Movement:

It is important to understand that every being that moves will move slightly differently as different body shapes, life experiences, abilities and emotional motivations can be expressed through the tiniest of micro-movements.

The key to good animation is understanding that every movement needs to have a purpose and express and convey weight and speed as this all contributes towards the greater story being presented.

Simple actions such as sitting down can be captured, animated and portrayed in thousands of different ways from the way a person sits through to the timing and micro-movements being portrayed.

Cartoons will often exaggerate these movements to make emotion and intention more clear to audiences but in the real world you will find that people and living beings are more nuanced than they seem.

Motivation:

We need to ask ourselves what is the characters’ motivation and emotional feelings at the time of animation and movement this is where reference images and shot lists are useful alongside mood and style sheets.