}{0TT@6bI4, I haven't really delved into mods or resource editing; it wasn't particularly interesting to me. I focused exclusively on scripts.
The game responds to specific animation commands (which are usually specified in the files). For example, if you copy the animation line for "joy" from a zombie and simply write the word cast in the "command," the game will play the "joy" animation when the creature casts a spell (instead of assuming a T-pose).