The Animator's Survival Kit: A Manual of Methods, Principles and Formulas for Classical, Computer, Games, Stop Motion and Internet Animators Paperback – 5 Nov. 2009

I've spent the better part of a year working on my first animation project with very little prior experience. Having always been fascinated with the process, working from my own ability has been a long but rewarding task but I finally hit a hard limit where I just wasn't able to easily visualise a way to make my character movements more natural.This book is transformative to the point that I bought sticky tabs to mark important sections and have almost ran out nearly a quarter of the way through the book. It explains core concepts behind traditional animations and how to time them, but most importantly in my case it breaks down walk cycles and assorted character movements, the thought processes to use while visualising them and the methods of presenting them in an easy to read, often humourous and incredibly illuminating way.I can't gush about the presentation enough. It never weighs you down with jargon and the illustrations are divine and immediately informative. If you have any interest in improving your animation ability I just haven't found a simpler way than reading this book.

This is one of those books that every lecturer who teaches any kind of animation will tell you to buy, not suggest, TELL YOU TO BUY. A large section of the book explains animation history and some guide lines (no music!) before breaking down different walk cycles and then moving on to other various things that can be animated. THIS BOOK IS A MUST HAVE FOR ANY LEVEL OF ANIMATOR (as even the legendary animators rules are altered in this book at some points).Additional edit: Looking back after a few years I can honestly say the book has really stood by me. There are other books I'd recommend such as Eric Goldberg's Animation Crash Course, Frank and Ollie's Illusion of Life and Nancy Beiman's Animated Performance but this still remains an essential book to have. I feel that I should also mention what I found was the best way to read it. Read every page and don't turn to the next until you feel you fully understand the point he is trying to get across to you. Richard Williams does a great job of showing you how something can be done and then showing other ways in which it can be done. It is about making an animation your own, so really try and get a feel for how his examples work and how it may vary from character to character while reading. If you do, you will get so much from this book.

5 stars straight up. I bought this after growing a fascination with 2D animation and decided to have a look. It really has the very basic stuff here, which is just what I was looking for. Some of the formulas I took a while to get my head around but it is done very well and super clear. This book is a must for anyone thinking about making their art "move". It will show you the basic but it will show it very well and in depth. If you don't get the foundation stuff well then you will be making life very hard on yourself.This book has everything and more in it to get you started. I have already done the bouncy ball and am a little reluctant to start doing the walk cycle at the moment but I understand how to do it. Once you follow the formula you cant go wrong. The only problem is that I am not used to drawing "real" things so I will struggle a bit on that note. I usually draw detailed abstract images but I can still use this and learn how to draw properly.Oh and by the way, this book is very large and heavy.

A truly excellent, comprehensive and easy to follow book for anyone interested in art and animation.Written by one of the chief animators for "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", this book is filled with fun anecotes and informative step-by-step breakdowns of the process, showcasing character design, turnarounds, physics and proportions along with helpful chapters on the fiddly subject of perspectives.Whether you're a professional looking for a good reference book, an amatuer looking to upskill or even a complete beginner in search of guidance, this book will not steer you wrong!10/10 Would highly recommend!

Good

Got this for my daughter when she was in collage and she loved it