THE TWELVE COOL PRINCIPLES OF ANIMATION Animation as a genre of film traces its roots to the twentieth century, when it was pioneered by The Walt Disney Company. As the decades passed and Disney’s procedures of animation were adopted by filmmakers around the world, two of the company's animators’, Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas, published a book discussing the twelve principles of animation. This book has since been referred to as the Bible of animation, and these principles adopted by studios worldwide. In addition to guidelines for producing realistic and aesthetically pleasing animations, the principles also deal with abstract aspects such as timing to evoke emotion, and character appeal.
1. Stretch and Squash: Adding stretch and squash in an object highlights its weight and flexibility. When an object has an impact with any surface or substance, or reaches the peak of movement in a particular direction before starting to move in the opposite direction, there is a squash or squeezing effect. Conversely, during movement and rebound, there is a stretching effect. It is important to note that for realistic animation, the volume of the object remains unchanged in both cases; if the height reduces, width must increase proportionally and vice versa. This principle is seen in real life when one undertakes a jumping movement, or by a horse when it is galloping.