React Native Animations

A philosophy and decision framework for building great motion on React Native. Covers Reanimated (values, worklets, layout animations), Gesture Handler (pan, pinch, composition), and Skia (canvas-driven animation) — the three libraries that make mobile motion feel native in 2026.

This skill is opinionated. It does not cover the legacy Animated API, Moti, or Lottie — when those are the right tool, this skill does not apply.

When to Apply

Reference these guidelines when:

• Building any animation or transition in a React Native or Expo app
• Adding gesture-driven interactions (swipe, drag, pinch, pull-to-refresh)
• Reviewing animation code for performance or polish
• Choosing between Reanimated, Skia, or native views for a motion task
• Deciding easing curves, durations, or spring parameters
• Handling Reduce Motion accessibility settings

Foundational Philosophy

Three principles underlie every decision in this skill. When in doubt, return to these.