The 12 principles of animation
Compiled by two Disney animators in the 1980s, these twelve principles are still animation's shared vocabulary. All of them answer one question: when does a drawing look alive? Here's the full list and what each one means in practice when you draw by hand.
Don't try to apply all twelve at once
The twelve principles are a dictionary, not a checklist. For a beginner the three that pay off fastest are timing, squash and stretch, and anticipation with follow-through. Get those working and most of your animation already improves. The rest acquire meaning gradually, as you need them.
The principle that changes the most: timing
The same poses with different timing produce an entirely different character. A movement that starts slow and accelerates reads as heavy, deliberate, large; one that starts fast and settles reads as light and nervous. Adjusting timing doesn't require new drawings — holding existing ones is usually enough.
The advantage of drawing by hand: the shape can change
Squash and stretch, exaggeration and arcs all require the form itself to change. That's hard in tools that only move, rotate and scale a ready-made object; when you redraw every frame it comes for free. It's the main reason frame-by-frame animation is still chosen today.
| Principle | What it means |
|---|---|
| Squash and stretch | A form deforms as it moves while keeping its volume |
| Anticipation | A small counter-move that prepares the main action |
| Staging | Framing and posing that point the eye to what matters |
| Straight ahead and pose to pose | Draw in sequence, or draw the extremes first |
| Follow through and overlapping action | Hair and cloth keep moving after the body stops |
| Slow in and slow out | Movements carry more drawings at their start and end |
| Arc | Living motion travels on a curve, not a straight line |
| Secondary action | Small extra motions that support the main one |
| Timing | Frame counts and holds; weight and character come from here |
| Exaggeration | Push reality far enough for it to read clearly |
| Solid drawing | Volume, balance and perspective stay consistent across frames |
| Appeal | The pose and the design are a pleasure to look at |
Frequently asked questions
Who came up with the 12 principles?
Disney animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas gathered decades of studio practice into twelve headings in their 1981 book. Most of the ideas had been in daily use since the 1930s.
Do these principles apply to digital animation?
Yes. The principles concern perception rather than tools; they describe how the eye reads motion. They're used unchanged in 3D, motion graphics and interface animation.
Which principle should I start with?
Timing. Once you've seen how differently the same drawings read after changing frame counts and holds, the purpose of the other principles becomes obvious on its own.
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