A long time ago- maybe last year (which in the digital age IS a long time ago), I was looking for a way to tell our own made up stories with ease. Like a puppet show but digital. I tried a few of the apps available at the time and was just disappointed. The user interface was too complicated, the program buggy, or both.
Recently a friend who works with Launchpad clued me in to two apps, Toontastic and Toontastic jr. Toontastic is more for kids older than Ranger but the idea is the same.
There is also a free "lite" version you can try out before committing to the full access version.
Toontastic divides stories into sections. You can add scenes if you want. Ranger is a little young to understand this - even the jr version with its beginning middle and end sections is a little out of range for him. He creates a mini story for each part.
You pick the setting. In the full access version you can draw your own! You can also use the camera to make your location the setting. I see many possibilities there!
The jr version has a slot wheel style wheel for the three settings. I found it a little annoying but Ranger didn't bat an eye at the user interface.
The selection of characters is awesome. In the jr version the characters are preselected.
Finally you can select the music for your scene.
This app gives you to ability to load the finished product to their site. You will get an email asking for permission to post the video. Once posted you can share share share!
One thing I have noticed is Ranger is fascinated by hearing himself playback. He spent a good portion of the day making stories up and watching the movies.
There are three versions of this app, Toontastic full access, Toontastic lite, and Toontastic jr. The full access is almost $13 and includes many features that we immediately were glad to have: more characters, settings, and fun stuff.
I totally recommend giving this app a try.
Ps. I wasn't compensated for this review. It was brought to my attention and I liked it enough to share.
I love the thoroughness and hands-on opinion of the App! Excellent review of Toontastic. Also, readers should use this link to purchase the app for the next two weeks which donates proceeds to writing non-profit 826 Valencia: http://launchpadtoys.com/story-drive/826/
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