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Impossible, unless: 1) down is null, or 2) you've created another animSprite variable that hasn't been properly initialized. If animSprite = down, then somewhere 'down' should have been initialized...

By convention in Java, class names are capitalized, variable and method names begin with lowercase letters, and all are camel-cased thereafter. Constants (or final variables) are typically all caps...

Why can't you pass the speed from each subclass to the parent method, something like:

In class Werewolf:
super.anim( speed ); // (the 'super' isn't required, but helps make it clear)

Where...