References

Books
WEBSTER, Chris. Animation; the mechanics of motion Focal Press; 1st Ed. 2005
WELLS, Paul. Fundamentals of animation AVA publishing; 1st ed. 2006
LASSETER, John. Timing for Animation 1981 Focal Press; 9th ed. Oxford 2005
ROBERTS, Steve. Character animation in 3D Focal Press; 2nd ed. Oxford 2005
WELLS, Paul. Understanding animation, Routledge; 12th ed. 2010
STANCHFIELD, Walt. Drawn to Life, Focal press; 1st ed. 2010
WILLIAMS, Richard. The animators Survival Kit Faber and Faber; 2nd ed. 2006

Websites
http://craigbowman.com/animation/principles-of-animation-part-iii
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_basic_principles_of_animation#Solid_drawing
http://www.dgp.toronto.edu/~karan/courses/csc2529/principles.pdf
http://craigbowman.com/animation/principles-of-animation-part-ii

Film

Cycles

Cycle animation can save a large amount of crucial time when it is required, as it is simply repeating a certain number of frames to loop an animation seamlessly. For animations that could take up to 120 frames you may only need to draw 24 of them and then repeat them. Possibly the most popular cycle is the walk cycle, others include flight cycles, swim cycles, wave cycles, and flag cycles, (material blowing in the breeze). The majority of forms of transportation are made up of cycles, such as a car being driven. Cycles are never usually a good choice for the main subject on the screen as they can become less effective.

Timing

This is the principle which takes the most practice to learn no matter whom you are as an animator, as it is possibly the most crucial of them all. Yet it is the easiest to understand it is simply the time it takes to perform an action. Within animation this can be a useful aid in exaggerating action for mood or narrative purposes. A simple thing like a ball bouncing needs to abide the laws of physics enough to project the illusion of believability so that the audience can understand what is going on. Yet, like many other things in animation these laws can be bent and as long as you consider the weight vs. momentum (animators need to understand how an object would react if said object or being were to react to say a push,) and you can achieve what would be impossible to do in real life, this is when this principle slims into the realm of what is called theatrical timing.
The key is to imagine invisible weight within your characters in which you are motioning not only this but also the size and a personality. As everyone has their quirks and special ways of walking, even something as simple as a hair flick may be motioned in a particular way. ‘Timing is critical for establishing a character's mood, emotion, and reaction,’ especially when it is a director’s wish to get the audience to feel empathy towards their characters. It is the most successful of animators that are truly able to imitate and exploit this skill as that is when they begin to develop their own sense of ‘style’ into their characters. Many animators when they’re stuck get others to act in the way they want their individuals to move as a visual aid.

Staging

Simply put, this is basically presenting a set and therefore an idea as clearly as possible. This is so that the audience can tell what it going on within the first few seconds, even from a distance. The reason that this is so crucial is because it directs the audience’s attention to focus them on the most relevant action within a scene. Contrast is good for it makes the animation more interesting and adds conflict which brings about change. Staging is possibly one of the easiest of the principles for animators to notice if it goes wrong as the problem is so easy to tell within one of these frames. Yet at the same time it is one of the hardest to correct as to achieve this effect you have to consider the placement of characters, the scene and how the action is to be portrayed.

Staging

Staging in animation is very important so that the audience can see and expect what is going on. Objects and characters need to be well positioned so that the scene is clear, in that the viewers’ main attention is not diverted elsewhere. Attention of viewers’ need to be on the main subject, these usually are movements of some sort, which attracts the viewer’s eyes. If the audience cannot detect the movement or they don’t understand the scene then the staging would be considered poor.

Actions in the scene would also need to be clear so that the audience can understand the characters’ ideas. These ideas can be expressions, moods or to show off their personalities.   

For example in Luxo Jnr, the father is the main figure in the scene but as soon as the son runs into the shot, the quick movements attract the audiences’ attention, and will then become the main focus. However, as soon as the son looks up to the father the attention is drawn straight to the parent.

Appeal

When an animated character has appeal, it does not mean that it has to be cute or beautiful, it can even be ugly but with a strong appeal.  A successful appeal includes an easy to read design, clear drawing and personality development, so it will attract the attention of the target audience.  For example (fg1) Ariel from “The Little Mermaid” is aimed at children, especially girls, and (fg2) Smeagol from “The Lord of The Rings” at an older audience.

(Fg1)  “The Little Mermaid” Ariel, Disney 1989.

http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Ariel---

Flounder-the-little-mermaid-223085_1280_1024.jpg

(fg2) “The Lord of The Rings” Smeagol,  Warner Bros 2001.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5IgFRGrAqkZxmdsulyKi1wmmr-Rqlvrm951W1ydROQ5XVvy2eTIgZAcZnIH7I1hZgvxGqvVjWje9nA9Sp2ABqSLAlDnN2pQHOU866FlJ091QCSSBIPUBtkrothCGCXFcY7oFv-L9Q1gU/s1600/gollum.PNG

Secondary Action

This is an action which enriches and supports the primary action, adding more movement to the scene. However, this movement is intended to go unnoticed, and should not conflict or compete with the primary action of a scene. An example would be Luxo Jnr., by Pixar in 1984, where the lamp shade is jumping across the screen as the primary action, and then the wire trailing it as the secondary action.