# Animation History
Confidence: high
Last verified: 2026-05-22
Generation: ai_assisted


## TL;DR

Animation creates the illusion of motion through sequential images. History: flip books → traditional hand-drawn (Disney, 1920s+) → stop-motion (clay, puppets) → CGI (Pixar's Toy Story, 1995, first fully CGI feature) → modern hybrid. Disney's 12 principles of animation (Thomas & Johnston, 1981) remain foundational.

## Core Explanation

12 principles: squash and stretch, anticipation, staging, straight ahead vs. pose-to-pose, follow through, slow in/slow out, arcs, secondary action, timing, exaggeration, solid drawing, appeal. Anime: Japanese distinctive style (Studio Ghibli — Miyazaki). CGI software: Maya, Blender, Cinema 4D. Motion capture: record real movement → animate character (Andy Serkis — Gollum). Frame rate: 24 fps (film standard).

## Further Reading

- [The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation (Thomas & Johnston)](https://www.disneybooks.com/book/the-illusion-of-life/)