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The twelve basic principles of animation were first introduced by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnson in their 1981 book The Illusion of Life, which explains the foundations of animation based on the work of Disney’s animators since the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in the 1930s.
The 12 principles of animation are undoubtedly the most important part of the book, and were developed over the years while studying how Disney animators achieved realistic animations that adhered to the laws of physics, yet stretched them to their limits without losing appeal. These principles were defined to create such animations. The book became the Bible of animation because of this and an essential read for anyone who wanted to create animations. Although the principles were defined with traditional animation in mind, they remain the foundation of all animation, whether traditional or digital, and even for creating digital transitions.
The principles are as follows:
- Squash and Stretch
- Anticipation
- Staging
- Pose to Pose
- Overlapping Action
- Slow In and Slow Out
- Arcs
- Secondary Action
- Timing
- Exaggeration
- Solid Poses
- Appeal
