Page Transition Animation

Apply Disney's 12 animation principles to route changes, view transitions, and navigation patterns.

Quick Reference

Principle Page Transition Implementation

Squash & Stretch Entering page elastic effect

Anticipation Exit animation before enter

Staging Hero elements bridge views

Straight Ahead / Pose to Pose Shared element vs crossfade

Follow Through / Overlapping Content settles after nav

Slow In / Slow Out Asymmetric enter/exit easing

Arc Slide transitions with curve

Secondary Action Background, nav state changes

Timing 200-500ms total transition

Exaggeration Reserved for emphasis moments

Solid Drawing Consistent spatial model

Appeal Smooth, oriented navigation

Principle Applications

Squash & Stretch: Incoming pages can have subtle elastic settle. Modal sheets bounce slightly on full open. Pull-to-navigate stretches before triggering.

Anticipation: Current page begins exit before new page enters. Slight fade or scale prepares for change. Navigation indicator updates before page swaps.

Staging: Shared/hero elements maintain context across views. Common elements (nav, footer) stay stable. New content area receives transition focus.

Straight Ahead vs Pose to Pose: Shared element transitions morph continuously (straight ahead). Crossfades swap between discrete states (pose to pose). Choose based on content relationship.

Follow Through & Overlapping: Page content settles after initial position. Staggered content entry—header, then body, then footer. Images load with subtle fade after container.

Slow In / Slow Out: Exit: ease-in (accelerate away). Enter: ease-out (decelerate in). Combined: ease-in-out for shared elements. Never linear—feels broken.

Arc: Slide transitions can curve slightly. Stack navigation implies z-depth. Circular reveals expand from trigger point.

Secondary Action: Header updates title during transition. Bottom nav indicator moves. Background color shifts. Scroll position resets with transition.

Timing: Quick transitions: 200-300ms. Standard: 300-400ms. Complex: 400-500ms. Modal/sheet: 250-350ms. Back navigation often faster than forward.

Exaggeration: Save exaggeration for key moments—onboarding, achievement. Regular navigation should be smooth, not theatrical. Users navigate frequently.

Solid Drawing: Maintain consistent spatial metaphor. If pages stack, maintain z-order. If pages slide, direction should be consistent. Users build mental model from transitions.

Appeal: Transitions should feel helpful, not impressive. Fast, smooth, oriented. Users should understand where they came from and went to.

Transition Patterns

Crossfade (Default)

.page-exit { opacity: 1; } .page-exit-active { opacity: 0; transition: opacity 200ms ease-in; } .page-enter { opacity: 0; } .page-enter-active { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 200ms ease-out; }

Slide (Hierarchical)

/* Forward navigation */ .page-enter { transform: translateX(100%); } .page-enter-active { transform: translateX(0); transition: transform 300ms ease-out; } .page-exit-active { transform: translateX(-30%); transition: transform 300ms ease-in; }

/* Back navigation - reversed */ .page-enter { transform: translateX(-30%); } .page-exit-active { transform: translateX(100%); }

Shared Element (Hero)

// View Transitions API document.startViewTransition(() => { updateDOM(); });

// CSS for specific element .hero-image { view-transition-name: hero; } ::view-transition-old(hero), ::view-transition-new(hero) { animation-duration: 300ms; }

Timing Reference

Transition Type Duration Exit Enter

Crossfade 200-300ms ease-in ease-out

Slide forward 300-400ms ease-in ease-out

Slide back 250-350ms ease-in ease-out

Modal open 250-350ms — ease-out

Modal close 200-300ms ease-in —

Shared element 300-400ms n/a ease-in-out

Tab switch 150-200ms instant ease-out

Navigation Patterns

Pattern Transition Direction

Drill-down (list→detail) Slide left / shared element Right = forward

Tab bar Fade / slide Horizontal

Bottom sheet Slide up Vertical

Modal Scale + fade Z-axis

Back button Reverse of forward Left = back

Performance

• Use transform and opacity only

• Hardware acceleration: will-change: transform

• Reduce motion: instant transitions

• Test on slow devices—transitions must not block

• View Transitions API: native performance