Great AWN article (not just for effects animators)
I somehow missed this in the runup to Siggraph.
This article (which appears to be a section from a forthcoming book) is primarily about effects animation, but almost everything he says can be applied to character animation as well. His focus on doing your research and not just knowing how your subject moves, but internalizing it, so it's part of your subconscious is extremely important. Once it's in your subconscious, you can let go of it consciously and still have it translate into your animation. I particularly like this quote:
Remember that no matter how well you master your drawing technique, if you can’t feel the effects you are trying to animate, they will not sing with life.
If you watch Glenn Vilppu talk about drawing, he's constantly emphasizing how you need to "feel" the curve of the model, or "feel" the tension of the model's body in your hand as you draw the figure. When I can actually do this, my sketches come out so much better and look like they have life (or at least more life than the others).
I'm really looking forward to this book coming out.