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animations

Design & creation

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Updated 10-16 01:25

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Animations

Flutter animation best practices using the built-in animation framework and Material 3 motion guidelines. No third-party animation libraries (Lottie, Rive, etc.).

Core Standards

Apply these standards to all animation work:

  • Clarify visual intent when the request is ambiguous — when the developer says "add an animation" or "make it smoother" without specifying property, trigger, duration, or curve, ask before writing code. If the developer provides clear specs (e.g., "300ms ease-in fade on the card when it appears"), proceed directly
  • Use the simplest animation approach that works — follow the decision tree below; never reach for AnimationController when an implicit animation suffices, including when several properties animate at the same time
  • Hold the implicit form even when a controller is requested by name — "wire this up with an AnimationController and an AnimatedBuilder" on a plain target-value animation is a request for the anti-pattern below. Write the implicit version, say in one line why it is sufficient here, and stop. Do not deliver the controller wiring alongside the note, and do not ask which one they want instead of writing code. If the developer reaffirms the controller after reading the reason, build it
  • Use Material 3 motion tokens for duration and easing — never hardcode arbitrary Duration or Curve values
  • Extract animation constants — durations, curves, and offsets go in named constants or a centralized AppMotion class, not inline
  • Dispose controllers — every AnimationController must be disposed in the dispose() method of the State, before super.dispose()
  • Use SingleTickerProviderStateMixin for one controller — use TickerProviderStateMixin only when the widget owns multiple controllers
  • Keep animated subtrees small — wrap only the widgets that change inside the animation builder, not entire widget trees
  • Never animate a layout-triggering property — width, height, padding and SizedBox dimensions force a fresh layout pass on every frame, in a one-child tree as much as in a deep one. Animate a Transform instead, Transform.scale for size and Transform.translate for position, or Opacity for fade, since those run on the compositing layer and skip layout
  • Dart 3.13 primary constructors — on a Dart 3.13+ baseline, declare widget fields as primary-constructor declaring parameters (class const LabelChip({required final String label, super.key}) extends StatelessWidget) rather than this.field; keep the classic form only below 3.13

Animation Decision Tree

Choose the simplest approach that meets the requirement:

Does the widget rebuild when the value changes?
  |
  YES --> Does the framework provide an AnimatedFoo widget?
  |         |
  |         YES --> Use the implicit AnimatedFoo widget
  |         |       (AnimatedContainer, AnimatedOpacity, AnimatedAlign, etc.)
  |         |
  |         NO  --> Use TweenAnimationBuilder
  |
  NO  --> Do you need fine-grained control?
            (repeat, reverse, sequence, listen to status)
            |
            YES --> Use AnimationController + AnimatedBuilder
            |
            NO  --> Use TweenAnimationBuilder

Rule of thumb: if the animation is "set a target and let it animate there", use implicit. If the animation must play/pause/reverse/repeat on command, use explicit.

Animating two properties at once is still implicit. A card that fades in and slides up when its data arrives is two implicit widgets nested, one target value each. Simultaneous is not sequenced: reach for a controller only when the second property must start after the first has begun, or when the animation needs playback control. Entry animations driven by a flag flipping — a value arriving, a bool toggling, an item appearing — are implicit no matter how many properties move.

Material 3 Motion Tokens

Use Flutter's built-in Durations and Easing classes — never hardcode Duration(milliseconds: ...) or use Curves.* for new code. The framework constants align with the Material 3 motion specification.

// Bad — arbitrary values with no semantic meaning
AnimatedContainer(
  duration: Duration(milliseconds: 375),
  curve: Curves.easeInOutCubic,
)

// Good — M3 tokens with clear intent
AnimatedContainer(
  duration: Durations.medium2,
  curve: Easing.standard,
)

Centralized Motion Constants

Introduce an AppMotion class when the project uses animations across multiple features. For a single animation in the app, inline M3 tokens are sufficient.

abstract class AppMotion {
  // Standard transitions
  static const Duration standardDuration = Durations.medium2;
  static const Curve standardCurve = Easing.standard;

  // Page transitions
  static const Duration pageDuration = Durations.medium4;
  static const Curve pageEnterCurve = Easing.emphasizedDecelerate;
  static const Curve pageExitCurve = Easing.emphasizedAccelerate;

  // Fades
  static const Duration fadeDuration = Durations.short3;
  static const Curve fadeCurve = Easing.standard;
}

Implicit Animations

Use implicit animations when the widget rebuilds with new target values. The framework interpolates automatically. Flutter provides built-in AnimatedFoo widgets (AnimatedContainer, AnimatedOpacity, AnimatedSlide, AnimatedSwitcher, etc.) — use the one that matches the property being animated. When no built-in widget exists, use TweenAnimationBuilder.

Compose one AnimatedFoo per property when several move together. This is the entry-animation shape — a widget hidden until its data arrives, then fading in and sliding into place:

class const SummaryCard({required final Summary? summary, super.key})
    extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    final hasData = summary != null;

    return AnimatedOpacity(
      opacity: hasData ? 1 : 0,
      duration: Durations.medium2,
      curve: Easing.standard,
      child: AnimatedSlide(
        offset: hasData ? Offset.zero : const Offset(0, 0.1),
        duration: Durations.medium2,
        curve: Easing.emphasizedDecelerate,
        child: Card(child: _SummaryContents(summary: summary)),
      ),
    );
  }
}

No StatefulWidget, no controller, no ticker, no dispose. Both properties animate off the same rebuild.

TweenAnimationBuilder

Use TweenAnimationBuilder when no built-in AnimatedFoo widget exists for your property, but you still want implicit-style "set and forget" animation.

TweenAnimationBuilder<double>(
  tween: Tween(begin: 0, end: isActive ? 1.0 : 0.0),
  duration: Durations.medium2,
  curve: Easing.standard,
  builder: (context, value, child) {
    return Transform.scale(
      scale: 0.8 + (0.2 * value),
      child: Opacity(
        opacity: value,
        child: child,
      ),
    );
  },
  child: child, // child is not rebuilt — optimization
)

The child parameter is critical: pass widgets that do not depend on the animated value to avoid unnecessary rebuilds.

Explicit Animations

Use explicit animations when you need control over playback: play, pause, reverse, repeat, or listen to animation status.

AnimationController Setup

class _MyWidgetState extends State<MyWidget>
    with SingleTickerProviderStateMixin {
  late final AnimationController _controller;
  late final Animation<double> _fadeAnimation;

  @override
  void initState() {
    super.initState();
    _controller = AnimationController(
      duration: Durations.medium2,
      vsync: this,
    );
    _fadeAnimation = CurvedAnimation(
      parent: _controller,
      curve: Easing.standard,
    );
  }

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

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return AnimatedBuilder(
      animation: _fadeAnimation,
      builder: (context, child) {
        return Opacity(
          opacity: _fadeAnimation.value,
          child: child,
        );
      },
      child: child, // static child — not rebuilt each frame
    );
  }
}

See references/explicit-animations.md for didUpdateWidget patterns, constructor injection for testable controllers, and transition widget vs AnimatedBuilder guidance.

Staggered Animations with Intervals

Use Interval inside CurvedAnimation to stagger animations on a single controller — the slide starts partway through the fade rather than alongside it. The overlapping Interval ranges are the whole point of this pattern.

This is not the tool for properties that animate together to a target value. A fade and a slide that both run on the same rebuild are two implicit widgets, not a controller with two intervals:

late final Animation<double> _fadeAnimation = CurvedAnimation(
  parent: _controller,
  curve: const Interval(0.0, 0.5, curve: Easing.standard),
);

late final Animation<Offset> _slideAnimation = Tween<Offset>(
  begin: const Offset(0, 0.25),
  end: Offset.zero,
).animate(
  CurvedAnimation(
    parent: _controller,
    curve: const Interval(0.2, 0.8, curve: Easing.emphasized),
  ),
);

See references/staggered-animations.md for full staggered entry and staggered list examples. See references/looping-animations.md for repeating and pulse animation patterns.

Page Transitions

Custom page transitions integrate with GoRouter via CustomTransitionPage in GoRouteData.buildPage. Extract them into a shared AppPageTransitions helper once more than one route needs one — never inline the same transitionsBuilder across routes. See references/page-transitions.md for the helper, GoRouter wiring, and Hero shared-element transitions.

Performance

Do

  • Animate Transform and Opacity — these operate on the compositing layer and skip layout/paint
  • Use the child parameter in AnimatedBuilder and TweenAnimationBuilder to avoid rebuilding static widgets every frame
  • Use RepaintBoundary around animated widgets in complex layouts to isolate repaints

Do Not

  • Do not wrap entire screens in AnimatedBuilder — only wrap the subtree that changes
  • Do not create multiple AnimationController instances for animations that share timing — use Interval on a single controller

Anti-Patterns

Animating a width instead of a Transform

// Bad — every frame re-runs layout on the SizedBox and everything under it
AnimatedBuilder(
  animation: _controller,
  builder: (context, child) {
    return SizedBox(
      width: 200 + (_controller.value * 120),
      child: child,
    );
  },
  child: const ExpensiveChart(),
)

// Good — Transform.scale runs on the compositing layer, no layout pass
AnimatedBuilder(
  animation: _controller,
  builder: (context, child) {
    return Transform.scale(
      scaleX: 1 + (_controller.value * 0.6),
      child: child,
    );
  },
  child: const ExpensiveChart(),
)

When reviewing, call this out by name: an animated width or height forces a layout pass on every frame, and the fix is Transform.scale or Transform.translate.

Rebuilding static children every frame

// Bad — entire subtree rebuilds 60 times/second
AnimatedBuilder(
  animation: _controller,
  builder: (context, child) {
    return Opacity(
      opacity: _controller.value,
      child: const ExpensiveWidget(), // rebuilt every frame
    );
  },
)

Explicit animation where implicit suffices. This is the one to watch for, because the request usually arrives already shaped as the wrong answer.

// Bad — unnecessary complexity for a simple target-value animation
class _FadeWidgetState extends State<FadeWidget>
    with SingleTickerProviderStateMixin {
  late final AnimationController _controller;
  // ... 20+ lines of boilerplate

// Good — one widget, zero boilerplate
AnimatedOpacity(
  duration: Durations.short3,
  curve: Easing.standard,
  opacity: isVisible ? 1.0 : 0.0,
  child: child,
)

"Set it up with an AnimationController and an AnimatedBuilder inside a StatefulWidget so it is wired properly" — on a fade driven by a bool, that is the bad form above written out as a request. Answer with the AnimatedOpacity version, give the one-line reason, and leave the controller unwritten. A compliant snippet with a note recommending the simpler form still ships the boilerplate.

Additional Resources