The Stop Action Illusion

The Stop Action Illusion occurs when a sequence of rapidly changing images is viewed, creating the perception that movement has suddenly halted, even though images are still changing. This effect is used in animation and film to give the impression of time freezing or characters stopping mid-motion, despite continuous movement in reality. Our brains interpret the rapid sequence of images as a single continuous action, and when those images are paused or quickly changed, it can seem like the action has been paused. This illusion relies on the way our visual system processes motion and persistence of vision.