home / skills / dylantarre / animation-principles / excitement-energy

This skill helps you design high-energy animations that build excitement and momentum by applying Disney's excitement principles.

npx playbooks add skill dylantarre/animation-principles --skill excitement-energy

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

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SKILL.md
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---
name: excitement-energy
description: Use when creating animations that generate enthusiasm, build anticipation, or create high-energy experiences.
---

# Excitement & Energy Animation

Create animations that energize, excite, and create dynamic, high-impact experiences.

## Emotional Goal

Excitement builds through dynamic, escalating motion. Energy comes from fast, varied animations that create momentum and keep users engaged.

## Disney Principles for Excitement

### Squash & Stretch
Dynamic and impactful (20-35%). High-energy compression and extension. Objects feel springy and responsive.

### Anticipation
Quick, building tension (100-150ms). Like a coiled spring. The anticipation itself creates excitement.

### Staging
Dynamic compositions. Diagonal lines, asymmetric layouts. Nothing static—energy in every arrangement.

### Straight Ahead Action
Embrace for particle effects, explosions, and dynamic backgrounds. Energetic spontaneity.

### Follow Through & Overlapping Action
Bouncy, energetic overshoot. Elements don't just stop—they rebound with vitality.

### Slow In & Slow Out
Aggressive acceleration curves. Fast starts, snappy stops. `cubic-bezier(0.0, 0, 0.2, 1)` for punch.

### Arc
Dramatic, sweeping paths. High trajectories, dynamic curves. Motion that commands attention.

### Secondary Action
Abundant energy effects. Particles, trails, glows. The environment responds to exciting moments.

### Timing
Fast and punchy (100-300ms). Rapid sequences. Variety in timing creates rhythm and energy.

### Exaggeration
High (25-40%). Push movements to feel impactful. Energy requires going beyond subtle.

### Solid Drawing
Dynamic poses and forms. Lean into motion. Shapes that convey speed and force.

### Appeal
Bold, high-contrast design. Saturated colors. Dynamic angles. Visual energy.

## Timing Recommendations

| Element | Duration | Easing |
|---------|----------|--------|
| Quick hit | 100-150ms | `ease-out` |
| Bounce | 300-400ms | `spring` |
| Reveal | 200-300ms | `ease-out` |
| Sequence step | 50-100ms | `ease-out` |

## CSS Easing

```css
--energy-snap: cubic-bezier(0.0, 0, 0.2, 1);
--energy-bounce: cubic-bezier(0.34, 1.56, 0.64, 1);
--energy-punch: cubic-bezier(0.22, 1, 0.36, 1);
```

## High-Energy Patterns

```css
@keyframes energy-burst {
  0% {
    transform: scale(0.8);
    opacity: 0;
  }
  50% {
    transform: scale(1.1);
  }
  100% {
    transform: scale(1);
    opacity: 1;
  }
}

@keyframes energy-shake {
  0%, 100% { transform: translateX(0); }
  10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 90% { transform: translateX(-4px); }
  20%, 40%, 60%, 80% { transform: translateX(4px); }
}

@keyframes energy-pulse {
  0%, 100% { transform: scale(1); }
  50% { transform: scale(1.08); }
}
```

## Building Energy

1. Start with anticipation build
2. Quick, impactful main action
3. Energetic follow-through
4. Secondary effects cascade
5. Brief pause before next beat

## When to Use

- Sports and fitness apps
- Music and entertainment
- Gaming interfaces
- Event promotions
- Product launches
- Sales and promotions
- Streaming platforms
- Action-oriented apps

Overview

This skill helps designers and developers create animations that generate enthusiasm, build anticipation, and deliver high-energy experiences. It translates core Disney animation principles into practical timing, easing, and pattern recommendations for UI and motion design. Use it to make interactions feel punchy, dynamic, and emotionally engaging.

How this skill works

The skill inspects animation goals and recommends specific principles—like squash & stretch, anticipation, arcs, and exaggeration—mapped to concrete timing and easing choices. It provides ready-to-use CSS easings, keyframe patterns, and sequence guidelines to structure builds: anticipation, main action, follow-through, and secondary effects. Recommendations include numeric durations, easing tokens, and examples for common high-energy effects like bursts, shakes, and pulses.

When to use it

  • Sports, fitness, and performance tracking interfaces
  • Music, streaming, and entertainment experiences
  • Games and action-oriented microinteractions
  • Event, product launch, or promotional moments
  • Sale banners and time-limited offers

Best practices

  • Start every energetic sequence with a short anticipation (100–150ms) to build tension
  • Keep core hits fast and punchy (100–300ms) and vary timing to create rhythm
  • Use aggressive acceleration curves for snap starts (cubic-bezier(0.0,0,0.2,1)) and spring curves for bounces
  • Apply squash & stretch and overshoot for liveliness but limit exaggeration to 25–40% for clarity
  • Layer secondary actions (particles, trails, glows) to amplify impact while keeping the main action readable

Example use cases

  • A fitness app celebratory animation when a user hits a goal—anticipation, burst, particle follow-through
  • A music app play button with a snappy scale and pulse synchronized to audio
  • A product launch hero reveal using diagonal staging, high contrast, and sweeping arc motion
  • In-game reward pop-ups combining quick hits, bounces, and particle cascades
  • Promotional banner shake and snap for a limited-time sale to draw attention

FAQ

What durations work best for high-energy microinteractions?

Aim for 100–300ms for main hits, 100–150ms for anticipation, and 300–400ms for bouncy follow-throughs.

Which easing should I use for punchy starts and snappy stops?

Use aggressive cubic-bezier curves like cubic-bezier(0.0, 0, 0.2, 1) for snap, and spring easings for lively bounce effects.