Bouncy Ball

Oct 16th, 2025

Cathy Gao

Project Description:

In this project, I create a short animation featuring a bouncing ball employing squash and stretch as well as three other Disney Animation Design Principles. The animation features two balls interacting with the seesaw structure and performing interesting and realistic movements. All motions were completed using key frames.

Storyboard:

Bouncy ball discovers a seesaw!

Bouncy ball rolls, leaps, and play!

Another ball joins bouncy ball and they play together!

Bouncy ball accidentally lands on his friend with a big squish!

Farewell, dear friend!

Key Frames:

Full Animation:

Disney Design Principles:

1. Exaggeration

Pushed ball stretches and squashes beyond realism to foreshadow movements and show surprised emotions.
(checker ball shows surprise)

2. Straight Ahead Action & Pose to Pose

To ensure the ball stays on the seesaw during the movements and the physics of the seesaw is realistic during ball jumps, I key posed the start, midpoint, and end of each movement first instead of making it frame by frame
(shows one key frame before the checker ball falls)

3. Staging

Time: Avoided having drastic motions on both balls at the same time.
Composition: Switched between camera angles to capture the desired motion at the center.
(camera zoomed in to show interaction between two balls)