ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Twelve basic principles of animation

Alright kiddo, today we are going to learn about twelve basic principles of animation. These are some important rules for making great animated movies and shows. So, let's get started!

1. Squash and Stretch: Imagine a ball getting squeezed when it hits the ground or stretching when it's thrown. In animation, this principle refers to making objects in motion appear more realistic by squashing them when they hit the ground and stretching them when they are in motion.

2. Anticipation: This principle refers to creating a sense of anticipation in the character before it moves or acts. It can be as simple as a character taking a deep breath before jumping or swinging a bat.

3. Staging: This principle is about arranging the elements of a scene to create a clear and interesting point of focus. It can be done through lighting, camera angles, and composition.

4. Straight Ahead and Pose to Pose: These are two different methods of animation. Straight ahead involves animating frame-by-frame in sequential order, while pose-to-pose builds the animation using key poses or frames and then fills in the gaps.

5. Follow Through and Overlapping Action: This principle creates a more natural look by having different parts of a character's body move at different times, such as a tail following behind a cat or a cape fluttering after a superhero.

6. Slow In and Slow Out: This principle refers to giving objects more weight and a sense of gravity by having them start and stop gradually.

7. Arcs: In animation, objects in motion follow a curved path, just like in real life. Creating smooth arcs of motion helps to make movements look more natural and fluid.

8. Secondary Action: This principle adds extra movements to a character to make them more interesting and expressive, such as having a character's hair or clothing move along with their movements.

9. Timing: Animation is all about timing, and this principle involves making sure that movements happen at the right speed and time to create a sense of realism.

10. Exaggeration: This principle involves adding extra flair and exaggeration to movements and expressions to create a more dynamic and entertaining animation.

11. Solid Drawing: This principle involves creating characters and objects with a strong sense of weight and depth.

12. Appeal: The final principle of animation is making the characters and animation appealing to the audience. This can be done through character design, storytelling, humor, and emotion.

So, there you have it, these are the twelve basic principles of animation. Remember, animation is all about bringing your imagination to life, and by following these rules, you can create animations that will capture the attention and hearts of your audience!