home / skills / dylantarre / animation-principles / universal-reference
This skill helps you discuss and apply Disney's 12 animation principles across any experience level with scalable depth and clarity.
npx playbooks add skill dylantarre/animation-principles --skill universal-referenceReview the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.
---
name: Animation Principles - Universal Reference
description: Use when discussing animation principles with users of unknown skill level, or when providing a balanced reference that works for any experience level
---
# Animation Principles - Universal Reference
Disney's 12 principles work at every skill level. Here's each principle with scalable depth.
## 1. Squash and Stretch
**Core idea:** Objects deform to show motion and impact.
**Beginner:** Ball flattens when it hits ground.
**Advanced:** Volume must remain constant. Facial animation uses micro-squash for expression.
**Key insight:** Even "rigid" objects can use the principle through camera shake or motion blur.
## 2. Anticipation
**Core idea:** Prepare the viewer for action.
**Beginner:** Crouch before jump.
**Advanced:** Anticipation size controls audience expectation. Absence creates surprise.
**Key insight:** Every action that needs to read clearly needs setup.
## 3. Staging
**Core idea:** Present one clear idea at a time.
**Beginner:** Put important things where viewers will look.
**Advanced:** Silhouette test, negative space, compositional psychology.
**Key insight:** Confusion is never the viewer's fault.
## 4. Straight Ahead and Pose to Pose
**Core idea:** Two methods - sequential vs. key-pose-first.
**Beginner:** Different ways to approach the same animation.
**Advanced:** Choose based on need: control vs. spontaneity. Hybrid approaches for complex shots.
**Key insight:** The method shapes the result's energy.
## 5. Follow Through and Overlapping Action
**Core idea:** Different parts stop at different times.
**Beginner:** Hair keeps moving after head stops.
**Advanced:** Drag, settle, overlap hierarchy. Emotional implications of follow through weight.
**Key insight:** Simultaneous stopping looks robotic.
## 6. Slow In and Slow Out
**Core idea:** Things accelerate and decelerate.
**Beginner:** More drawings at start and end, fewer in middle.
**Advanced:** Custom easing curves. Snap, bounce, drift variations.
**Key insight:** Even spacing reads mechanical.
## 7. Arc
**Core idea:** Natural motion follows curves.
**Beginner:** Arms swing in arcs, not straight lines.
**Advanced:** Track all motion paths. Breaking arcs intentionally for mechanical/sudden effects.
**Key insight:** Straight paths require justification.
## 8. Secondary Action
**Core idea:** Additional movement supporting the main action.
**Beginner:** Whistling while walking.
**Advanced:** Can create emotional counterpoint. Must support, never compete.
**Key insight:** If it distracts, remove it.
## 9. Timing
**Core idea:** Frame count creates weight, mood, meaning.
**Beginner:** Fast = light/quick. Slow = heavy/deliberate.
**Advanced:** Frame-level sensitivity. Same pose, different timing = different meaning.
**Key insight:** Timing is the acting.
## 10. Exaggeration
**Core idea:** Push reality further for clarity and impact.
**Beginner:** Bigger reactions than real life.
**Advanced:** Style-calibrated exaggeration. Finding essence to amplify.
**Key insight:** Usually push further than instinct suggests.
## 11. Solid Drawing
**Core idea:** Create sense of three-dimensional form.
**Beginner:** Make drawings feel like they have weight and depth.
**Advanced:** Consistent volume through motion. Strategic flatness for graphic impact.
**Key insight:** Viewers have touched things their whole lives. Drawings should feel touchable.
## 12. Appeal
**Core idea:** Make characters compelling to watch.
**Beginner:** Interesting, clear, distinctive design.
**Advanced:** Appeal isn't beauty - villains need it too. Compelling through any aesthetic.
**Key insight:** Would you want to keep watching?
## Principle Groups
**Physics:** 1, 5, 6, 7, 9 | **Clarity:** 2, 3, 11 | **Interest:** 8, 10, 12 | **Method:** 4
This skill is a compact, scalable reference to Disney’s 12 animation principles tailored for users of unknown experience. It presents each principle with clear core ideas, beginner-friendly examples, advanced considerations, and a few actionable insights you can apply to any shot or style. Use it to evaluate, teach, or quickly diagnose animation problems across methods and pipelines.
The skill inspects animated motion and design choices against twelve proven principles grouped by purpose: Physics, Clarity, Interest, and Method. For each principle it gives a concise core definition, a simple example for beginners, an advanced tip for experienced animators, and a key insight to guide decisions. It’s designed to scale from frame-level timing fixes to compositional and acting choices.
Are these principles only for hand-drawn animation?
No. The principles apply to any medium—3D, stop-motion, or procedural animation—because they govern perception, timing, and clarity rather than a specific toolset.
Which principle should I prioritize first on a confusing shot?
Start with staging and timing: make the idea read clearly and adjust frame counts to shape weight and emotion before adding polish like secondary actions or exaggeration.