Timing for Animation, 2nd Edition

Foreword by John Lasseter,Pixar

I first became interested in animation as a kid. I watched every bit of it I could see, and found myself liking Disney animation and Warner Brothers cartoons more than most. I wondered what it was that set their work apart. As I learned more about animation I discovered that, arguably, it was their impeccable sense of timing.

Time is the essence of animation. It is what makes animation different to other visual arts where the observer controls how much time a piece of art is viewed. With animation the observer is captive, usually sitting in a theater, watching it play out in front of them. The animator controls how much or how little time is spent on the animation. Therefore, it’s the animator’s responsibility ...