The Animator's Survival Kit

The definitive book on animation, from the Academy Award-winning animator behind Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Animation is one of the hottest areas of filmmaking today and the master animator who bridges the old generation and the new is Richard Williams. During his fifty years in the business, Williams has been one of the true innovators, winning three Academy Awards and serving as the link between Disney's golden age of animation by hand and the new computer animation exemplified by Toy Story.

Simplified drawing for planning animation

If you are an animator or are studying animation, this book is invaluable. Wayne Gilbert has decades of animation experience behind his observations, and I couldn't recommend it more highly. For me, as an animator, it's a no-brainer to have this on my shelf with me at work. It covers far more than "just thumbnails," and does a great job of simplifying complex concepts such as force and you'll really get a great feel for what happens in the body when it's lifting something heavy or
hanging or fighting.