home / skills / dylantarre / animation-principles / continuous-loops
This skill helps you craft seamless, looping animations for spinners, pulses, and ambient effects by applying Disney's principles to keep motion engaging.
npx playbooks add skill dylantarre/animation-principles --skill continuous-loopsReview the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.
---
name: continuous-loops
description: Use when creating ongoing animations - loading spinners, pulsing indicators, ambient motion, background effects, or any animation that repeats indefinitely.
---
# Continuous Loop Animations
Apply Disney's 12 principles to animations that never stop.
## Principle Application
**Squash & Stretch**: Subtle scale oscillation (0.98-1.02) creates organic breathing. Avoid rigid mechanical loops.
**Anticipation**: Build anticipation into the loop cycle. Brief pause at extremes before reversing.
**Staging**: Loops should support, not dominate. Keep amplitude subtle for background elements.
**Straight Ahead vs Pose-to-Pose**: Design keyframe poses that loop seamlessly. End frame must flow into start frame.
**Follow Through & Overlapping**: Multi-part loops have elements at different phases. Three dots pulse with 120° phase offset.
**Slow In/Slow Out**: Use ease-in-out for smooth oscillations. Linear motion looks mechanical.
**Arcs**: Circular motion follows true arcs. Spinners rotate, pendulums swing, orbits circle.
**Secondary Action**: Primary rotation + secondary wobble. Spinner spins while slightly bouncing.
**Timing**:
- Fast loops: 500-800ms (spinners, urgent indicators)
- Medium loops: 1000-2000ms (pulsing, breathing)
- Slow loops: 2000-4000ms (ambient, background)
**Exaggeration**: Minimal for loops - they're already attention-grabbing through repetition.
**Solid Drawing**: Loops must be seamless. Any jump between end and start destroys the illusion.
**Appeal**: Loops should be hypnotic, not annoying. Test at 30 seconds - still pleasant?
## Timing Recommendations
| Loop Type | Duration | Easing | Iterations |
|-----------|----------|--------|------------|
| Spinner | 600-800ms | linear (rotation) | infinite |
| Pulse | 1500-2000ms | ease-in-out | infinite |
| Skeleton Shimmer | 1500ms | ease-in-out | infinite |
| Typing Dots | 1400ms | ease-in-out | infinite |
| Breathing | 3000-4000ms | ease-in-out | infinite |
| Floating | 3000-5000ms | ease-in-out | infinite |
## Implementation Patterns
```css
/* Smooth spinner */
.spinner {
animation: spin 700ms linear infinite;
}
@keyframes spin {
to { transform: rotate(360deg); }
}
/* Organic pulse */
.pulse {
animation: pulse 2000ms ease-in-out infinite;
}
@keyframes pulse {
0%, 100% { transform: scale(1); opacity: 1; }
50% { transform: scale(1.05); opacity: 0.8; }
}
/* Staggered dots */
.dot {
animation: bounce 1400ms ease-in-out infinite;
}
.dot:nth-child(2) { animation-delay: 160ms; }
.dot:nth-child(3) { animation-delay: 320ms; }
```
## Performance Rules
1. Use `transform` and `opacity` only - no layout properties
2. Add `will-change: transform` for loops over 1 second
3. Pause off-screen loops with Intersection Observer
4. Respect `prefers-reduced-motion` - reduce or stop loops
## Seamless Loop Formula
For breathing/pulsing: `0%, 100%` keyframes must be identical. Use `alternate` direction for simpler ping-pong effects.
This skill teaches how to design and implement continuous loop animations using Disney’s 12 principles. It focuses on creating seamless, pleasant, and performance-friendly loops for spinners, pulses, ambient motion, and repeating UI effects. The guidance covers timing, easing, phase offsets, and motion details so loops feel organic rather than mechanical.
The skill inspects loop type, duration, easing, and which properties are animated, then recommends patterns and keyframe structures that ensure seamless repetition. It emphasizes transform and opacity-only animations, phase offsets for multi-part loops, and rules for accessibility and performance like prefers-reduced-motion and pausing off-screen. It also provides concrete timing ranges and CSS implementation patterns to apply immediately.
How do I make a loop feel less mechanical?
Use slight squash-and-stretch (scale 0.98–1.02), ease-in-out timing, and a brief pause at motion extremes to add organic anticipation.
Which properties are safe to animate for performance?
Stick to transform and opacity only; avoid width/height, top/left, margins, and other layout-affecting properties.
How do I ensure a loop is seamless?
Make 0% and 100% keyframes identical or use animation-direction: alternate for ping-pong effects; verify end state flows into start state.
What about accessibility for motion-sensitive users?
Honor prefers-reduced-motion by reducing duration, simplifying motion, or disabling nonessential loops; always provide a non-motion fallback.