AnimisterPhotograph a toy. It becomes a character.
Your child points the camera at something they made, and it turns up again as a character they can direct — in a short film, with the rest of their troupe.
Free beta. Needs an iPhone and Apple’s TestFlight app.
Four steps. No typing.
Every choice is a picture, which is what makes it work for a 5–8 year old on their own.
- Make
Photograph something they made or love.
- Add
It joins the troupe and keeps its own screen.
- Direct
Pick who is in it, where it happens, what happens.
- Watch
The film lands on the Movies shelf and stays there.
What it looks like in the hand.
Two short clips from the build on TestFlight. Nothing loads until you press play.
A troupe, not a folder.
Characters come back. The clay dragon made in March can share a scene with the felt fox made in June — two characters, one film.
- Sparkyfrom painted clay
- Bobofrom a plush bear
- Prickyfrom a pinecone
- Mossyfrom clay, with horns
- Zippyfrom a clay pony
- Romifrom felt
Six characters come with the beta so there is something to direct on the first evening.
Five worlds to drop them into.
The world is the second choice a child makes, right after who is in it. Pick one, and the characters are placed in it.
- Ring
A padded ring with bunting over it.
- Moon Camp
A little camp on grey dust, stars behind.
- Underwater Parade
Kelp, bubbles and a slow procession.
- Forest Rescue
A log over a stream, lanterns in the trees.
- Dance Stage
Curtains, lights and a wooden floor.
For parents
Your child makes it. You decide who ever sees it.
Three controls, each a real screen in the app.
- It stays with you
Characters and films are private on your family’s account. Nothing is published anywhere, and there is no feed to be seen in.
- You say yes first
Sharing is an adult action behind a parental gate — either to a friend your child paired face to face by scanning a QR code, or as a private link.
- You can take it back
Parent Zone lists everything that was shared and who has it. Take any of it back, and the link stops working.
What actually leaves the phone
The photograph your child takes never leaves the device. What is sent is the cut-out object alone — the toy, without the room, the hands or the faces around it. A room photo used as a backdrop is checked on the device and deleted from the server within 24 hours. Finished films are kept for 30 days on the copy that delivers them to you.
Read the full privacy note
What we are testing with families.
We have not run the pilot yet. These are the questions it has to answer. We will publish what we learn, including the parts that do not work.
- Does a child ask for the same character again a week later?
- Does putting two characters in one scene change what a child makes next?
- Can a parent find, review and remove something shared, without help?
Questions parents ask first.
Is it available now?
Yes. Animister is an open TestFlight beta on iPhone, free while we are testing. You need Apple’s TestFlight app; the invitation link installs it for you if you do not have it.
Who is it for?
Children of about 5–8, with a parent's phone and a parent nearby for anything that leaves the device.
Does my child have to type or write a prompt?
No. Every choice is a picture: who is in the film, where it happens, what happens. Typing lives behind the parental gate, on the grown-up’s side.
Can two characters be in one film?
Yes, and it is the point of keeping a troupe. Any two characters your child has made can share a scene.
What leaves the phone?
The cut-out object, and not the photograph it came from — the original camera picture stays on the phone. A room photo used as a backdrop is checked on the device and deleted from the server within 24 hours.
How does sharing work?
Everything is private until an adult says otherwise. A parent can send a film to a friend your child paired face to face by scanning a QR code, or as a private link. There is no feed, no profile and no public gallery to be posted into.
Can something shared be taken back?
Yes. Parent Zone lists what was shared and with whom. Taking a share back withdraws it: the friend loses access and the link stops opening. Anything the other person already saved to their own phone is, of course, out of our reach.
Is the film made by AI?
Yes. The character and the film are generated, which is why they sometimes come out odd or take a while. It is a beta; that is the part we most want you to tell us about.
Try it this evening.
The beta is open and free. Join on an iPhone and the app installs through TestFlight.
Free beta. Needs an iPhone and Apple’s TestFlight app.