Rules of animation; Staging, straight ahead action and pose to pose

Staging

Staging in animation refers to the same principle as that found in film and theatre mediums. Its purpose is to direct the angle of the shot and camera, the lighting and position of the characters or objects of importance in order to direct the audience and make it clear to them what is the most important part of any scene or action. As in the scene below from Disney's Lion King, it is easy to see the primary focus of this shot.

http://www.lionking.org/~s-tlk/old/news/tlk06.20.03.htm

Straight ahead action and Pose to Pose

Straight ahead action and pose to pose are two animating techniques. Straight ahead action is the method of drawing out a scene frame by frame from start to finish, whilst the pose to pose technique uses a method of drawing keyframes and filling in the blanks later. Straight ahead action allows for more fluid animations but it is difficult to keep proportions. This makes pose to pose a faster work method. In todays animation a mixture of both is used with the help of computers.