Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life is a book by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. © The Walt Disney Company, Fair Use.
It’s impossible not to get diverted by the magic of the stories of iconic animated films. From Cinderella to The Lion King, we all have a favorite Disney story. Walt Disney’s animated characters are alluring for every fan of animation. Their realistic appearance and facial expression convey human emotions so well that they charmed the audience for 100 years.
But have you wondered how these iconic characters and films were made? Animation involves imagination and patience. A skill set is required to complete this process. What makes a great animated film, and how are they so charming? Let’s discover this below.
History Of Disney’s Animation
In 1981, two of the most skilled animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas released a book called “Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life” (Book source). The book, which was and still is a guide for animators worldwide, traces the 12 principles of animation. It is often called the bible of Animation and is followed by almost every class animator.
Ollie and Frank figured out how to convey the character’s emotions through movement, revolutionizing the art of animation. These principles guided the animators in creating characters that moved according to the laws of physics.
Twelve Principles of Animation by Disney
The 12 principles of animation are the rules for creating graphics that win hearts. We at DAVE believe that these principles are the cornerstone of modern animation techniques. We incorporate these principles as the foundation of our animation programs.
This way, we can ensure that our students are getting the proven and tested knowledge required to succeed. Let’s learn about these twelve fundamental principles of animation one by one:
- Squash and Stretch
It is considered the most important and basic principle of animation. It gives an animated character or objects the illusion of weight, gravity, mass, and flexibility. Squash and stretch keep the volume consistent by adding fluidity and realism to a bouncing object. For instance, think of a rubber ball; when it goes up, it stretches, and when it hits the ground, it gets wider as it is being squished.
In some animated films, this movement is magnified to show the gravitational impact on the characters or objects. This level of magnification depends on the speed of the animated part. - Anticipation
Anticipation is important in a traditional story style. It helps prepare the viewers for a specific action or movement, which involves a short pause before the act. It gives life to the animated characters and makes the scene more realistic. The absence of it makes the character lifeless and unnatural.
For example, a character jumping into the air must bend its knees first. If this movement were missing, it would appear unrealistic and foolish because one can not jump like this. - Staging
Staging focus draws the viewer’s attention to the most important part of the scene. Even if the center of the scene is always moving, it eliminates the extra elements from the background. This method keeps the audience focused on what’s happening in the scene. It’s critical to present a scene in a way that draws a picture in the audience’s mind. It depends on the acting, timing, and cinematography.
Backgrounds used to be painted separately from the active cartoon character in classic animation. This saves the animators time by limiting the amount of movement in each scene. It allows you to control the viewers’ attention and navigate the story. - Straight Ahead Action and Pose To Pose
This animation technique enhances the dramatic effect of the motion. The straight-ahead technique is best for animators who want to achieve a sequence of animation drawing frames. This technique is more unplanned, making the effect fresh and surprising. The pose-to-pose technique involves creating the keyframes and filling the in-between character moves. Action and pose give you more control over the scene as you can see where your character is going. You can also ensure that the timings of every action are perfectly set.
These techniques enhance the dramatic effect of the motion wherever necessary. A good animator should master and learn to combine both techniques to achieve improvisation. - Follow Through and Overlapping Action
Follow-through and overlapping actions represent the parts of an object that will stop at different rates. For example, during the movement of a character running, the hair and clothing will follow through even after they have stopped. A character comprises different body textures, shapes, and sizes. etc. All these textures should be animated accordingly, as they act differently.
Overlapping action occurs when your character is running across the scene; their arms and legs may be moving at a different rate from their head. It refers to the delay in the character’s movements. This technique gives a comedic effect to the scene. - Slow In and Slow Out
Slow in and slow out refer to moderate changes in the speed of the object to make realistic movements. Imagine a running person! They should start slow then pick up momentum and finally slow down before stopping. Naturally, things don’t start and stop instantly in real life, so animation must reflect this perfectly. This principle creates a sense of weight and momentum.
Adding frames at the beginning and end of any action sequence can help achieve this effect. Apply all these to animation to give your characters more life and carefully change their speed. - Arc
When working on animation, it’s best to follow the laws of physics. Most objects move in an arc; the animation should reflect that arc. Characters or objects do not move in a straight line in animation because, in that case, the movements will appear rigid and unnatural.
You should apply this animation technique to your samples for realistic rapid movements. - Secondary Action
Secondary action is a sequence that supports the main action within a scene. It helps add more dimension, personality, and insight into the character. It should never distract the viewers or dominate the scene.
For instance, a person walking is not just moving his feet; his arms might also be fluttering to support the movement. If the character is sadly going somewhere, the primary action would be walking. Falter shoulders and slightly down arms show the secondary action. - Timing
In this principle, the focus is on timing, which establishes the character’s personality. Where the action is set in every frame refers to timing. To see the natural world and realism in our animations, the laws of physics are applied again. Using the correct timing allows you to control the reactions of your characters and objects.
For instance, you can make a scene funnier by holding it up by three frames. The ear works better in it because it can pick up subtle hints that lead to a perfectly timed action. - Exaggeration
When these Disney principles are applied, the animation becomes more realistic, but too much can make it boring. That’s why it’s good to add some dramatic movements and expressions that are impossible in real life. Exaggerated movements are used for dramatic or comedic effects and to make the scene more exciting.
For example, a character may cry a bucket of tears to convey sadness instead of dismissing a single tear. This effect makes the action look more impactful. - Solid Drawings
Solid Drawing is designed to relate a three-dimensional effect to the animation to enhance the realism of the scene. The drawings must feature balance, volume, and weight to create the illusion of a 3D object. Drawing from a viewpoint is also important; otherwise, the characters may look flat and uninteresting. This technique makes drawing characters and objects easier from any angle.
As an animator, you should know how to pose the character properly to achieve balance. It should be sure that the illustrations work in a three-dimensional space, whether you are using a pencil or computer to create the drawing. - Appeal
Creating a character that is pleasing to the eye is not enough. You must make it more interesting and realistic to enhance its overall quality. Experimenting with the object’s features and proportions can help you create interesting characters. For example, villains can have square jaws and pointed eyebrows, while the main character should be charming.
The character does not necessarily have to be a princess or cute animal; they could also be a villain or a monster. A complex character design might put off viewers, making them feel bored and preventing them from sticking towards the end of the story. Creating animation demands a powerful balance of design, movement, and emotion.
Join Dave School and Learn How to Become An Animator
Want to pursue a career in animation and virtual production? The DAVE School will prepare you with the skills you need to launch in the field of Animation in as little as 12 months.
We have a range of courses that reflect the cross-functional approach needed in today’s digital sector. This approach ensures that the students are skilled to become animators. Our virtual production, visual effects production, and game production learning programs follow Disney’s 12 principles of animation to empower students to bring imaginary characters to life in HD.
Don’t hold back on your dream! Join our programs now and be a master animator.
Wrapping Up!
Disney’s 12 principles of animation serve as tools for animators to craft realistic and fundamentally sound animations. From squash and stretch to appeal and follow-through, each principle provides the necessary guidance to bring the characters and objects to life. Refine your skills with these rules to create truly fascinating work.