1. A computer-implemented method comprising: detecting, by a computing system, a trigger to initiate at least one of a pixelation animation or a depixelation animation for a media content item; generating, by the computing system, a set of pixelated images based on a source image associated with the media content item; determining, by the computing system, variable durations for presenting the set of pixelated images; and presenting, by the computing system, the set of pixelated images, based on the variable durations, to produce the at least one of the pixelation animation or the depixelation animation.