12 Principles of Animation

Back in the twenties and thirties Walt Disney and his principal animators began to formulate basic principles to ensure good animated entertainment. This was thirty years after the official birth of animation. The principals are fun, simple and very practical and we have a lot to learn from them when it comes to designing our animations.

John Lasseter (the Mr Lasseter, famous for Toy Story and others, the first 3D Animated film) decided, way back in 1987 to remind himself and others at the Animation Industry's leading get together (called SIGGRAPH) of these principals and the meaning behind them. 

You can find them here. They are all over the web now and taught as the backbone of any full time animation course. Remember, he didn't write them, he was just remembering them. They were written up by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas in there landmark tome, The Illusion of Life (1981)

http://www.siggraph.org/education/materials/HyperGraph/animation/character_animation/principles/prin_trad_anim.htm
They are indespensible reading for anyone doing animation.  And really helpful.

This is great little video put together, with examples to understand what they are.



And here is the whole lot again, told through Ice Age 3.  This is very, very good.



This video does the same, except without half the detail!





SO WHAT'S TO LEARN?

Well we've talked a lot about learning the history and culture of the medium your working in so that you can fully understand the range of ideas, possibilities and sources of inspiration for your own films. With these 12 principles we have 12 tried and tested touch stones by which to evaluate OUR IDEAS.

My basic idea is to take your short filmic stop motion screenplay and evaluate it against the 12 principles, being able to talk about where and when your animation is able to touch on these principles. It'll be even easier to see once you begin storyboarding how you're film integrates with the 12 principles and how these, in turn link back to that core of CONFLICT AND RESOLUTION based STORYTELLING.