Summary
Animation is an art. Like most arts it takes time to master and do well. An animator needs to have a firm understanding of the principles of physics.
The animator should understand the effects of gravity, friction, elasticity of many different materials, and a good understand of the center of gravity.
Newton’s three laws apply just as much in an animated world as they do in the real world. Although animators can get away with not understanding the math or the functions behind the principles. They should have a firm grasp on what these laws mean on the actual motion.
There is much more involved in animating of a character than can easily be seen by just watching animation. Even the best animator must practice and have a solid understanding of all of the principles that have been discussed. Books have been written just to help improve the realism portrayed in this form of art.
I hope that this web page has helped you to understand the difficulty of making animation look life like. I also hope that you see how important the understanding of physics is to makeing real looking animation.
The Lion King (1994), Disney Studios
In this short clip from the Lion King Disney used almost every priciple that has been discussed. Try to break it down into the individual principles to see how each of them apply.
