Disney & Pixar Animation Secrets: Achieving Super Smooth Movement

Former Disney and Pixar animator shares the secret to creating fluid animation

Apr. 10, 2026 at 7:38am

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An abstract, minimalist illustration featuring sharp, geometric shapes and bold silhouettes in high-contrast colors, conceptually representing the fluid, dynamic movement of animated characters.Libby Peterson's insights on the power of extreme poses unlock new levels of fluidity and natural movement in animation.Denver Today

Former Disney and Pixar animator Libby Peterson has shared a valuable tip for creating super smooth animation - focusing on extreme poses. Peterson, known for her stylized keyframe animation, explains that by paying close attention to the furthest points reached by a character's body during an action, animators can naturally incorporate principles like arcs, offset, and drag to achieve a fluid, natural movement.

Why it matters

Disney and Pixar are renowned for their iconic animated films, so their animation techniques are highly sought after by budding animators. Peterson's insights into the importance of extreme poses offer a valuable lesson in elevating the quality and fluidity of character animation, which is a core skill for anyone aspiring to work in the animation industry.

The details

In a YouTube video, Peterson demonstrates how extreme poses - the furthest points reached by a character's body during an action - are key to creating smooth, natural animation. She explains that these extreme poses naturally incorporate two of the 12 Disney principles of animation: arcs for natural movement and offset and drag to convey weight and mass. Peterson advises animators to pay close attention to ensuring each axis in both translations and rotation hits its extreme on different frames, as this is essential for animating drag, follow-through, and arcs. She emphasizes the importance of individual rotations and forward and left-to-right movements not occurring on the same frame to avoid triangular, 'janky' movement.

  • Peterson's video on extreme poses was published on YouTube in 2026.

The players

Libby Peterson

A former animator at Disney and Pixar, known for her stylized keyframe animation work on films like Lilo & Stitch.

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What they’re saying

“Focusing on your extremes and ensuring each axis in both translations and rotation hits its extreme on different frames is key to making animation fluid. Also, pay attention to the extremes of different body parts hitting on different frames.”

— Libby Peterson, Former Disney and Pixar animator

What’s next

For those looking to enhance their animation skills, Creative Bloq provides recommendations for the best animation software and laptops tailored for animation professionals.

The takeaway

Peterson's insights into the importance of extreme poses offer a valuable lesson for animators seeking to elevate the fluidity and quality of their character animation, a core skill for anyone aspiring to work in the animation industry.