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Principles of Animation: 1. Squash and Stretch

This document discusses the principles of animation developed by Walt Disney that helped bring his cartoon characters to life. It outlines six key principles: 1) Squash and stretch to show flexibility and pliability of movement, 2) Staging to clearly present ideas and expressions, 3) Anticipation to engage the audience and set up scenes, 4) Secondary action to emphasize primary actions, 5) Exaggeration to make scenes seem more realistic, and 6) Follow through and overlapping action to make movements appear natural. These principles were fundamental techniques for Disney animators to imbue characters with personality and believability.

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Brandon Mollica
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24 views

Principles of Animation: 1. Squash and Stretch

This document discusses the principles of animation developed by Walt Disney that helped bring his cartoon characters to life. It outlines six key principles: 1) Squash and stretch to show flexibility and pliability of movement, 2) Staging to clearly present ideas and expressions, 3) Anticipation to engage the audience and set up scenes, 4) Secondary action to emphasize primary actions, 5) Exaggeration to make scenes seem more realistic, and 6) Follow through and overlapping action to make movements appear natural. These principles were fundamental techniques for Disney animators to imbue characters with personality and believability.

Uploaded by

Brandon Mollica
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Brandon Mollica

Mr. Miller
Computer Applications
16 April 2014
PRINCIPLES OF ANIMATION

The first duty of the cartoon is not to picture or duplicate real
action or things as they actually happenbut to give a caricature
of line and action.
Walt Disney

One of the many reasons Walt Disney became successful was that he was able to give life
to his cartoon characters. Once the character has a personality, the audience can identify with it
and believe it. Walt believed the true interpretation of caricature is the exaggeration of an
illusion of the actual, possible, or probable.
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This belief developed into several fundamental
principles for Disney animators, which include squash and stretch, staging, secondary action,
exaggeration, anticipation, and follow-through and overlapping action.
1. SQUASH AND STRETCH
One of the most important innovations in animation is the concept of squash and stretch.
This technique involves creating several drawings for one action to show flexibility and
pliability. The squashed position depicts the form either squeezed up and bunched together or
flattened out by great pressure. The stretched position then depicts the same form lengthened to a
very extended condition. Arms and legs, for example, swell and they bend and extend into long
and flexible limbs. A character chewing food has ballooned cheeks, a jaw with extended
stretching motions, and a mouth that moves from well below the nose to up beyond the nose.

2. STAGING
Staging is a general but essential principle in animation. It is the presentation of an idea, a
mood, or an expression so that is clearly recognizable and understood. Staging a spooky scene
means including appropriate imagery: a full moon, a threatening sky, looming shadows, and an
old house. Staging an action means the focus is on that action.
3. ANTICIPATION
Perhaps one of the oldest theater devices, anticipation, is what keeps the audience interested
and prepared for upcoming scenes. If an action or a scene is not set up properly, the audience can
miss the humor. Anticipatory moves, such as crouching before running or winding up before
pitching, show the audience what the character will be doing next.
4. SECONDARY ACTION
Secondary actions emphasize the primary actions and provide greater richness and dimension
to the character or the action in the scene. If the primary action is a flustered character jumping
up and down, his arm movements and hand gestures, following a different pattern from his
moving body, can accentuate the characters confusion. If the primary focus is a mood or
expression, such as a character crying, the secondary action might be a hand wiping a tear away.
5. EXAGGERATION
The purpose of exaggeration is not to distort, but to present a scene or character in an unreal
way to make it seem more real. Lightning would not be convincing if it were drawn as it appears
in a photograph. By exaggerating the bolts and adding flashes of light, animated lightning can
seem more dramatic than the real thing.
6. FOLLOW THROUGH AND OVERLAPPING ACTION
Once many of these elements are combined, the best way to bring life and magic to the scene
is to make the action look natural by using follow through or overlapping action. If a moving
figure stops, for example, appendages continue to move, such as hair, ears, fleshy cheeks, hats ir
clothes. The final result is animation with more vitality, realism, and life.

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