UNIT -2

PRINCIPLES OF ANIMATION

FILL IN THE BLANKS

1. The first and most important of the 12 principles is ____________ which is used to give
drawn objects a feeling of flexibility and weight. (Ans. Squash and Stretch)

2. Squash and Stretch are often manipulated to create a ___________ effect but are utilized in all
types of animation. (Ans. comedic)

3. ____________ of a movement, which is just as important as the movement itself.

(Ans. Anticipation)

4. Name the principle of animation that governs the smoothness of an animation.

(Ans. Slow-Out and Slow-In)

5. More frames means smoother, _____________ animation, fewer frames will __________ up
the animation. (Ans. Slower, speed)

6. Arcs is used for expressing______________________. (Ans. Speed)

7. ___________________ is the principle of animation which convey strong emotions.

8. ___________ or the number of frames in a scene or action governs overall speed of the
animation. (Ans. Timing)

9. ________________ is a principle of animation, which is used to make scene interesting in

10. An animator use ______________ techniques to give their drawn objects three dimensional
aspects like weight, balance, anatomy, lighting and more. (Ans. solid drawing)
11. Basic principles of animation were developed by the Walt Disney Studios, during the 1930s
and amongst them __________ and _____________ were the two pioneers.

(Ans. Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston)

12. _______________ means drawing out a scene frame by frame from beginning to end.

(Ans. Straight ahead action)

13. _____________________ means that separate parts of a body will continue moving after the
character has stopped. (Ans. Follow through)

14. ______________ is the tendency for parts of the body to move at different rates.

(Ans. Overlapping action)

15. ___________ is about creating an accurate drawing with volume and weight, and thinking
about balance, and the anatomy in a pose. (Ans. Solid drawing)

16. ___________ corresponds to what would be called charisma in an actor. (Ans. Appeal)

17. In 3D animation, ________ can be expanded to include more detail, hide points of interest,
set up for chain reactions, and so on.

Ans. staging

18. In________________ , characters movements had a very high degree of exaggerated and
non-rigid deformation.

Ans. traditional animation

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING

Q1. List down the 12 basic principles of Animation.

Ans. The 12 principles of animation are as follows:

1. Squash and Stretch

2. Anticipation

3. Staging
 4. Straight Ahead and Pose-to-Pose Animation

5. Follow through and Overlapping Action

6. Slow Out and Slow In

7. Arcs

8. Secondary Action

9. Timing

10. Exaggeration

11. Solid Drawing

12. Appeal

Q2. Explain the basic principles of Animation.

Ans. Squash and Stretch: The most important principle is "Squash and Stretch", the
purpose of which is to give a sense of weight and flexibility to drawn objects. It can be applied to
simple objects, like a bouncing ball, or more complex constructions, like the musculature of a
human face. A figure stretched or squashed to an exaggerated degree can have a comical effect.
The most important aspect of this principle is the fact that an object's volume does not change
when squashed or stretched. Squash and Stretch are often manipulated to create a comedic effect
but are utilized in all types of animation.

Example A shows a ball bouncing with a rigid, non-dynamic movement. In example B the ball is
"squashed".
Anticipation: In 2D animation, the anticipation of a movement is just as important as the
movement itself. The moment of anticipation informs the audience that an object or character is
about to take action and directs their attention appropriately. Anticipation is the technique by
which the audience’s eyes are drawn to where action will occur on-screen. Anticipation can be

created by the skillful use of motion curves, expanding or contracting pieces of animation to
create the anticipatory effect.

Staging: Staging refers to the way in which character motion and camera movements are set up
to convey the mood and intent of a scene. Staging is how you go about setting up your scene,
from the placement of the characters to the background and foreground elements and how the
camera angle is set up. The purpose of staging is to make the purpose of the animation
unmistakably clear to the viewer. The essence of this principle is keeping focus on what is
relevant, and avoiding unnecessary detail. Staging is the presentation of an idea so that it is
completely and unmistakably clear.

In 3D animation, staging can be expanded to include more detail, hide points of interest, set up
for chain reactions, and so on.
Straight Ahead and Pose-to-Pose Animation: These are two different approaches to the actual
drawing process. "Straight ahead action" means drawing out a scene frame by frame from
beginning to end, while "pose to pose" involves starting with drawing a few key frames, and then
filling in the intervals later. "Straight ahead action" creates a more fluid, dynamic illusion of
movement, and is better for producing realistic action sequences. On the other hand, it is hard to
maintain proportions, and to create exact, convincing poses along the way. "Pose to pose" works
better for dramatic or emotional scenes, where composition and relation to the surroundings are
of greater importance.

Computer animation removes the problems of proportion related to "straight ahead action”
drawing. However, "pose to pose" is still used for computer animation, because of the
advantages it brings in composition. The use of computers facilitates this method, as computers
can fill in the missing sequences in between poses automatically.
Straight ahead action is so called because an animator literally works straight ahead from the first
drawing in the scene. This process usually produces drawings and action that have a fresh and
slightly zany look, because the whole process is kept very creative. Straight ahead action is used
for wild, scrambling actions where spontaneity is important.

In pose-to-pose animation, the animator plans his action, figuring out just what drawings will be
needed to animate the scene. Pose to-pose is used for animation that requires good acting, where
poses and timing are important.
 Pose to Pose

Follow-through and Overlapping Action: These are related techniques which help to render
movement more realistically. "Follow through" means that separate parts of a body will continue
moving after the character has stopped. "Overlapping action" is the tendency for parts of the
body to move at different rates (an arm will move on different timing of the head and so on). A
third related technique is "drag", where a character starts to move and parts of him take a few
frames to catch up.

Slow Out and Slow In: As any object or person moves or comes to a stop there needs to be a
time for acceleration and deceleration. Without, ease in and ease out (or slow in slow out),
movements become very unnatural and robotic. The same must be accomplished in an
animation, and the easiest way to accomplish ease in and ease out is to utilize the principle of
spacing. As a character stands up from a sitting position, the spacing will be closer together at
the start, so they ease into the movement, and as they stand up, they will ease out of the
movement. Without this acceleration and deceleration of actions everything would be very
abrupt and jerky.

Arcs: Most natural action tends to follow an arched trajectory, and animation should adhere to
this principle by following implied "arcs" for greater realism. This can apply to a limb moving
by rotating a joint, or a thrown object moving along a parabolic trajectory. The exception is
mechanical movement, which typically moves in straight lines. As an object's speed or
momentum increases, arcs tend to flatten out in moving ahead and broaden in turns.

Secondary Action: Secondary action refers to creating actions that emphasize or support the
main action of the animation; it can breathe more life into an animation and create a more
convincing performance. A character walking down the street while whistling could be an
example of secondary action or a person leaning up against a wall talking to some people at
school, the main action is the character leaning against the wall and talking, and then putting in
an action of them crossing their arms would be the secondary action.
Timing and Spacing: Timing refers to the number of drawings or frames for a given action,
which translates to the speed of the action on film. Correct timing makes objects appear to obey
the laws of physics; for instance, an object's weight determines how it reacts to an impetus, like a
push. Timing is critical for establishing a character's mood, emotion, and reaction. Timing is not
exactly a rule, but it is the most important aspect of animation and is what sets it apart from other
drawn art forms. So much of animation is about timing. Messages or feelings that cannot be
portrayed by a still picture can be communicated with the addition of timing. Timing, or the
speed of an action, is an important principle because it gives meaning to movement. The speed of
an action defines how well the idea will be read to the audience.
Exaggeration: Exaggeration is an effect especially useful for animation, as perfect imitation of
reality can look static and dull in cartoons. The level of exaggeration depends on whether one
seeks realism or a particular style, like a caricature or the style of an artist. The classical
definition of exaggeration, employed by Disney, was just presenting it in a wilder more extreme
form.

It is important to employ a certain level of limitation when using exaggeration; if a scene

Solid Drawing: Solid drawing is about creating an accurate drawing with volume and weight,
and thinking about balance, and the anatomy in a pose. For example, the character may have
both arms on their hips or both hands in their pockets. This creates a rather boring and
unappealing pose. Making sure you implement the principle of solid drawing in to your posing
will ensure you avoid this issue.
Appeal: Appeal corresponds to what would be called charisma in an actor. A character who is
appealing is not necessarily sympathetic – villains or monsters can also be appealing – the
important thing is that the viewer feels the character is real and interesting. There are several
tricks for making a character connect better with the audience.