Animation Principles: Squash and Stretch

Supercut of my chosen examples:

Example One: "The Tears of an Onion"

Timestamp in Vimeo Supercut 00:00:03

Timestamp in Separate Video 00:00:49

This short animation follows the journey of an onion who finds it difficult to make friends. The opening sequence starts at sunrise as the world is waking up, including various types of plants and fungi. The mushrooms pop out of the ground, stretching up as they escape the dirt, before squashing back down to a typical mushroom shape. This example overexaggerated the stretching action, which I think works well with this style of animation. The popping and stretching out of the ground gives the viewer the feeling that the mushrooms were happy and excited for the new day.

Example Two: "The Last Unicorn"

Timestamp in Vimeo Supercut 00:00:07

Timestamp in Separate Video 00:01:01

This scene in "The Last Unicorn" shows Schmendrick trying to free the Unicorn from her cage. Previous to this clip he attempted various magic spells to free her but failed. Instead, using a key was necessary. The lock itself transforms to ridicule Schmendrick. As the lock laughs in Mommy Fortuna's voice, the captor of the Unicorn, the face transforms repeatedly. As the mouth closes the lock becomes wider, while upon opening and speaking, particularly during the last drawn-out "magician," the lock stretches up. The squash and stretch, combined with the swaying of the lock, contribute to the sense of mocking in this scene.

Example Three: "Beauty and the Beast"

Timestamp in Vimeo Supercut 00:00:17

Timestamp in Separate Video 00:01:21

While the musical number "Be Our Guest" contains many examples of squash and stretch, this particular section highlights the principle clearly. As the tankards of frothy beverages (presumably beer) bounce and jump through the scene, they land with a squash, becoming wider and shorter. As the containers rise back into the air, they stretch out as if made of elastic. While on the table they also squash and stretch as they bounce to the beat of the music. Even though real containers like these wouldn't move in such a way, the very springy movements allow the viewer to feel as if the tankards are alive and flexible.