Animation is not the end either.  Editing and timing is very important as is the story itself. (Probably the most important is the story)

You would think that an animated movie does not require editing, but it does!  It can make something good, look great.  Even though I plan my "shots" out to the second, I almost always need to edit or add an "L-cut" to make things more interesting.

I came from an animation background in the early '70s and took a 2 year video editing  program recently, to learn the fine points of editing (Avid and FCP certified now).  While I understood many of the concepts coming from film, the course really helpped a lot with my first love, animation.

Here's Walter Murch's 6 Rules in Editing:
According to Walter Murch, when it comes to film and film editing, there are six main criteria for evaluating a cut or deciding where to cut.

1. Emotion - How will this cut affect the audience emotionally at this particular moment in the film?

2. Story - Does the edit move the story forward in a meaningful way?

3. Rhythm - Is the cut at a point that makes rhythmic sense?

4. Eye Trace - How does the cut affect the location and movement of the audience's focus in that particular film?

5. Two Dimensional Place of Screen - Is the axis followed properly?

6. Three Dimensional Space - Is the cut true to established physical and spacial relationships?

Every animated (or live action) movie or short needs to have all these things.

... and I haven't even mentioned the other half of any good movie or short: Sound Design (dialog, SFX and Music)

There is a lot that goes into this medium and a lot to learn!  But you have to do it and learn from your mistakes.

I agree with the previous post as well, I use aniBlocks quite a bit.  They can be used as a base and then modified - saves a lot of time!

Best of luck with your projects!

-AniMajik

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