Watch with Pip
A guided explanation introduces the idea and shows what to try.
Your Own Animated Short
Ages 10–138 lessonsLearn at their paceAI tools includedNo outside AI account
Thirty seconds that actually move.
Shot planning, movement and timing — turning still pictures into a short film with sound.
Start with just $1. One lesson to keep. No automatic subscription. Explore all 8 lessons ↓
Our AI tools are built in. No extra AI subscription.
Watch, try, and create inside CreatorKids. No separate AI accounts to set up.
START WITH SOMETHING SMALL — $1
Their first lesson
Nothing Moves By Accident
Read what a camera move means before anyone explains it, then invent the hero the whole short is about.
They finish with
Your hero, with one tell, and the sentence the whole short is built on: somebody wants something
That is the first step — not yet a 30-second animated short with sound. The whole course is 8 lessons for $9.99, and your $1 counts toward it.
Explore the $1 starting optionGUIDANCE, WITH ROOM TO TRY
A lesson is more than a video.
Have a go
Use the course tools to experiment, make choices, and try again.
Make it theirs
Keep building their project, with something new to show you.
WHAT THEY WORK TOWARD
A 30-second animated short with sound
Shot planning, movement and timing — turning still pictures into thirty seconds that actually move.
A 30-second animated short with sound
TAKE A LOOK INSIDE
One clear step at a time.
8 lessons. Open any lesson below to see what they will do.
01Nothing Moves By AccidentRead what a camera move means before anyone explains it, then invent the hero the whole short is about.
Same picture, two speeds, and you already know what each one means. Today you find out that in animation every move is a decision - and you make the somebody your short is about.
They finish with: Your hero, with one tell, and the sentence the whole short is built on: somebody wants something
02Thirty Seconds, Three PartsSplit a story into a set-up, a turn and a pay-off that fit thirty seconds, and make the thing that gets in the way.
Thirty seconds is longer than you think, and every short ever made fills it the same way: a set-up, a turn, and a pay-off. Today you write yours in three lines, and make the other thing - the one that gets in the way.
They finish with: Your short in three lines - set-up, turn, pay-off - and the other thing that gets in your hero's way
03Where The Camera StandsLearn the three places a camera can stand and what each one is for, then make the place your short happens in.
The same moment, filmed from three places, says three different things. Today you learn the three shot sizes and what each one is FOR - and you make the place your short happens in.
They finish with: The place your short happens in, made twice: once empty and wide, once with your hero small inside it
04Your Eight ShotsPut all eight shots on one board, in order, and find the part of the film that has no picture yet.
Stop planning. Today the whole short goes on one board - eight slots, in order, a size and a line for each - and you find out which of your three parts has no picture yet.
They finish with: Eight shots on one board, in order, each with a size, a line and a picture
05One Thing MovesGive every shot one camera move with a reason - and find the two that should not move at all.
Five camera moves, and every one of them means something. Today your eight pictures start to move - one move per shot, each with a reason, and at least two shots that hold completely still.
They finish with: A camera move chosen for every shot, with a reason, and at least two shots that hold still
06Timing Is The JokeGive every shot a length, and turn the same eight pictures from a slideshow into a joke.
The same eight pictures, in the same order, can be dull or brilliant - and the only difference is how long each one stays. Today you turn the third dial, and find out where the wait goes and where the punchline lands.
They finish with: Every shot given a length - one wait, one punchline, and a rhythm you chose on purpose
07The Voice That Says LessCast a narrator who is a somebody, and write eight lines - three of them blank.
Your film has no words yet, and it already works. Today you give it a narrator - a somebody, not a voice - and find out that the best line on most shots is no line at all.
They finish with: Your narrator's voice, and eight lines - some of them blank
08PremierePut the lines and a title on it, make the film, and watch somebody watch it.
The lines go on the shots, a title goes on the front, and the film gets made. Then the only test that matters: somebody who knows nothing watches it, and you watch them.
They finish with: The finished short, and somebody who has watched it and told you what it was about
See all 16 skills covered
- Reading what a camera move means before anyone explains it
- Designing a character with one tell that survives being tiny in a wide shot
- Splitting a story into a set-up, a turn and a pay-off that fit thirty seconds
- Telling a turn you can draw from a feeling you cannot
- Choosing a shot size because of the job it does, not because it looks nice
- Designing a place with one tell, so it reads in a single wide shot
- Laying a whole film out in order before making any of it
- Writing a shot as something we can see, not something a character feels
- Choosing a camera move because of what it says, not because it looks busy
- Holding a shot still on purpose
- Choosing how long a picture stays on screen, and why
- Building a joke out of a wait and a punchline
- Writing narration that says only what the picture cannot
- Casting a narrator as a character, not a sound
- Finishing a film and putting a title on it
- Testing a film on a person instead of explaining it to them
TOOLS, SAFETY & PRIVACY
Designed for kids. Clear information for parents.
- One family account, set up by you.
You pay, then choose a password. Your child signs in with a first name and, if you want, an age range you pick from a short list. Never a surname, date of birth, school, address or photograph.
- You can see everything they make.
Their pictures, notes and projects are in their portfolio, open to you whenever you are signed in. Ask us and we will show you everything we hold, delete all of it, or stop collecting more.
- Every description is checked, twice.
What your child types is run through a safety filter before it reaches the image tool, and the picture is checked again when it comes back. Pictures are only ever shown to a signed-in member of your family — a link on its own is not enough.
- No account with any AI company.
The tools run on our server, on our account. Your child never signs up with an AI provider, never agrees to anyone else’s terms, and nothing they type is attached to an identity outside CreatorKids.
- Nothing is used to train anything.
What they type and make is kept so a person can review it for safety. It is not used for advertising, profiling, or training any model. No advertising cookies and no third-party trackers run anywhere your child goes.
- Kept while you are with us, then gone.
Creations and portfolio stay while your account is open and for 30 days after you close it. Safety logs are kept for 12 months. If we ever change what we collect, we email you first.
The full detail, in plain words: our privacy policy.
A FEW THINGS PARENTS ASK
Good questions. Clear answers.
Does my child need any experience with AI?
No. Each lesson shows what to do before asking them to try it, and they type descriptions in their own words. The tools are inside the lesson, with nothing to set up.
Will my child finish the whole project in Lesson 1?
No. Lesson 1 is the first building block: they finish it with your hero, with one tell, and the sentence the whole short is built on: somebody wants something. A 30-second animated short with sound is what the whole 8-lesson course works toward, and it comes together in the final lesson.
Is the $1 lesson a subscription?
No. It is one payment of $1 for Lesson 1, yours to keep and replay. Nothing renews and there is nothing to cancel. Only the membership renews, monthly, and only if you choose it.
Do we need other AI tools or paid accounts?
No. The guided AI tools and activities used in this course are inside CreatorKids. You do not need a separate AI subscription. Included image allowances apply; they are not unlimited.
Are there limits on how many pictures they can make?
Yes, and they are sized for the course. Lesson 1 includes 15 pictures. The full course includes 100, which never expire. Membership includes 120 a month across the whole library. Running out never takes the course away — only making new pictures pauses, and you can top up from the parent page.
Can we use it on an iPad or tablet?
Yes. It runs in the web browser with nothing to install, on a laptop, Chromebook or tablet; a larger screen gives the activities more room.
Does a parent need to sit with them?
You handle the purchase and the two-minute set-up. After that the lessons are written for a child to follow on their own, at the pace of the video, with a trusted adult nearby for questions. Some activities invite a family conversation, and the end of the course is something they will want to show you.
What happens if we buy the full course later?
Your $1 buys Lesson 1 to keep and replay. Nothing renews automatically. If you choose the full course later, that payment is credited and the upgrade is $8.99.
Which purchase is right for our family?
Start with one lesson for $1, buy this whole course for $9.99, or choose library access for $19.99/month. The first two are one-time purchases. Membership renews monthly until you cancel.
Is there an annual membership?
Yes. The yearly option is $149/year for the same library access. You can compare it with the monthly option on the membership page. Membership access continues through your paid period if you cancel; separately purchased courses remain yours to revisit.
Does my child need to finish on a schedule?
No. Lessons are self-paced. Pause for an activity, replay an explanation, and come back when it suits your family. A course you buy outright is yours to keep; membership access lasts while subscribed.
Something else on your mind? Ask us.
THEIR NEXT “LOOK WHAT I DID” MOMENT
See where one lesson takes them.
Begin with $1, choose the whole course, or explore together with membership.
First lesson: one payment. No automatic subscription.