Flutter Animations

Overview

Create smooth, performant animations in Flutter using the right approach for each use case. This skill covers complete animation workflow: from choosing between implicit/explicit approaches to implementing complex effects like hero transitions and staggered animations.

Animation Type Decision Tree

Choose the right animation type based on your requirements:

Implicit Animations - Use when:

• Animating a single property (color, size, position)
• Animation is triggered by state change
• No need for fine-grained control

Explicit Animations - Use when:

• Need full control over animation lifecycle
• Animating multiple properties simultaneously
• Need to react to animation state changes
• Creating custom animations or transitions

Hero Animations - Use when:

• Sharing an element between two screens
• Creating shared element transitions
• User expects element to "fly" between routes

Staggered Animations - Use when:

• Multiple animations should run sequentially or overlap
• Creating ripple effects or sequential reveals
• Animating list items in sequence

Physics-Based Animations - Use when:

• Animations should feel natural/physical
• Spring-like behavior, scrolling gestures
• Draggable interactions

Implicit Animations

Implicit animations automatically handle the animation when properties change. No controller needed.

Common Implicit Widgets

AnimatedContainer - Animates multiple properties (size, color, decoration, padding):

AnimatedContainer(
  duration: const Duration(milliseconds: 300),
  curve: Curves.easeInOut,
  width: _expanded ? 200 : 100,
  height: _expanded ? 200 : 100,
  color: _expanded ? Colors.blue : Colors.red,
  child: const FlutterLogo(),
)

AnimatedOpacity - Simple fade animation:

AnimatedOpacity(
  opacity: _visible ? 1.0 : 0.0,
  duration: const Duration(milliseconds: 300),
  child: const Text('Hello'),
)

TweenAnimationBuilder - Custom tween animation without boilerplate:

TweenAnimationBuilder<double>(
  tween: Tween<double>(begin: 0, end: 1),
  duration: const Duration(seconds: 1),
  builder: (context, value, child) {
    return Opacity(
      opacity: value,
      child: Transform.scale(
        scale: value,
        child: child,
      ),
    );
  },
  child: const FlutterLogo(),
)

Other implicit widgets:

• AnimatedPadding - Padding animation
• AnimatedPositioned - Position animation (in Stack)
• AnimatedAlign - Alignment animation
• AnimatedContainer - Multiple properties
• AnimatedSwitcher - Cross-fade between widgets
• AnimatedDefaultTextStyle - Text style animation

Best Practices

• Prefer implicit animations for simple cases
• Use appropriate curves for natural motion (see Curves class)
• Set curve and duration for predictable behavior
• Use onEnd callback when needed
• Avoid nested implicit animations for performance

Explicit Animations

Explicit animations provide full control with AnimationController.

Core Components

AnimationController - Drives the animation:

late AnimationController _controller;

@override
void initState() {
  super.initState();
  _controller = AnimationController(
    duration: const Duration(seconds: 2),
    vsync: this,
  );
}

@override
void dispose() {
  _controller.dispose();
  super.dispose();
}

Tween - Interpolates between begin and end values:

animation = Tween<double>(begin: 0, end: 300).animate(_controller);

CurvedAnimation - Applies a curve to the animation:

animation = CurvedAnimation(
  parent: _controller,
  curve: Curves.easeInOut,
);

AnimatedWidget Pattern

Best for reusable animated widgets:

class AnimatedLogo extends AnimatedWidget {
  const AnimatedLogo({super.key, required Animation<double> animation})
    : super(listenable: animation);

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    final animation = listenable as Animation<double>;
    return Center(
      child: Container(
        height: animation.value,
        width: animation.value,
        child: const FlutterLogo(),
      ),
    );
  }
}

AnimatedBuilder Pattern

Best for complex widgets with animations:

class GrowTransition extends StatelessWidget {
  const GrowTransition({
    required this.child,
    required this.animation,
    super.key,
  });

  final Widget child;
  final Animation<double> animation;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Center(
      child: AnimatedBuilder(
        animation: animation,
        builder: (context, child) {
          return SizedBox(
            height: animation.value,
            width: animation.value,
            child: child,
          );
        },
        child: child,
      ),
    );
  }
}

Monitoring Animation State

animation.addStatusListener((status) {
  switch (status) {
    case AnimationStatus.completed:
      _controller.reverse();
      break;
    case AnimationStatus.dismissed:
      _controller.forward();
      break;
    default:
      break;
  }
});

Multiple Simultaneous Animations

class AnimatedLogo extends AnimatedWidget {
  const AnimatedLogo({super.key, required Animation<double> animation})
    : super(listenable: animation);

  static final _opacityTween = Tween<double>(begin: 0.1, end: 1);
  static final _sizeTween = Tween<double>(begin: 0, end: 300);

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    final animation = listenable as Animation<double>;
    return Center(
      child: Opacity(
        opacity: _opacityTween.evaluate(animation),
        child: Container(
          height: _sizeTween.evaluate(animation),
          width: _sizeTween.evaluate(animation),
          child: const FlutterLogo(),
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Built-in Explicit Transitions

Flutter provides ready-to-use transitions:

• FadeTransition - Fade animation
• ScaleTransition - Scale animation
• SlideTransition - Slide animation
• SizeTransition - Size animation
• RotationTransition - Rotation animation
• PositionedTransition - Position animation (in Stack)

Example:

FadeTransition(
  opacity: _animation,
  child: const FlutterLogo(),
)

Performance Tips

• Dispose controllers when widget is removed
• Use AnimatedBuilder for optimal rebuilds
• Avoid setState() in animation listeners (use AnimatedWidget/AnimatedBuilder)
• Use timeDilation to slow animations during debugging

Hero Animations

Hero animations create shared element transitions between screens.

Basic Hero Animation

Source screen:

Hero(
  tag: 'hero-image',
  child: Image.asset('images/logo.png'),
)

Destination screen:

Hero(
  tag: 'hero-image',  // Same tag!
  child: Image.asset('images/logo.png'),
)

Complete Example

class PhotoHero extends StatelessWidget {
  const PhotoHero({
    super.key,
    required this.photo,
    this.onTap,
    required this.width,
  });

  final String photo;
  final VoidCallback? onTap;
  final double width;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return SizedBox(
      width: width,
      child: Hero(
        tag: photo,
        child: Material(
          color: Colors.transparent,
          child: InkWell(
            onTap: onTap,
            child: Image.asset(photo, fit: BoxFit.contain),
          ),
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Navigating between screens:

Navigator.of(context).push(
  MaterialPageRoute<void>(
    builder: (context) {
      return Scaffold(
        appBar: AppBar(title: const Text('Detail')),
        body: Center(
          child: PhotoHero(
            photo: 'images/logo.png',
            width: 300.0,
            onTap: () => Navigator.of(context).pop(),
          ),
        ),
      );
    },
  ),
);

Radial Hero Animation

Transform from circle to rectangle during transition:

class RadialExpansion extends StatelessWidget {
  const RadialExpansion({
    super.key,
    required this.maxRadius,
    this.child,
  }) : clipRectSize = 2.0 * (maxRadius / math.sqrt2);

  final double maxRadius;
  final double clipRectSize;
  final Widget? child;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return ClipOval(
      child: Center(
        child: SizedBox(
          width: clipRectSize,
          height: clipRectSize,
          child: ClipRect(child: child),
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Use with MaterialRectCenterArcTween for center-based interpolation:

static RectTween _createRectTween(Rect? begin, Rect? end) {
  return MaterialRectCenterArcTween(begin: begin, end: end);
}

Hero Best Practices

• Use unique, consistent tags (often the data object itself)
• Keep hero widget trees similar between routes
• Wrap images in Material with transparent color for "pop" effect
• Use timeDilation to debug transitions
• Consider HeroMode to disable hero animations when needed

Staggered Animations

Run multiple animations with different timing.

Basic Staggered Animation

All animations share one controller:

class StaggerAnimation extends StatelessWidget {
  StaggerAnimation({super.key, required this.controller})
    : opacity = Tween<double>(begin: 0.0, end: 1.0).animate(
        CurvedAnimation(
          parent: controller,
          curve: const Interval(0.0, 0.100, curve: Curves.ease),
        ),
      ),
      width = Tween<double>(begin: 50.0, end: 150.0).animate(
        CurvedAnimation(
          parent: controller,
          curve: const Interval(0.125, 0.250, curve: Curves.ease),
        ),
      );

  final AnimationController controller;
  final Animation<double> opacity;
  final Animation<double> width;

  Widget _buildAnimation(BuildContext context, Widget? child) {
    return Container(
      alignment: Alignment.bottomCenter,
      child: Opacity(
        opacity: opacity.value,
        child: Container(
          width: width.value,
          height: 150,
          color: Colors.blue,
        ),
      ),
    );
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return AnimatedBuilder(
      animation: controller,
      builder: _buildAnimation,
    );
  }
}

Interval-Based Timing

Each animation has an Interval between 0.0 and 1.0:

animation = Tween<double>(begin: 0, end: 300).animate(
  CurvedAnimation(
    parent: controller,
    curve: const Interval(
      0.25,  // Start at 25% of controller duration
      0.50,  // End at 50% of controller duration
      curve: Curves.ease,
    ),
  ),
);

Common Tweens

borderRadius = BorderRadiusTween(
  begin: BorderRadius.circular(4),
  end: BorderRadius.circular(75),
).animate(
  CurvedAnimation(
    parent: controller,
    curve: const Interval(0.375, 0.500, curve: Curves.ease),
  ),
);

Staggered Menu Animation

class _MenuState extends State<Menu> with SingleTickerProviderStateMixin {
  static const _initialDelayTime = Duration(milliseconds: 50);
  static const _itemSlideTime = Duration(milliseconds: 250);
  static const _staggerTime = Duration(milliseconds: 50);
  static const _buttonDelayTime = Duration(milliseconds: 150);
  static const _buttonTime = Duration(milliseconds: 500);

  final _animationDuration =
      _initialDelayTime +
      (_staggerTime * _menuTitles.length) +
      _buttonDelayTime +
      _buttonTime;

  late AnimationController _controller;

  @override
  void initState() {
    super.initState();
    _controller = AnimationController(
      duration: _animationDuration,
      vsync: this,
    );
    _controller.forward();
  }

  @override
  void dispose() {
    _controller.dispose();
    super.dispose();
  }
}

Stagger Best Practices

• Use Interval to offset animations in time
• Ensure controller duration covers all intervals
• Use curves for natural motion within intervals
• Consider timeDilation to debug timing
• Stagger menu items with increasing delay for ripple effect

Physics-Based Animations

Create natural-feeling animations using physics simulations.

Fling Animation

_controller.fling(
  velocity: 2.0,  // Units per second
);

Custom Physics Simulation

_controller.animateWith(
  SpringSimulation(
    spring: const SpringDescription(
      mass: 1,
      stiffness: 100,
      damping: 10,
    ),
    start: 0.0,
    end: 1.0,
    velocity: 0.0,
  ),
);

Common Physics Simulations

• SpringSimulation - Spring physics
• BouncingScrollSimulation - Scroll with bounce
• ClampingScrollSimulation - Scroll without bounce
• GravitySimulation - Gravity-based

Best Practices

DO

• Dispose AnimationController in widget disposal
• Use AnimatedBuilder/AnimatedWidget instead of setState() in listeners
• Choose appropriate curves for natural motion
• Use timeDilation for debugging animations
• Consider performance (avoid heavy widgets in animation builds)
• Test animations on various devices
• Support reverse animations for intuitive feel

DON'T

• Forget to dispose AnimationController (memory leak)
• Use setState() in animation listeners when AnimatedBuilder suffices
• Assume animation completes instantly (handle AnimationStatus)
• Over-animate (animations can distract users)
• Create animations that feel "jerky" (use smooth curves)
• Ignore accessibility (respect disableAnimations preference)

Resources

references/

• implicit.md - Complete reference for implicit animation widgets with examples and best practices.
• explicit.md - Deep dive into explicit animations, AnimationController, and patterns.
• hero.md - Hero animations guide with standard and radial transitions.
• staggered.md - Staggered animation patterns and timing strategies.
• physics.md - Physics-based animations and simulations.
• curves.md - Reference for Curves class and choosing appropriate curves.

assets/templates/

Template code for common animation patterns:

• implicit_animation.dart - Implicit animation examples
• explicit_animation.dart - Explicit animation setup
• hero_transition.dart - Hero animation boilerplate
• staggered_animation.dart - Staggered animation template