Toontastic 3D

Just as with the original Toontastic app, Toontastic 3D is a storytelling app for iOS, Android, and select Chromebooks that's inspired by puppetry, theater, and animation. This version, produced in partnership with Google, offers a new spin on the tried-and-true format with the addition of 3D scenes and characters. Creators choose from three story options: short story, classic story, and science report. Each comes with a basic story outline -- set, conflict, challenge, climax, and resolution -- and a brief overview of what each plot point means. For each plot point, students can use the included sets and 3D characters (including options from the popular Cars and Fruit Ninja franchises), or design their own with simple drawing tools. To create, students just tap to start recording and then move characters and props around, explore the set, and narrate the story. Each scene can record up to 60 seconds of voice narration and movement. The last step is to add an appropriate musical score. Once finished, story pieces are put together in a single video. To access all the creative options, students will need access to the camera roll and microphone.

Toontastic 3D puts students in the director's seat and gives them free rein to let their creative side shine in a flexible and easy-to-use storytelling platform. It may take some experimentation to get the hang of the different ways to customize a story, but the basics of dragging and moving characters around while narrating a story are super easy. The original Toontastic set a very high bar, however, and this version does take a couple steps back. The new 3D visual style does look cool, but, as of this review, there are fewer preloaded graphics, no props, pared-down drawing tools, and greatly simplified story-building supports. The addition of the "science report" story option is a great idea to get students familiar with the scientific process. However, since this concept is a bit more complicated than simply using your imagination to create a story, it could use some extra support. Each step is briefly defined, but students then are on their own to figure out how to translate that into actual action or storytelling. Thankfully Toontasic 3D keeps the wonderful feature where students can influence the moods of their story by adding music with differing degrees of intensity. Despite the limitations in this new version, Toontastic 3D is still a great storytelling platform. When everything is put together, students get a story that they made, that looks and sounds great, and that is truly something they can be proud of!