being machinery which tends to move in straight lines. By including arcs the animation becomes more lifelike in the example below Pixar have given the lamp human characteristics by incorporating arcs into the movement.

Pixar - Luxo Jr.

Written By Ali Kerwood

Follow Through and Overlapping Action

Follow through is the termination part of an action for example if a character throws something the arm continues moving after the ball has been released. Overlapping action ensures the fluidity of the movement from one action to another. It is a curtail element to animation without it the characters would be still and un-lifelike.

Jellyfish Animation

The example below shows the character seamlessly moving from one pose to the next. This adds appeal to the animation because it seems more lifelike. The character would not move from one pose, stop and move to a next because this would seem unreal. Follow through and overlapping action are curtail in creating a smooth realistic animation.

Jungle Book - Bare Necessities

Written By Ali Kerwood

Appeal

Appeal refers to the overall quality of the animation. A drawing with pleasing design and simplicity has greater appeal than a drawing with clumsy shapes and awkward movements. Often features are exaggerated for comic effect and characters are posed non static. This adds to the overall appeal.

Donald Duck - Apple Core

Disney recognises the power of appeal a typically opt for a more aesthetically pleasing look with their characters.  Although appeal is subjective Disney has maintained a style in order to create familiarity with the audience. The development of c.g recognised a demand for more detail and characteristics we can relate to. Such as Disney’s up featuring a boy scout and a grumpy old man.  

Pixar's Up - Dug the Dog

Written By Ali Kerwood

Exaggeration

Exaggeration is a key principle of animation, mainly used to put across a characters emotions or ideas. The movements and expressions are exaggerated this helps the audience grasp a better understanding of what the animator is trying to convey. When the character makes a movement exaggeration is used to emphasise the action in order to grab the viewer’s attention.

Exaggeration Clip

Exaggeration is also a key element in creating appeal in animation. Without exaggeration characters would be bland and un-appealing. Exaggeration gives charm to animation and makes it more interesting. It’s an important part of cartoon animation, in the example the actions of the characters have been emphasised for greater entertainment purposes.

Warner Bros - Hunting Season

Written By Ali Kerwood

Cycles

A cycle is particularly useful in animation when you have a repetitive movement or sequence. A good cycle easily runs in a smooth loop where the viewer is unable to tell when the cycle starts or finishes; the animation is seamless. An example of a cycle put to use can be seen in most character animation if the character is walking/running from A to B:

Various Animation cycles

Wile.E.Coyote and Road Runner - Lickety Splat

Cycles can be made up of many different sequences, or just one: 1-1-1-1-1-1 or 1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-3. In the above video, it's a sequence of repeated frames that a run together to create the illusion of walking/running.

Written By Nila Murali

Timing

Timing gives meaning to motion - it is the most important part of animation. The very basics are: The more images/drawings/frames between the key parts of the movement, or key frames, the smoother the action. 

Tom and Jerry - Muscle Beach

Therefore, the fewer the images/drawings/frames between the key frames, the faster and crisper the action. This is displayed to an appealing effect in this advert for V Water:

V-Water Advert

Combining both 2D and real image (or stop motion) requires timing precision to make sure the sounds/pictures move together in the necessary way, for example; to create the illusion that a real hand is spinning the gramophone in the advert.

Written By Nila Murali

Anticipation

Anticipation is the subtle movements that prepare the audience for a major action that is going to commence. This action is replicated from real life, for example a golfer doesn't just perform a golf swing; a small backwards movement is made just before, to prepare himself to execute the swing correctly.

Pepe le Peew - A Scent of the Matterhorn

These subtle movements are usually greatly exaggerated in cartoon animation, as seen in one of Scrat's elaborate attempts to get his acorn in Ice Age 2:

 Ice Age 2 - Scrat's Slide

Here, the anticipation is most obvious before Scrat slides down the ice, starting with a "1, 2, 3 ..." to gain momentum and maximum leverage behind his slide.

Written By Nila Murali

Squash and Stretch

This action gives the illusion of weight and volume to an animated object as it moves. It's used in any animation involving flexible movement and can range from subtle movements in a ball bouncing down some stairs or a person doing a complicated dance, as seen in the Mr Bean animated tv series: 

Mr Bean Animated TV Series - Intro

The squash and stretch principle is particularly evident in the moment of Teddy as he gets thrown about during Mr Bean's dancing. This easily conveys the material that Teddy is made of, as well as his weight and texture.

Chuck Jones - What's Brewin' Bruin

This old Chuck Jones cartoon also shows excellent squash and stretch as the bears hit each other.

Written By Nila Murali