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