OVERLAPPING ACTION (NOTE: THIS RULE HOLDS TRUE IN THE MAJORITY OF ANIMATION ACTIONS) - WHEN ANIMATING A CHARACTER FROM ONE POINT TO ANOTHER, DON'T GO THERE ALL AT ONCE. THE MAIN ACTION CAN BE PRECEDED AND FOLLOWED BY LESSER ACTIONS THAT RELATE TO, OR ARE THE RESULT OF, THE MAIN ACTION. THESE ARE KNOWN AS "OVERLAPPING ACTIONS" AND THE PROPER USE OF THEM WILL GREATLY IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF YOUR WORK. NOTICE THAT FROM THE ANTICIPATION IN STEP 8 THE COP COMES TO AN EXTREME ACCENT IN STEP 10 AS HE STARTS SAYING, "ALL RIGHT !". THE MAIN ACTION OF THE FIGURE CAUSES A LESSER ACTION - OR REACTION - ON THE COP'S STOMACH. DOWN IN STEP 10, IT RECOILS IN STEPS 13 TO 16, BOUNCES BACK IN STEP 18. AND THEN FINALLY SETTLES BACK UP IN STEP 24. IN OTHER WORDS, A MAIN ACTION BETWEEN STEPS 8 AND 10 HAS CAUSED AN OVERLAPPING LESSER ACTION TO OCCUR FROM STEP 10 ALL THE WAY TO STEP 24.

FOLLOW-THROUGH - ANOTHER RULE OF ANIMATION IS THAT WHEN A FLAG - OR SOMETHING SIMILAR - IS WAVED OR JERKED, THE FLAG WILL FOLLOW A DEFINITE CURVING PATH THAT IS DETERMINED BY THE POSITION OF THE MAST A SPLIT SECOND BEFORE THE MOVEMENT. IN ANIMATION THIS NATURAL LAW IS CALLED THE "RULE OF FOLLOW-THROUGH". STUDY THE ENDS OF THE COAT HERE. PUT THIS TYPE OF FOLLOW-THROUGH ACTION ON ALL FLEXIBLE, LOOSELY-WAVING OBJECTS; IN A STRICT SENSE, ANY OBJECT THAT"GIVES" IN ANIMATION HAS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF FOLLOW-THROUGH ACTION.

SMASH AND STRETCH - WHEN A SANDBAG MOVES THROUGH THE AIR, IT WILL STRETCH IN THE DIRECTION OF THE MOVEMENT. THEN WHEN ITS PROGRESS IS ARRESTED, IT WILL "SQUASH" OUT. IF IT WERE ALIVE (ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN IN A CARTOON !), IT WOULD ALSO SQUASH FROM ANTICIPATING THE ACTION IN WHICH IT STRETCHES. NOTICE STEPS 8 AND 10. THE PROPER USE OF SQUASH AND STRETCH WILL STRENGTHEN AN ACTION. IT IS ESSENTIAL IN CREATING A FEELING OF WEIGHT IN CHARACTERS.