We have been gifted The Plasticine Morph Animation Maker which has come at the perfect time for us to review as it is half term and it is going to keep Ethan and Ava busy for at least a few hours. If you are of my age or slightly older than you will remember Morph and I used to love it. With the Plasticine Morph Animation Maker, you can make your own videos with Plasticine and make your own version of the Morph videos. The app has short form videos to help you understand how to use it and the guide in the pack is a step by step so it is suitable for a range of ages.
The Plasticine Morph Animation Maker Set
The Plasticine Morph Animation Maker comes with everything you will need to make your own animations. A big plus for me was the fold-out scene that becomes the “studio” it means you don’t have to worry about mess or what is in the background as it won’t be shown.
The kit also includes a selection of 3D accessories (skateboard, football, party hat etc) that you can use with Morph & Chas as well as extra card props that you need to cut out yourself.
You get the Plasticine modelling clay in various colours to make your animation with and the instruction booklet is in full colour which was a big bonus for me as I hate B&W instructions.
I didn’t realise until after I had got a butter knife to use but there is a modelling knife / tool included so it really does include everything you need in one box which is unusual with these type of kits.
How To Make The Videos
It is pretty easy to make the videos using their app and it is step up to help you with each step or if you know what you are doing then you can crack on with it. I was surprised the kit came with a foam holder for your phone / tablet and I didn’t think it would be solid enough to work but it surprised me and I used it both times when filming my clips
Before you start making the model move and do things you need to download the Aardman Animator app from your app store. It is free and easy to use when it is downloaded. It is kid friendly but when you first open it you might need adult supervision briefly. Once it is all downloaded, make sure your camera is clear and not obstructed and then you will be ready to film the video.
To set up the background you need to just fold along the crease line and make sure the holes match and then use the foam stoppers to keep it together. The foam stoppers do need to be pushed quite firmly into place but we had no issues with them slipping or falling off once they were on and in place.
When setting up the “studio” layout you need to think about the background and what items you want to have displayed. The kit comes with lots of paper cut out props for the background such as the paint tins, brushes, easels etc. These can be attached to the background with a small ball of plasticine and I found they stayed on with no issues and were easy to move / replace / readjust with no residue or ruining of the background.
The kit includes lots of cardboard props which can be added to Morph & Chas to appear as they are holding them or stuck to the background like the paper props. Same method applies to these pieces you can attach them to the background with a small ball of plasticine or stick them onto Morph/Clay.
We made our Morph following the instructions in the booklet and we weren’t too happy with the result so we tried again and we really liked it. We haven’t made Chas yet as we wanted to get our heads around the kit and how to do it all before adding in extra characters to move.
How To Use The App Alongside Plasticine Morph Animation Maker
The app is easy to use, I would say 6+ with parental help but it is great that they can use it to make their own stop motion videos. When you open the app there is a + button to tell you to add a new video. You choose if you want to film in landscape or portrait. The phone gets placed into the foam phone holder as shown on the instruction manual. You could hold it but it is harder to keep it in the same position.
You need to position your characters and once you are happy you then take a photo. Once you have taken the first photo then you need to move your character or item just a little bit and take another photo. Repeat this process until you have enough to make a movie. We did 30 for both of our videos and it was about a 3-4 second clip, the more photos the longer the clips.
You can download your animation onto your device and share it on social media. If you want to share on Youtube Shorts, Instagram or Tiktok then it is best to use portrait mode. Landscape is more for youtube longform videos, Facebook or Instagram Grid Posts.
You can buy the Plasticine Morph Animation Maker** from Amazon** for around £25 – £26 depending on the offers at the time. There is also a Shaun The Sheep Set** if you have younger people interested in doing it too. The Shaun The Sheep set is around £21.99-£23 on Amazon.
A HUGE selling point for me with Plasticine is that it never dries out. If the kids (or you) end up leaving it out, it is ok as they can play with it again and again.
DISCLAIMER: If marked with a ** then it is an affiliate link – if you purchase from this link I may receive a few pennies from the retailer. It doesn’t increase the price you are paying.
DISCLAIMER: This item has been gifted to us but our opinions do not reflect on the products company, or the thoughts of any social media companies we have shared this review on.
We give our 100% honest opinions on the products we test and we have declared it is an AD and gifted as required by the ASA guidelines
