Animation Fundamentals: Brawl Stars

The video titled “Brawl Stars: No time to Explain” is an animated short advertisement that serves as the exposition for the plot of a mobile video game. In this article I will highlight different instances in which certain fundamentals of animation are exemplified in the video.

Squash N’ Stretch

In this first example, we see the animation fundamental of ‘squash n stretch’ being employed. This technique is used to express speed, momentum, weight and mass in an animated object or character. The scene depicts the skeleton character on the right being thrust in the air by a cactus that emerges from the ground.

In this screenshot, we see the two characters interacting. The dust shoots up around the skeleton character.

As the skeleton begins to be thrusted in the air, there is a very slight stretch in his hat.

In this frame, there is a huge stretch in the skeleton’s hat and guitar as the cactus bursts through the ground and propels the character along with it. This implies rapid speed and movement visually.

Anticipation

Anticipation as an animation principle serves the purpose of creating the effect of realistic physical movement and actions by providing a ‘load-up’ period. This is expressed in the following frames where the grave digger points at the pink-haired character.

Here the grave digger is at his starting pose.

In order to express that an action is about to take place, he begins to load up and draw back his shovel.

The character is now able to release the potential energy that was created when he draw his shovel back.

He extends his arm and the action is complete.

Follow Through

The follow through effect takes place when inertia is expressed in objects within the animation that respond differently to motion; not everything stops all at once. This is seen in the following frames where the skeleton is shot up off the ground another cactus.

Here the character is initially shot up off the ground, and his sombrero is still on his head.

Inertia takes place in this frame, all though the cactus has stopped, the skeleton is still moving a bit (expressed through the stretch of the head) and his hat is still flying upwards (also stretching.)

Now the character has come to a stop, and his hat is still in the air.

Finally in this frame, his hat has caught up with his motion, and returns to head head, just a moment after the character has become still again, this delay in the motion of the hat from the skeleton help create realistic motion.