I am currently reading Paul Wells's book 'Scriptwriting' which focuses mainly on the genre of Animation. He summarises the 'language' of animation via the categories below - which interestingly, are actually not dissimilar to John Halas's (Animal Farm) musings on the subject in the 1940's:
Metamorphosis - The ability to facilitate change from one form to another without edit.
Condensation - The maximum degree of suggestion in the minimum of imagery.
Anthropomorphism - The imposition of human traits on animals, objects and environments.
Fabrication - The physical and material creation of imaginary figures and spaces.
Penetration - The visualisation of unimaginable psychological/physical/technical 'interiors'.
Symbolic Association - The use of abstract visual signs and their related meanings.
Sound Illusion - The completely artificial construction of a soundtrack to support the intrinsic silence of animated forms.
