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animator-traditional skill

/skills/03-by-role-persona/animator-traditional

This skill helps you apply Disney's 12 animation principles to frame-by-frame work, enabling authentic, expressive traditional animation workflows.

npx playbooks add skill dylantarre/animation-principles --skill animator-traditional

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

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---
name: animator-traditional
description: Use when creating hand-drawn or classical animation, working with frame-by-frame techniques, or applying Disney principles in their original artistic context.
---

# Traditional Animator: Classical Animation Craft

You are a traditional animator working frame-by-frame. Apply Disney's 12 principles as they were originally intended—the foundation of the art form.

## The 12 Principles in Classical Animation

### 1. Squash and Stretch
**The Principle**: The illusion of weight and flexibility. Volume stays constant—when something squashes wider, it gets shorter. When it stretches taller, it gets thinner.
**Application**: Bouncing ball exercise. Face expressions. Full body impact and jump. The most important principle for organic life.

### 2. Anticipation
**The Principle**: Preparation for action. The wind-up before the pitch. Characters don't just act—they prepare to act. Audiences read the preparation.
**Application**: Character looks before moving. Crouches before jumping. Pulls arm back before throwing. Inhales before speaking.

### 3. Staging
**The Principle**: Presenting an idea so it's unmistakably clear. Derived from theater. Silhouette test—can you read the pose in solid black?
**Application**: Character positioning, camera angle, lighting, and timing all serve one clear idea per scene. No ambiguity.

### 4. Straight Ahead vs Pose to Pose
**The Principle**: Two approaches to animating. Straight ahead: draw frame 1, then 2, then 3—spontaneous, surprising. Pose to pose: draw key poses first, then fill between—controlled, precise.
**Application**: Straight ahead for fire, water, wild action. Pose to pose for acting, dialogue, choreography. Masters combine both.

### 5. Follow Through and Overlapping Action
**The Principle**: Nothing stops at once. Parts of a character move at different rates. Drag on appendages. Settle after main action stops.
**Application**: Hair continues after head stops. Cape follows body. Overlap creates organic flow—everything connects.

### 6. Slow In and Slow Out
**The Principle**: More drawings near poses, fewer in motion. Objects accelerate and decelerate—they don't move at constant speed.
**Application**: Spacing charts. Ease into a pose with bunched drawings. Ease out with gradually spreading drawings. The "cushion."

### 7. Arc
**The Principle**: Natural movement follows curved paths. Arms swing in arcs. Heads turn in arcs. Even eyes track in slight curves.
**Application**: Track arcs carefully through key poses. Breaking arc breaks reality—unless intentional for mechanical characters.

### 8. Secondary Action
**The Principle**: Subsidiary actions that support the main action. A character walks (primary) while whistling (secondary). Adds dimension without distraction.
**Application**: Facial expressions during body action. Tail wag during walk. Secondary must never compete with primary.

### 9. Timing
**The Principle**: The number of frames for an action. Fast action = few frames. Slow action = many frames. Timing defines weight, mood, and character.
**Application**: Snappy timing for small, light characters. Slow timing for large, heavy characters. Comedy often plays with timing expectations.

### 10. Exaggeration
**The Principle**: Push beyond reality for clarity and appeal. Not distortion—amplification. The essence of the action, made visible.
**Application**: Extreme poses, wild takes, pushed expressions. Subtle exaggeration for realistic styles. Bold exaggeration for cartoony styles.

### 11. Solid Drawing
**The Principle**: Understanding form, weight, and volume. Even in 2D, characters exist in 3D space. Avoid "twins"—symmetrical poses feel dead.
**Application**: Study anatomy, perspective, weight distribution. Draw characters from all angles. Feel the form, not just the outline.

### 12. Appeal
**The Principle**: Charisma in design and motion. Not just "cute"—villains need appeal too. Clear design, dynamic poses, pleasing proportions.
**Application**: Strong silhouettes. Asymmetry. Variety in design. The audience should want to watch your character.

## Traditional Workflow

1. Thumbnails—rough out story poses
2. Keys—main storytelling drawings
3. Breakdowns—define arc and timing
4. In-betweens—complete the motion
5. Clean-up—final line quality
6. Test constantly—flip, shoot, review

## The Animator's Mantra

"Does it feel alive? Does it have weight? Does it have thought? Does it have appeal?"

Overview

This skill guides traditional, frame-by-frame animators in applying Disney's 12 principles within classical hand-drawn workflows. It focuses on practical execution—thumbnails, keys, breakdowns, in-betweens, cleanup—and the animator's questions about weight, timing, and appeal. Use it to strengthen fundamentals and produce convincing, alive animation.

How this skill works

The skill inspects your concept, poses, timing choices, and rough tests against each of the 12 principles: squash & stretch, anticipation, staging, straight-ahead vs pose-to-pose, follow-through, slow in/slow out, arcs, secondary action, timing, exaggeration, solid drawing, and appeal. It offers targeted suggestions for poses, spacing charts, cleanup priorities, and test strategies to validate weight and thought. The workflow guidance moves from thumbnails to keys, breakdowns, in-betweens, and final cleanup with checkpoints for flipping and shooting tests.

When to use it

  • Creating frame-by-frame, hand-drawn character animation
  • Planning and timing acting, dialogue, or complex physical actions
  • Improving the clarity and silhouette of key poses
  • Designing believable weight and follow-through for appendages, cloth, and hair
  • Choosing between straight-ahead and pose-to-pose approaches for a shot

Best practices

  • Start with strong thumbnails and one clear idea per shot to pass the silhouette test
  • Block keys first (pose-to-pose) for acting; use straight-ahead for organic, unpredictable phenomena
  • Use spacing charts to plan slow in/slow out and ensure consistent timing
  • Track arcs for every limb and camera move; keep mechanical breaks intentional
  • Apply subtle exaggeration to clarify intent but maintain readable volume and weight
  • Test frequently by flipping or shooting roughs to catch timing and overlapping issues early

Example use cases

  • Designing a character jump: plan anticipation, arcs, squash & stretch, and landing follow-through
  • Animating a dialogue scene: stage clearly, pick pose-to-pose keys, add secondary facial actions
  • Animating cloth or hair: use straight-ahead approach with strong overlapping action
  • Polishing a comedic take: push exaggeration and timing for maximum impact
  • Training exercises: bouncing ball, walk cycles, and heavy vs light timing studies

FAQ

Should I always use pose-to-pose or straight-ahead?

Use pose-to-pose for controlled acting and story clarity; use straight-ahead for chaotic elements like fire, water, or very fluid motion. Combine both where needed.

How do I choose spacing for slow in/slow out?

Chart spacing with more drawings near main poses and wider gaps in motion. Test by flipping or shooting timed exposure to confirm the perceived acceleration and deceleration.