Session 4 - 12 Principles of Animation

The 12 principles of animation was originally introduced by Disney animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas. These are a set of ‘rules’ or ‘principles’ that should be followed/used when animating. Despite original Disney animations being “cartoony”, all of the principles can be applied to rea life/humanoid character animations as well. Many of these ideas were discovered from observing real life movement and experimenting with different techniques.

These 12 principles are very important to when it comes to animating. Not only does this apply to characters but also non-living objects for example vehicles. Not all principles can be applied here since mesh deformities are not commonly found in hard surface vehicles, but rules like secondary action, exaggeration and follow through actions can be considered useful.

It’s clear to see that animation is more valued and more important than presentation. The animation is essentially the storyline and without this, you can’t have the final piece completed. No matter how appealing or realistic the render can look, making sure that the animation is spot on is more considerable than just having a ‘fancy render’.

In conclusion, the 12 principles of animation is something that all animators should use from start to finish when animating. Making sure one understand what each principle does and its result is key to having an animation that looks professional and appealing.