The 12 principles of animation were created by Disney animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas in their 1981 book, The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation.  The purpose of these basic principles is to

• Produce an illusion that animated characters and/or objects move according to the basic laws of physics
• Provide dynamic and/or emotional timing to movements and overall appeal

The 12 principles were originally developed to be applied to hand-drawn animation techniques but they are extremely relevant and applicable to the production of ANY animated sequence or motion design.

The 12 principles of animation are:

• Squash and Stretch
• Anticipation
• Staging
• Straight Ahead Action and Pose to Pose
• Follow Through and Overlapping
• Slow In and Slow Out (Ease In and Ease Out)
• Arc
• Secondary Action
• Timing
• Exaggeration
• Solid Drawing
• Appeal

Not all of these are relevant to the introductory keyframing work we will be learning to do in After Effects. However, there are six principles that should be considered and utilized to improve the overall timing and appeal of your animated work! Pay special attention to these in the animated video from motion designer, Vincenzo Lodigiani.

https://centolodigiani.com/about

Anticipation
Staging
Slow In and Slow Out (Ease In and Ease Out)
Arc
Secondary Action
Timing
Exaggeration

The Illusion of Life on Vimeo:

For a more in-depth look at the principles of animation as they are applied to Disney films, check out this 16-minute film, Disney—The Magic of Animation, by kaptainkristian on YouTube:

Assignment:

Watch both videos and write a self-reflection about 2 of the following principles of animation you will emphasize as you animate your work in Project 5.

• Anticipation
• Staging
• Slow In and Slow Out (Ease In and Ease Out)
• Arc
• Secondary Action
• Timing
• Exaggeration