Timing for Animation, 40th Anniversary Edition, 3rd Edition

Timing and Music

Ever since the very first animated productions, Disney’s Steamboat Mickey and Oskar Fischinger’s abstract film Composition in Blue, it has been clear that there is a strong relationship between animation and music. This relationship can be explained on two accounts. First, both elements have a basic mathematical foundation and move forward at a determined speed. Second, since animation is created manually frame by frame, it can be fitted to music in a very exact manner. It is further able to capture its rhythm, its mood and hit the beat right to the frame. Most animation makes good use of this advantage (Fig. 68).

FIG 68A