Squash and stretch is a common animation technique applied to characters or objects in motion. The technique makes their actions more fluid, and it is generally exaggerated for a cartoonish effect. When utilized with more subtlety, it works just as well for realistic movements. Squash and stretch was used to great effect in early 1920s American cartoons such as ‘Felix the Cat’ and ‘Betty Boop.’ It can also be used in comics or still cartoon art.
When done in accordance with the principles of animation, squash and stretch keeps the volume of the character constant. When squash and stretch is applied, it creates the illusion that a drawing has dimension and volume. Squash and stretch does not always have to be cartoonlike – when we crouch down in anticipation for a large leap, we squash. When we spring into the air, we stretch. A half-filled flour sack is an example of a more cartoonlike squash and stretch – when dropped the sack squashes a lot; when picked up it stretches a lot – but throughout the entire action, the volume never changes.
The Daily Omnivore 
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