Display Toggle Blocks Layout Animation in Framer Motion

When a component’s display style switches from none to block, developers often rely on Framer Motion’s layout prop to animate the element’s entry. However, the FLIP algorithm cannot capture a start state for an element that has no measurable layout while hidden, so the animation is suppressed.

Current behavior falls back to animating explicitly defined properties such as opacity, leaving the size and position change unanimated. This inconsistency can break design intent in UI transitions that depend on smooth layout shifts.

There is no built‑in mechanism to automatically generate a layout‑like animation for display changes, and the open discussion on the Framer Motion repo suggests a possible future feature or a recommendation to use AnimatePresence with custom entry/exit animations.

What is the official stance on adding a special display animation mode to Framer Motion?

Can AnimatePresence reliably emulate a layout animation for elements that toggle display?

Which pattern is recommended for developers who need size and position transitions when an element appears or disappears?