There’s a frame in some of your favorite animations that you’ve likely never noticed. Blink, and you’ll miss it. But without it, the fluidity, speed, and impact of animated motion would feel jarring or incomplete. This hidden tool in an animator’s toolkit is the smear frame—a frame that defies logic and anatomy, stretching characters and objects beyond their normal shape to create the illusion of motion so fast it blurs the line between frames. From the rubbery limbs of early Looney Tunes to the fast-paced antics of Hotel Transylvania, smear frames add a unique blend of humor, artistry, and seamless motion.
But smear frames aren’t just a relic of traditional 2D animation. This technique, while deeply rooted in hand-drawn cartoons, has evolved alongside the digital revolution, finding new life in computer animation. Whether you’re a fan of Genndy Tartakovsky’s exaggerated character designs or the subtle artistry in modern video games, smear frames continue to play a significant role in shaping how we experience speed and motion in animation.
Smear frames are essentially an artistic trick used in animation to convey rapid movement. When characters or objects move quickly, they often need to transition between poses in fewer frames than the eye can process comfortably. To avoid choppy motion, animators stretch, duplicate, or distort their drawings across several frames, giving the illusion of fluidity.
For example, consider Chuck Jones’ classic The Dover Boys at Pimento University (1942), an early cartoon that uses exaggerated smear frames to create a sense of chaotic speed. When one of the characters moves rapidly, their body distorts, creating a blurred, almost supernatural effect, emphasizing the velocity and adding a slapstick quality to the motion:
Smear frames date back to the golden age of animation. Though widely popularized by Warner Bros. through cartoons like Bosko and Looney Tunes, the first significant and highly influential use of smear frames occurred in The Dover Boys at Pimento University, as mentioned earlier.. This short film became a breakthrough in using exaggerated, distorted frames to convey motion in a way that wasn’t just functional but added to the comic effect of the scene. Chuck Jones, a legendary figure in animation, used this technique to highlight fast action, and it quickly became a hallmark of his work.
Smear frames serve the critical function of making animated sequences feel smooth and continuous, even at lower frame rates. Traditionally, animation used 12 to 24 frames per second. Without techniques like smear frames, fast movements would appear disjointed or awkward. Smear frames fill the gaps, blending one position into another so rapidly that it tricks the viewer’s eye into perceiving fluid motion.
Smear frames are a crucial tool in scenes where characters need to leap, twist, or punch faster than the average human eye can track. By elongating or duplicating a character’s limbs in a smear frame, animators simulate the blur effect our eyes naturally see in fast motion. In 2D animation, the result can be anything from the elongated fists of Popeye pummeling Bluto to the rubber-band-like recoil of a character in Looney Tunes. In modern 3D animation, techniques like stretching geometry or using motion blur shaders achieve a similar effect. Have a look at this test by Michael Alcover Bartel on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4fbKdl5kH-Q?feature=shared
Beyond functionality, smear frames offer a chance for animators to inject personality into their work. These frames can be wildly exaggerated for comedic effect, especially in cartoons. For instance, Genndy Tartakovsky’s Hotel Transylvania films lean heavily on exaggerated smear frames to create the playful, elastic energy of characters like Dracula and his supernatural crew. The stretchy, cartoony effect enhances the humor and quirkiness of the movie's world, making it visually memorable.
See if you can spot the use of smear frames in this Shot Build for Hotel Transylvania as shared by Sony Pictures Animation:
At its core, a smear frame is about capturing the essence of motion rather than reality. When an object moves quickly from point A to point B, a smear frame stretches, distorts, or multiplies the object across several positions in a single frame, creating the illusion of speed. These frames typically occur in scenes of intense action—running, punching, or fast head turns. In 3D animation, smear frames can be achieved through geometric stretching, motion blur effects, or even by duplicating key elements in different positions to mimic a blurred effect.
Not all smear frames are created equal. Here are a few common types used by animators:
Smear frames work best in scenes that require fast, exaggerated motion. These frames can heighten the impact of a punch, the speed of a chase, or the absurdity of a fall. Animators must carefully decide when and where to implement smear frames, as their exaggerated nature can detract from realism if overused.
While smear frames are an effective tool, they are most powerful when used alongside other animation techniques like squash and stretch, anticipation, and motion blur. In 3D animation, motion blur shaders or deformers can simulate smear frames in a way that enhances realism, making them blend seamlessly with other dynamic effects.
In traditional 2D animation, smear frames are hand-drawn, with characters and objects being stretched, warped, or multiplied across the frame. The key to effective smear frames lies in the balance—too subtle, and they fail to convey the motion; too extreme, and they disrupt the flow of the animation.
Creating smear frames in digital software is more accessible than ever. Tools like FlipaClip offer frame-by-frame drawing features, allowing animators to handcraft smear frames easily. In After Effects, animators can achieve a similar effect using motion blur settings or custom deformation techniques. Check out Motion XP’s take on the workflow in AE:
Smear frames are an exciting and creative way to exaggerate motion, providing fluidity and dynamism in animation. Traditionally a hallmark of 2D animation, they are now being embraced by 3D artists who want to replicate the sense of speed and fluidity that 2D smear frames offer. However, creating smear frames in a 3D context requires different techniques and considerations due to the nature of 3D animation, where motion is calculated based on models, rigging, and keyframes rather than hand-drawn images.
Smear frames in 3D are essentially a creative manipulation of models and keyframes to visually stretch and distort objects or characters to convey fast movement. While motion blur can sometimes be enough for subtler movements, smear frames allow for deliberate and exaggerated motion effects.
Model Deformation and Rigging
One of the most direct ways to create smear frames in 3D animation is through the manipulation of the character’s rig and model. By deforming the mesh of your character or object, you can manually stretch or warp it between keyframes, creating a stylized motion blur effect. Here’s how you can achieve this in popular 3D software like Blender, Maya, and 3ds Max
Multiplying the Mesh (Cloning)
Another approach to 3D smear frames is by duplicating parts of the character or object to create the illusion of fast, overlapping motion. This technique mimics the 2D style of smear frames where multiple limbs or the entire body are drawn in various states of movement within a single frame. In 3D, you can achieve this effect by:
Using Motion Blur
While motion blur isn’t technically the same as smear frames, it’s a related effect and often used in tandem with more deliberate smear techniques. Most 3D software packages, including Blender, Maya, Cinema 4D, and 3ds Max, offer motion blur as a rendering option. This feature can automatically calculate the blurring of an object based on its velocity between frames. Motion blur is a great tool for smaller movements, but it lacks the stylistic flair of hand-crafted smear frames.
Animating with Subframes
To get a finer degree of control, you can animate using subframes, which means creating animation at a frame rate higher than your final output. This technique allows you to place keyframes within smaller increments of time, providing more control over the rapid changes in motion. By adjusting the positions and deformations of objects at these subframes, you can introduce micro-exaggerations that wouldn’t be possible at regular frame intervals.
For instance, animating at 60 or even 120 frames per second (fps), and then rendering down to 24 fps, can smooth out the animation and give you additional opportunities to implement smear effects. Some animators even mix subframes with frame-holds to keep things feeling dynamic.
In this webinar from Griffin Animation Academy, David Han goes over how smear frames are made in Maya, but the concepts presented can be applied to other software as well:
Smear frames should never stand out in isolation. Their purpose is to guide the viewer smoothly from one key frame to another. To maintain this flow, it's essential to ensure that the smear frame transitions naturally between the poses.
Smear frames are a stylistic choice, and their use should complement the overall visual design of the animation. In some cases, a highly exaggerated smear frame may feel out of place in an otherwise realistic scene. The style of the animation should guide how extreme or subtle the smear frames are.
Like any animation technique, smear frames can lose their impact if overused. Sparingly using smear frames in fast, action-heavy sequences keeps them fresh and effective, rather than overwhelming the viewer with constant visual distortion.
Smear frames continue to be a staple in modern animated films and television series, showcasing the versatility and creative potential of this technique in both 2D and 3D contexts. One of the most prominent examples in recent years is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This groundbreaking film used a combination of traditional 2D animation techniques and cutting-edge 3D animation, blending the two seamlessly to create a visually stunning, comic book-inspired world. The film's use of smear frames is particularly evident in the action sequences, where characters like Miles Morales and Peter Parker exhibit exaggerated, fluid movements during high-speed chases or intense fight scenes.
In Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, smear frames were applied in a way that paid homage to classic comic book art, where exaggerated motion lines and over-the-top distortions convey intense speed and energy. For example, during fight scenes, characters’ limbs stretch impossibly across the screen in a single frame, accentuating the velocity of their punches or acrobatic maneuvers. In 3D animation, this effect was achieved through a combination of manual deformation of the character models and the strategic use of motion blur. By pushing the characters’ shapes beyond normal proportions, the animators were able to convey the dynamic energy typically associated with 2D animation techniques.
However, Spider-Verse wasn’t just about emulating 2D smear frames in a 3D environment—it introduced a new approach to timing and pacing that capitalized on the benefits of both mediums. The film used a mix of frame rates, animating certain characters "on twos" (12 frames per second) while keeping others "on ones" (24 frames per second). This deliberate choice gave characters like Miles a more staccato, learning-to-move feel, while others, such as the more experienced Spider-Men, were smoother and more fluid. Smear frames helped bridge these two styles by blending fast movements with exaggerated distortions, ensuring that the transitions between different frame rates remained cohesive and visually engaging.
Check out No The Robot’s very informative breakdown of the choices behind the animation style of Into The Spiderverse:
Smear frames have also found their way into other modern 3D-animated films, where animators are increasingly using them to break the rigid constraints of 3D models and give scenes more life and fluidity. The Lego Movie, for example, made extensive use of smear frames to enhance its fast-paced, playful style. In a movie where the characters are made of rigid Lego pieces, smear frames became a crucial tool for creating exaggerated actions that would otherwise be impossible within the confines of the Lego world. The animators stretched and distorted the Lego models in ways that mimicked the fluidity of 2D animation, adding dynamism to high-energy sequences like chases or battle scenes.
Similarly, Pixar’s Incredibles 2 integrated smear frames into its action-heavy sequences, particularly during scenes involving Dash, the super-speedy son of the Parr family. When Dash sprints through an environment at incredible speeds, his limbs and body often blur and stretch in exaggerated ways that wouldn’t occur in real life. These carefully crafted smear frames enhance the audience's perception of his speed, making the action feel faster and more intense while maintaining a visually appealing flow.
Today, innovations in animation software have made smear frames easier to implement in 3D. Custom shaders, plugins, and motion blur effects can now simulate the same fluidity achieved in hand-drawn smear frames, giving 3D animators more control over the speed and style of motion in their work.
Smear frames are a perfect example of how animation is both an art and a science. By bending the rules of logic and anatomy, animators can create visual experiences that are larger than life, pulling the viewer deeper into the story with every stretched limb or distorted figure. Smear frames have evolved from a niche technique in hand-drawn animation to a vital tool in the toolkit of 3D animators. Whether it’s the hyper-stylized action of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the playful distortion in The Lego Movie, or the high-energy battles in Guilty Gear Strive, smear frames continue to push the boundaries of how motion can be expressed in both 2D and 3D animation. As more animators explore ways to merge the two mediums, the creative possibilities of smear frames will undoubtedly continue to expand, adding even more energy and expression to modern animation.
Whether you’re diving into traditional 2D techniques or exploring their modern 3D counterparts, mastering smear frames is key to crafting animated motion that captivates and excites.
