Entry 19 · the alphabet of motion

S

Squash

Compression of an object on impact, paired with stretch on recoil.

CSS @keyframes · squash

The long entry

Squash and stretch is the Disney principle that gives animation its sense of weight and elasticity. A bouncing ball flattens at the floor and elongates in flight. Crucially, the volume of the object is preserved across the deformation — squash too much without compensating stretch and the object reads as putty, not rubber.