diff --git a/animatplot/__init__.py b/animatplot/__init__.py
index 06ffa3a..fa99c80 100644
--- a/animatplot/__init__.py
+++ b/animatplot/__init__.py
@@ -2,3 +2,4 @@
 from .timeline import Timeline
 from .animations.animation import Animation
 from . import blocks, util
+from . import xanim
diff --git a/animatplot/examples/__init__.py b/animatplot/examples/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/animatplot/examples/xanim/__init__.py b/animatplot/examples/xanim/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/animatplot/examples/xanim/imshow.py b/animatplot/examples/xanim/imshow.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6fb9b45
--- /dev/null
+++ b/animatplot/examples/xanim/imshow.py
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+import numpy as np
+import xarray as xr
+import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
+from animatplot.xanim import animated_plot
+
+
+# Create data set
+x = np.linspace(-2, 2, 41)
+y = np.linspace(-2, 2, 41)
+t = np.linspace(0, 2*np.pi, 30)
+X, Y, T = np.meshgrid(x, y, t)
+data = np.sin(X*X+Y*Y-T)
+da = xr.DataArray(data, coords=[('horizontal position', x),
+                                ('vertical position', y),
+                                ('time', t)])
+
+# Create animated 2D plot
+anim, block, timeline = animated_plot(da)
+anim.controls()
+anim.save_gif('../xarray_imshow')
+plt.show()
diff --git a/animatplot/examples/xarray_imshow.gif b/animatplot/examples/xarray_imshow.gif
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..352e633
Binary files /dev/null and b/animatplot/examples/xarray_imshow.gif differ
diff --git a/animatplot/xanim.py b/animatplot/xanim.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e3938a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/animatplot/xanim.py
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+import animatplot as amp
+import xarray as xr
+
+
+def animated_plot(da, anim_over='__guess__', x='x', y='y', plot_type='imshow', fps=10):
+    """
+    Function to plot an animated plot from an xarray DataArray.
+
+    The intention is that this would form the basis of a xr.DataArray.plot.animate() method.
+    """
+
+    if not isinstance(da, xr.DataArray):
+        raise TypeError('First argument must be an xarray DataArray object')
+
+    timeline, evolving_coord = _timeline_from_coords(da.coords, anim_over, fps)
+    t_axis = da.dims.index(evolving_coord)
+
+    if len(da.dims) is not 3:
+        raise NotImplementedError('Currently only plots 2D dataarrays')
+
+    if plot_type is 'imshow':
+        # TODO ideally the blocks method should call the xarray plotting method da.plot.imshow()
+        print(da.values.shape)
+        print(t_axis)
+        block = amp.blocks.Imshow(da.values, t_axis=t_axis)
+    else:
+        # TODO deal with other kinds of plot (lines, quiver...) here
+        raise NotImplementedError('Currently only plots using imshow')
+
+    # TODO if we can't call the xarray plotting method directly then add titles, axes labels etc here
+    anim = amp.Animation([block])
+
+    return anim, block, timeline
+
+
+def _timeline_from_coords(coords, anim_over, fps):
+    """Create the animatplot Timeline object from the information in the coordinates attribute of the DataArray."""
+
+    # Determine coordinate over which plot should be animated
+    if anim_over is '__guess__':
+        # Attempt to automatically determine coordinate over which to animate plot
+        guesses = {'t', 'T', 'time', 'Time'}
+        matches = list(guesses & set(coords))
+        if len(matches) is 1:
+            evolving_coord = matches[0]
+        else:
+            raise ValueError('Could not automatically determine coordinate to animate over - '
+                             'multiple possibilities found: ' + str(matches))
+    elif anim_over in coords:
+        evolving_coord = anim_over
+    else:
+        raise ValueError('Could not determine coordinate to animate over')
+
+    print(evolving_coord)
+    t = coords[evolving_coord].values
+
+    # TODO Attempt to determine units from metadata in dataarray attributes, according to CF conventions
+
+    timeline = amp.Timeline(t, units=None, fps=fps)
+
+    return timeline, evolving_coord