HUE Animation Studio

£49.95 + VAT

HUE Animation Studio is a movie-making starter kit containing everything that a budding animator needs to learn to create stop motion animation movies using modelling clay, LEGO®, 2D drawings, toys or everyday objects.

The kit includes a colourful and flexible HUE HD camera, (with a built-in microphone), animation software and the 64-page full-colour, animation activity book with step-by-step instructions, tips, and ideas. Using the easy-to-use software, children can edit images, record their own voice, import sound and even add text and special effects. They can then share the finished movie with friends, and family, or upload it to YouTube.

To get started, you need to download the Stop Motion Studio software via your HUE account, where you will also have access to a range of printable backgrounds, sound effects and 20 videos to watch if you need some inspiration. I found setting up the Stop Motion Studio Software was fairly quick and easy, but I think a child may need a little help. However, once you have the software downloaded and the camera plugged in, it is simple to use as it has been specifically designed for educational use for children aged 7-13. The software has a user-friendly, fully featured interface where children can work together, helping to develop the 21st-century skills of collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. HUE also has some brilliant tutorials on YouTube showcasing how to use the different features in the software.

HUE Animation studio allows even the youngest animators to have fun making and moving characters around in scenes whilst older children can enjoy imagining the storyline, writing the script and recording the voice-overs, deciding on camera angles, positioning the characters and creating or importing sound effects. Any actors in the group will love getting into character for the voiceovers and everyone can enjoy watching the finished film again and again.

The quality of the HUE camera included in the kit is great and it really feels like an excellent gift to give to your kids to encourage them to use their imagination and be creative. Parents too will have loads of fun helping their kids get started and all can enjoy the end result together at show time!

HUE Animation Studio makes an ideal gift for 7-13 year olds this Christmas and will have your kids' creativity flowing as they put time into creating imaginative scenes and learning about stop motion. The process of making animations helps to develop their critical thinking skills in a fun way, as they work out how to make shots possible and then edit them together to tell a story. This is sure to keep kids busy for hours and bring educational fun for all the family.

Pros:

-        Educational fun for all the family

-        Develops imagination and critical thinking skills

-        Child-friendly user face

-        Plug & Play HUE camera

Cons:

-        Requires 512MB RAM (1GB recommended)