Awesome fake 3D, how is this done?

[gianflaviog44672329]

astronaut by Markus Magnusson - Dribbble

I've been looking at this for a while, and it looks like its just animated paths (correct me if i'm wrong), but I'm wondering if there's any trick, workflow or script/plug in that makes this awesome animation easier or less tedious than just animating the paths and masking elements.

[Rick Gerard · Accepted solution]

EZ way - Cartoon shader in a 3D app.

Hard way - Draw every frame. You'll need about 15 drawings for this gif.

[Roei Tzoref]

it's probably all After Effects and clever use of Shape layers and of course knowledge in principles of animation, a lot of talent and timing.

start here with Emanuele Colombo:

Character Animation in AfterEffects - Tips&Tricks Chapter 4 - YouTube

other names worth mentioning:

James Curran

How to create animated GIFs | Adobe Creative Cloud - YouTube

Evan Abrams:

Animate Shape Layer Arms & Legs [EASY] - Adobe After Effects tutorial - YouTube

you can go a long way with 2d and using Rigs.