28 Points of Animation

And why there aren't 12.

I said I’d be posting stuff here that I can’t do on the AWN blog (ANIMATED CHARACTERS) if it ever gets going. So here’s the first one. It’s going to ruffle a lot of feathers.

And you know? I don’t care. Because I don’t have to any more. So I will say it. There are a lot of BAD animation lessons out there.

They repeat the same thing.

There is a general belief that there are 12 ‘principles of animation’ that are somehow carved in stone.

There are actually only 2 ‘principles’ of character animation. Squash and stretch and (the one that really matters) ARCS. You know, moving a character, or PARTS of a character, in a slight curve, rather than in a straight line. Pendulum exercises are sometimes used to illlustrate this but there is one problem: a Pendulum moves equally, in both directions, every time. Arcs DO NOT. Arcs vary the Pendulum. Try swinging your arms and then throwing a punch (not at anyone or anything) to see how the arcs vary.

See? Everything else, and I mean EVERYTHING, works out of these two principles.

And silhouette value. That comes before you make it move, so it’s not really a Principle of Animation. It’s more a matter of Staging and that’s mentioned in the rare stuff I have here. You’re welcome.

To test this, pick up an apple and take a bite out of it. Use a cookie if you think they taste better. I don’t care. But do it one handed. Your arm will move in an arc, and so will your lower jaw as you open your mouth. Squash and stretch = chewing the apple/cookie.

Squash and stretch gives weight to your characers.

Arcs give them life and create a pleasing, natural movement.

It’s no coincidence that Boris Karloff, as the Monster in the original Frankenstein, wore 10 pound boots that made his gait stiff, and moved in straight lines. He was not alive. He was a reanimated dead man. Note how, in this clip, his knees appear to be backwards, and how he does not bend them as he walks! It is one of the greatest acting performances of all time, and it does not detract from it to say that he was influenced by Paul Wegener’s THE GOLEM (1920). The creature comes to life at 36:00 and starts walking at 38:00. It’s the same stifflegged walk. No arcs.

And they have great silhouette value.

The Golem and the Frankenstein monster are not alive. They move in straight lines.

You can see a beautiful interpretation of the Frankenstein walk, and many others, in Ken Harris’ superb animation of the titles for RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER for The Richard Williams Studio (1975). Harris has his Monster/Panther walking stiffly, without bending his knees. Even his tail is a straight line! Harris adds arcs (actually figure 8s) on the arms to keep it interesting. FrankenPanther appears at 3:35. All of his character walks feature actors or cartoon characters that are instantly recognizable by silhouette.

Harris has the Panther moving in a straight line in several of the ‘walks’, notably the Carmen Miranda walk with the fruit headdress and the George Raft coin tossing walk, but in each instance, the Panther’s hands are moving in arcs. It’s stylized animation. Contrariwise, the Mickey Mouse ‘double bounce’ walk is nothing BUT arcs.

Squash and stretch does not mean that you bounce a character up and down like it is made of silly putty. You texture the timing and phrase the actions. Different parts of the character will move at different rates, at different times.

That is, if you are trying to do good character animation.

If you do everything at once, it’s like shouting every time you speak. Try it. You won’t have any more friends.

This has nothing to do with programs or media. It has everything to do with action analysis and acting.

So how did people come up with ‘12 principles of animation’?

They misinterpreted this little handout that Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston gave to the Disney trainees, and the Cal Arts students, in 1976 )or possibly earlier for the Disney people.)

Frank and Ollie each list 14 ‘points’. This is a joke about a political campaign, and it is history, just like the Nine Old Men, and I won’t explain either one of them here. Google them for yourself.

But these ‘points’ were written long before Frank and Ollie wrote DISNEY ANIMATION: THE ILLUSION OF LIFE. They were all that I, and everyone in my class and cohort, had to go with.

I pinned them to my desk and read them EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. People made jokes about this. I did not care.

Here they are. Keep them. Read them. And toss those ‘12 principles’ in the trash where they belong.

I know Frank and Ollies don’t mention arcs. So I’m telling you. It’s the THIRD most important thing after Silhouette Value and Squash and Stretch.

If you want to learn more about Arcs, check out the original Preston Blair book. I get into Variable Timing on Arcs in ANIMATED PERFORMANCE, which also is the first animation book to NOT stage the walks in profile. I do them in 3/4 view so you have to analyze how the arcs differ when perspective varies.

It’s why I had to write the damn book.

You’re welcome.

I retyped these when the original Mimeograph copies (google it) faded out. It’s the same, trust me.

14 POINTS OF ANIMATION by Frank Thomas (1976)

1.       Appeal in drawing.

2.      Staging (draw thumbnails before animating.)

3.      Most interesting way? (Would anyone other than Mother like to see it?)

4.      Is it the most entertaining way?

5.       Are you in character?

6.      Are you advancing the character? (Giving the audience new insights.)

7.      Is this the simplest statement? (One idea or main idea per scene.)

8.     Is the story point clear?

9.      Are secondary actions working with main action? Don’t change expression en route.

10.  Is presentation best for the medium? (Crispness, reads on screen.)

11.   Are you spinning cigar boxes? (Off base? Who else would do it this way?)

12.  Two-dimensional clarity.

13.  Three-dimensional solidity.

14.  Fourth-dimensional drawing (Drag and follow through.)

----Frank Thomas

16  Points of Animation by Ollie Johnston (1976)

1.       Can you visualize your plan of action? You can’t draw it if you can’t see it.

2.      Do you know what the character is thinking, how he feels? How are you going to show that he is thinking? His mood will affect how much you move him and the speed with which you do it. Use texture in timing.

3.      If you have dialogue, study it carefully and keep in mind things mentioned above.

4.      MOST IMPORTANT—ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ENTERTAINMENT?

5.      Try to think PERSONALITY on action scenes as well as closeups. Personality. Every drawing in the scene should show attitudes and acting.

6.      Know all about the sequence you are working on. Your scene has to fit into it.

7.       Don’t start animating until you are sure the layout is right and your character fits in it.

8.      Work for good silhouette and interesting design. A good test: Color your drawings in.

9.      Be sure your action is clear and that you are only doing one thing at a time. You can’t put it all in one scene.

10.   Don’t forget squash and stretch!

11.    Does your character have weight and balance—is it solid?

12.   Do some small thumbnails of your action and staging for a series of scenes.

13.   Watch out for static drawings where everything is facing the same way. Look for rhythm-twists, check for parallels.

14.   APPEAL!

15.   Teamwork.

16.   Your scenes are there forever.              

     –Ollie Johnston