Competition: Emoji Cube Animation

It’s been so amazing to see so many penguins create their own Club Penguin Island emoji cube for World Emoji Day! I’ve been thinking about how penguins can get even more creative with their cubes. I tried creating a short stop-motion animation with my three emoji cubes earlier today, check it out!

So cube… I mean, cute!

Making a stop-motion animation with my emoji cubes was so much fun and I thought it would be a great way to put my penguin emoji family to good use. I roughly sketched out and coloured in the Welcome Shop, Disney Shop and Welcome Plaza from Beacon Boardwalk and put them together to create a little set for my animation. I then used props like a Party Blaster and little orange bits of paper for “coins” in the animation. I’d love to see more penguins try creating an animation with their cubes, so I’m hosting a competition!

Creating a stop motion animation might seem difficult but is actually really fun and enjoyable. Here’s a few tips from my experience.

Dj Stores’ stop-motion animation tips

• Find a good camera angle and keep it there. I used my iPad and put it on top of a few boxes to capture the whole set.
• Know your (very short) storyline. I thought up of the Party Blaster going off and the penguin emoji cubes dancing as my short story and created my animation around that. It was helpful to know exactly what my animation was going to show, rather than making it up on the spot.
• Keep it smooth. Don’t make giant moves between frames, that doesn’t make the animation smooth. I very slowly moved the Megg emoji cube along my desk, and you should too. It makes for a better animation.
• Don’t be afraid to get creative. I made a small set out of paper for my emoji cube animation. You could try having a background printed out or displayed on a tablet behind your emoji cubes, or even use a LEGO set you created as the setting for your animation. You don’t need to have a set, but it’s definitely cool!
• Props are cool. You can use a little bit of glue to add a Party Blaster or Squid Stick to your emoji cube for your animation.
• Lighting is important. A room’s lighting might not be adequate. I used my desk’s lamp to add some extra lighting to my animation. It doesn’t need to be shone directly onto the scene (it might make it worse if you do that). Having it shine somewhere near it will make your animation’s lighting a bit better. But don’t change your lighting or camera settings mid-way through!
• Edit afterwards. I added a title screen and a little bit of music to my animation after I made it. Small touches make a big difference!

For my animation, I used the Animate It! app on my iPad. I used the paid version, but my settings were the same as the ones on the free version. The Animate It! app is available on both the App Store and Play Store.

I can’t wait to see the animations you create, penguins! If you have any questions about the competition, be sure to leave a comment below and I’ll be happy to answer them. Until next time…