While some may argue Apple's iPad is better for consuming media than creating content, a handful of new apps can help you record a song (Garage Band), write a screenplay (Storyist) or finger-paint a picture (Brushes for iPad).
And now we have a new tool that can help kids — and kids at heart — create their own cartoon.
Toontastic from Launchpad Toys ($1.99) lets users create, save and share their very own animated adventure.
The first step is to choose a desired backdrop from a number of options. Or you can draw your own. The second step is to drag and drop characters onto the scene (that look like cardboard cutouts) and then record the animations you create using your fingertips -- such as moving a character or his or her limbs. At the same time, your own narration is recorded via the iPad's built-in microphone.
It's very easy to populate the various storytelling scenes — namely, you'll be walked through the "Setup," "Conflict," "Challenge" "Climax" and "Resolution" — that all make up the story arc. You can add or remove these scenes, too, as you see fit, before saving the final cartoon by giving it a title and credits.
Toontastic - b
For example, kids might spin a tale of a knight and princess adventuring together though a medieval land, battling foes along the way and then getting married in a castle. Or you can play as pirates who find hidden treasure in a cave at the bottom of the ocean. Or astronauts who encounter an alien species in space. You get the idea. My kids also created an Angry Birds story with custom-made characters.
If parents want to register for a free password-protected account, kids can make their animated flicks accessible on "ToonTube" — a private video sharing service built into the app -- so other Toontastic users around the world can download and view their creation. Similarly, you can access other people's mini-movies. This app is also ideal for parents and kids to create together as each can chose a character to move and voice at the same time.
Launchpad Toys has added a lot more content to play with this fall — i.e. new backgrounds and characters — but parents who want even more can purchase new items at the integrated Toy Store (as an in-app purchase). For example, you can get the spooky Halloween playset with three new characters: Graveyard Ghost, Sarah Sparkle and Racer W. There are about a dozen for sale right now with themes like Sports, Pets and Towns. By paying $1.99 for the app you also get one free purchase at the Toy Store to buy something you like.
Toontastic - c
Quite simply, Toontastic is an extraordinarily fun iPad app for kids. It's a breeze to use, yet gives kids a powerful outlet for their creative expression and lets them be proud of their handiwork by sharing it with others.
There are no comments yet