Exit Animations
Apply Disney's 12 principles when removing elements from view.
Principle Application
Squash & Stretch: Scale down to 95-98% on exit. Element compresses slightly as it departs.
Anticipation: Brief pause or micro-movement before departure. A 50ms hesitation acknowledges the exit.
Staging: Exit toward logical destinations. Deleted items fall down, dismissed modals shrink to origin, sidebars return to their edge.
Straight Ahead vs Pose-to-Pose: Pose-to-pose with clear visible→invisible states. Plan the exit trajectory.
Follow Through & Overlapping: Content exits before container. Text fades 50ms before the card collapses.
Slow In/Slow Out: Use ease-in for exits. Gentle start, accelerating departure: cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 1, 1).
Arcs: Exit on curves, not straight lines. Dismissed notifications arc upward-and-out.
Secondary Action: Combine opacity fade with directional movement. Pure fades feel like errors.
Timing:
- Exits should be 20-30% faster than entrances
- Quick exits: 100-150ms (tooltips, dropdowns)
- Standard exits: 150-200ms (modals, toasts)
- Graceful exits: 200-300ms (page transitions)
Exaggeration: Scale to 0.9 for dramatic departure, 0.97 for subtle dismissal.
Solid Drawing: Maintain spatial logic. Elements should exit the way they came or toward where they "belong."
Appeal: Exits confirm user intent. Make dismissals feel decisive, not abrupt.
Timing Recommendations
| Element Type | Duration | Easing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tooltip | 100ms | ease-in | Faster than entrance |
| Dropdown | 150ms | ease-in | Collapse upward |
| Toast | 150ms | ease-in | Slide to origin |
| Modal | 200ms | ease-in | Content first, overlay last |
| Deleted Item | 200ms | ease-in | Collapse height after fade |
| Page | 250ms | ease-in | Current page exits, then new enters |
Implementation Pattern
.exiting {
animation: exit 200ms cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 1, 1) forwards;
}
@keyframes exit {
from {
opacity: 1;
transform: translateY(0) scale(1);
}
to {
opacity: 0;
transform: translateY(-10px) scale(0.98);
}
}Collapse Pattern
For removed list items:
- Fade out content (150ms)
- Collapse height (150ms, starts at 100ms)
- Remove from DOM after animation completes
Total perceived time: 250ms. Always use will-change: opacity, transform for smooth exits.