12 Principles of Animation: Secondary Action

Primary action - walking, Secondary action - rest of body

Among the 12 Principles of Animation is Secondary Action. This technique elaborates on the actions and gestures that support and emphasize the principal action of a character, adding a more convincing performance to mimicking real-life acting out (most commonly on emotions). Furthermore, secondary actions which complement primary ones add more dimension to the exertion of movement, while communicating the intentions or emotions of the character in a visual manner.



"Ormie" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsP9ppLPRbQ

For example, during Ormie's walking cycle at the beginning of the animation, there is a primary and a secondary action which supports the first one. The primary action is the shuffling of the legs which insinuate walking and movement, while the secondary action is his arms rotating back and forth with his elbows up, as well as his tilted facial expression, both signifying his prideful state of certainty.