12 Principles of Animation
12. Appeal
The 12 principles of animation are guidelines created by ex-Disney animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. They were made to teach animators how to create lifelike characters. This post will explain one principle.
Appeal is the idea that your animations should be appealing to look at. Appeal in this case doesn’t always mean pleasant, but it can also simply mean interesting. Regardless, every character and object, every vehicle and building, and every hero or villain should be enjoyable to look at. The issue that one runs into is subjectivity. Everybody has their own idea of what is appealing to them. This is why popular animations have features that are generally well-liked. Disney characters have big eyes and symmetrical faces because people generally like to look at those things. Each animator has to find their own style and ways to add charisma to their creations.
