Tools that automatically generate animation are common in modern computer graphics pipelines. While such software can produce realistic motion efficiently, it is hard to extend their algorithms to produce cartoon animation. Some research has contributed tools for generating stylized effects, but no applications have approached the issues of stylization in a unified way. We propose to use optimization methods as a general solution to synthesizing cartoon effects, using the fundamental principles of traditional animation as a guide. Specifically, a new parameterization of motion will be used as an intuitive mechanism for understanding and controlling the style of plausible (but not necessarily realistic) motion.