Abstract

“Squash and stretch” is a fundamental animation technique that gives drawings the appearance of flexibility, weight, and personality. In the classic “bouncing ball” example, the ball flattens (squashes) when it hits the ground and elongates (stretches) as it rebounds. ADOBE explains that squash and stretch “gives a sense of weight and/or flexibility to objects or even to people.” (adobe.com) Animators must maintain the object’s volume even while changing its shape; otherwise the motion loses believability. (Wikipedia) For high-school students exploring university animation programs, mastering squash and stretch means learning how to use major poses (key-frames) and in-between frames to convey motion that feels alive and expressive. This article defines key terminology such as key-frame, in-betweens, and volume preservation, gives concrete examples of how squash and stretch applies to objects and characters, and shows how you can practise the principle now to strengthen your animation foundation.

Keywords: squash and stretch, key-frame, in-between, volume preservation, animation principle

Squash and stretch: bringing personality to every drawing

In animation you create movement by showing many still frames one after another. A key-frame is a drawing that marks a major pose or moment in the action. In-betweens are the drawings that fill the frames between key-frames. The principle of squash and stretch modifies the shape of an object or character to convey motion, flexibility or weight. The principle was formalised in the work of The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation by animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. (Wikipedia)

What the terms mean

  • Squash: When an object compresses its shape – for example when a ball hits the ground it flattens vertically and widens horizontally.
  • Stretch: When an object elongates along the direction of motion – for example when the ball rebounds upward, it might elongate.
  • Volume preservation: While the shape changes, the object’s volume must remain visually consistent; the object should not appear to grow or shrink in mass. (learn.toonboom.com)

How squash and stretch works

Imagine a rubber ball dropped onto the floor. At the moment of impact the ball squashes. Moments before and after the bounce the ball stretches along the trajectory. The software-training material from Toon Boom describes that when you apply squash and stretch “the stronger the squash and stretch is, the smoother and bouncier the animation will look” provided you maintain volume. (learn.toonboom.com) If the same motion lacked squash and stretch, the ball would look rigid, lifeless, or mechanical. (deedeestudio.net)

Squash and stretch also conveys material-type. For example, a rubber ball might have strong squash and stretch, whereas a bowling ball would have little deformation because of its rigidity. The website Animaker mentions this: “The Squash and Stretch technique is used by animators to convey an object’s weight, flexibility, and hardness.” (Animaker)

Application to characters

Squash and stretch is not limited to balls. Character animation uses it in many ways: the character may squash when landing from a jump, stretch when throwing a punch, or deform facial features when expressing emotion. According to Animation Mentor, the principle applies to body parts (eyes, cheeks, limbs) and to poses. (Animation Mentor)

How you can practise it

If you are a high-school student preparing for a university animation program, you can practice squash and stretch now with simple exercises:

  1. Draw a bouncing ball sequence: draw the key-frame where the ball touches the ground (squash), draw one frame just before take-off (stretch), draw the ball airborne and then again at ground contact. Ensure you maintain volume.
  2. Animate a character crouching before a jump: the crouch pose is the squash, the leap pose the stretch. Practice drawing in-betweens between those.
  3. Review your drawing and ask: does the object’s width and height change in a way that keeps volume consistent? Does the motion feel alive rather than stiff?

Why this matters for animation students

If you enrol in an animation program you will learn workflows that revolve around key-frames, in-betweens, timing, spacing and all the foundational principles. Crossing over between traditional hand-drawn work and digital tools, you still need to understand how shape, form and motion work together. Squash and stretch gives characters, objects and poses personality and helps your animation feel readable. When you show this understanding in assignment work or a portfolio, you demonstrate that you know how to bring drawings to life rather than just copy movement.

By practising squash and stretch you develop sensitivity to how motions feel, how shape changes can express weight or elasticity, and how to plan major poses and transitions. These abilities align with what animation courses expect students to explore.