Stop, Click & Roll! Amazing Animation Kits for Kids

Help your mini-movie mogul get animated with seven simple stop-motion kits. All that's left to do is call "Action!"

By Kipp Jarecke-Cheng April 18, 2016

With blockbuster hits like Frozen and Inside Out, there are few movie genres that enchant and inspire kids more than animated films. Using a steady hand, a bit of patience, and plenty of imagination, junior animaniacs can create stunning moving pictures of their own, thanks to a crop of kid-friendly stop-motion animation apps and studio kits. Click through our animated album to zoom in on some of the coolest products to help your mini-movie moguls shoot their own stop-motion masterpieces!

Hue Animation Studio

Animation kits typically come in two varieties: complete with camera and software, or, an essentials kit with backgrounds and props, but require a smartphone (or tablet camera) and installed app. Hue Animation Studio falls into the first category, and includes a flexible HD camera with built-in microphone, an animation manual, a mini stage with background and green screen, and Mac and PC-compatible stop-motion software with sound effects. Using LEGO, modeling clay, paper or toys, budding filmmakers can create dazzling animations and quirky stop-motion shorts in just a few minutes. Using the software can be tricky for younger users, but with practice (and help from a grownup), they’ll soon be creating their very own toy stories.

For ages 6 & up.

Available at amazon.com, $69.95.

What are your favorite movie-maker and animation apps? Tell us in the comments below!

—Kipp Jarecke-Cheng