This course focuses on the facial expressions and bodily gestures in character animation for performance and storytelling. The course takes the animation from the level of convincing physicality up to the level of engaging performance with believable characters through the study and applications of animation principles, non-verbal communication, theories of human motivations and emotions. The course will provide a fresh perspective for studying character animation from the technical and communication aspects of animation. Students will learn not only how to animate but also how to deliver the emotions and thoughts of the characters to engage the audience with distinctive personalities and attitudes through rich facial expressions and body gestures.