HUE Animation Studio

£41.63

For schools and families alike, HUE Animation Studio from HUE is more than just a toy – this is an all-in-one kit that allows your kids to create  proper stop motion animated videos, giving them everything they need from image capture to editing software. Many big-time film makers started at home with a video camera and a stop motion project, and with YouTube and other platforms making video creation a more viable career than ever before. This is a great way for kids to develop important 21st century skills whilst having a lot of fun.

HUE Animation Studio includes everything you need to set your kids up to do a stop motion project, or better yet, for them to feel like they have the tools to set it up themselves. The cameras available in red, blue or green, look fun and accessible rather than intimidating, even down to the fun, wiggly, posable, ‘monster eye’ style head. The camera (available in red, blue, or green) connects via a USB plug and has a built-in microphone, so it’s super easy to use to capture film footage AND audio. It is equally easy to set up and start using the software.

In total, the kit comes with a HUE HD camera, stop motion software for Windows and macOS, and a full-colour 64-page book that offers a step-by-step guide on how to create your first movie. The kit also includes downloadable sound effects, backgrounds and a storyboard template.  Children can also record their own voice and import background files, including ones they make themselves!

What I loved about this kit is that it enables kids to achieve ambitious projects, but breaks the information down in a way that they can understand with step-by-step instructions that are clear to follow whilst being inspiring. I was also impressed that, even though this software is for kids, it doesn’t limit them by dumbing down its capabilities. You can edit frames, add text and special effects, and can even use a green screen – this would have been so much fun to have had as a kid, and would still be fun now!

With digital media a more accessible and viable outlet for young people than ever before, this kit makes sense. These are skills that your kids are probably going to value having in their digital futures, so why not get them started now? This kit is well put together by people who know what they’re doing, providing much more structure than downloading MonkeyJam and wondering what to do (which is what I did when Kid Me tried her hand at stop motion). If your kids have a creative side and like making up stories, this would be a fantastic gift for their birthday or Christmas. It’s made me want to make movies again myself!

Pros:

Posable camera.

Easy to use.

Fun design.

Full colour 64-page book.

Downloadable software for Windows and macOS.

Includes sound effects, backgrounds and a storyboard template.

Green screen using the box.