Stumbled across a hidden gem in After Effects this weekend that I’d somehow never used before: Card Dance.

You’ll find it here: Effects & Presets → Simulation → Card Dance

It basically turns any layer into a grid of small “cards,” then lets you animate those cards in 3D space using another layer (a gradient) to drive the motion. Super powerful once you start playing with it.

I gave it a spin and mapped the animation to The Flower of Carnage by Meiko Kaji… and voilà.

Always good to be reminded that even after years of using a tool, there are still surprises hiding in plain sight.