home / skills / dylantarre / animation-principles / intermediate

intermediate skill

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This skill helps you combine animation principles to create cohesive, dynamic sequences by guiding synthesis of squash/stretch, timing, anticipation, and more.

npx playbooks add skill dylantarre/animation-principles --skill intermediate

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: Animation Principles - Intermediate
description: Use when someone has working knowledge of animation principles and needs guidance on combining them effectively in more complex animations
---

# Combining Principles for Stronger Animation

You can apply individual principles. Now learn to weave them together and understand their interdependencies.

## Principle Synergies

### Squash/Stretch + Timing
Volume preservation is key. Faster motion = more stretch. The timing dictates the degree. A 2-frame anticipation needs less squash than a 6-frame one.

### Anticipation + Follow Through
These are mirrors. Anticipation magnitude should roughly match follow through. Big wind-up = big settle. They create rhythmic bookends to any action.

### Staging + Secondary Action
Secondary actions must support staging, never compete. If staging says "look at the face," secondary action in hands should point attention there, not away.

### Arcs + Slow In/Out
Arcs aren't uniform speeds. Apply easing along the arc path. Spacing should bunch at start/end of the arc, spread in the middle.

### Pose to Pose + Straight Ahead
Hybrid approach: Key poses first (pose-to-pose), then animate overlapping elements straight ahead. Best of both: structure with spontaneity.

## Common Combination Mistakes

**Over-anticipation:** When every action has massive wind-up, nothing feels spontaneous. Reserve big anticipation for big payoffs.

**Competing secondary actions:** Three things moving differently splits attention. Hierarchy matters - one leads, others support.

**Uniform timing:** Every action at 12 frames feels mechanical. Vary your timing: quick decisions, slow realizations.

**Arc neglect in follow through:** The main action arcs beautifully, then appendages move linearly. Everything arcs.

## The 12 Principles by Function

**Physics:** Squash/Stretch, Timing, Arcs, Slow In/Out
**Clarity:** Staging, Solid Drawing, Anticipation
**Interest:** Secondary Action, Exaggeration, Appeal
**Technique:** Straight Ahead/Pose to Pose, Follow Through/Overlap

## Integration Exercise

Animate a character sitting down:
1. **Staging:** Camera angle shows full body profile
2. **Anticipation:** Slight upward before descent
3. **Arcs:** Hips trace a curved path down
4. **Timing:** Faster drop, slower settle
5. **Squash:** Compress on contact
6. **Follow Through:** Arms/head continue after hips land
7. **Overlapping:** Hair settles last
8. **Secondary:** Adjusting clothing
9. **Slow Out:** Gradual stop to final pose

Layer principles one at a time. Blocking first, then refinement passes for each principle category.

Overview

This skill teaches how to combine Disney’s 12 animation principles at an intermediate level so you can build more complex, convincing motion. It focuses on principle interactions, common combination mistakes, and a practical layering workflow for refining animation passes. Outcomes include clearer staging, stronger physics-based motion, and richer secondary actions.

How this skill works

The skill inspects how principles influence each other (for example, squash/stretch with timing, or anticipation with follow through) and shows how to layer them effectively. It recommends a hybrid pipeline: block key poses, then add arc-consistent overlap and secondary actions in successive passes. Practical exercises guide you through applying specific principles in sequence to a single action.

When to use it

When you already know individual animation principles and want to combine them effectively
When an animation feels mechanical or busy and needs clearer hierarchy
When refining blocking into polished motion with believable physics and appeal
When planning multi-part movements that require timing and overlap coordination

Best practices

Preserve volume: link squash/stretch degree to timing and speed of motion
Create a clear hierarchy: one leading action, others as supportive secondary actions
Layer work: block poses first, then add arcs, easing, secondary actions, and polish
Match anticipation magnitude to follow-through for rhythmic, believable actions
Keep arcs consistent for main and appendage motion; avoid linear follow-through

Example use cases

Animating a character sitting down using a staged profile, arcing hips, and layered settle
Refining a punch by combining pose-to-pose keys for structure and straight-ahead overlap for cloth and hair
Polishing a jump: fast launch (stretch), arced trajectory, slow in/slow out on landing
Adding interest: subtle secondary hand gestures that point attention to the face
Troubleshooting a shot that feels flat by varying timing and reducing competing secondary actions

FAQ

How do I decide which principle to apply first?

Start with staging and key poses to establish clarity, then add timing and arcs, followed by squash/stretch and overlap, finishing with secondary actions and appeal.

What’s a common sign of overusing anticipation?

When every action has a large wind-up, the scene loses spontaneity—reserve big anticipations for major payoffs and use subtle ones elsewhere.