Principle of Animation: Anticipation

Anticipation in animation is when there is an expectation of an action before a follow-through. For example, this could be when a character winds up before they start running or when the character brings their arm back before delivering a punch. There are many examples of this, but three are listed below.

The first example is seen above at the time 1:20. In the brief animation, the character Miguel brings his arm up over his head before strumming the guitar. When he lifts his arm, Miguel is creating anticipation for the action of playing the guitar. The main action of strumming the guitar is meant to be important and it is highlighted by the initial emphasis on the raised arm.

The second example is seen above at the time 0:29. After she is given a birthday cake with candles, the character Luna takes a deep breath before blowing out the candles. The exaggerated breath is meant to anticipate the candles being blown out, which is common with birthday cakes. The breath before the action reminds the viewer of the character's young age with the child-like movements.

The third example is seen above at the time 0:48. After taking off her hat, the character's hair puffs up in an exaggerated manner. The pause between the character taking off her hat and her hair puffing up creates anticipation for the animation of the hair. This anticipation emphasizes the character's (nearly) uncontrollable hair and the problems that may arise from it.