The Pokémon Company recently forged a partnership with the global entertainment company known as KidZania, and the two have announced a brand new animation studio that just opened in Westfield London, the popular shopping center.
The studio allows kids to come in and essentially take part in a guided animation workshop (think a real life version of Pokémon Art Academy on the 3DS, but on a whole new level). The sessions are set to last about 20 minutes and will encourage participants to produce a film using animated stop-motion techniques.
Here’s how it works. A team of two animators will take on the roles of director and producer, making use of TOMY Pokémon figures and props provided in their own studio. The animation studio comes with stop-motion capturing technology within the cameras, allowing for the kids to let their imaginations run wild. Once the time limit is up, the short movies will be broadcast outside the studios, so that parents and friends can see their finished products. The whole process is a real, educational experience for kids, getting them acquainted with the world of animation as well as exploring their creativity.
Pokémon is certainly expanding itself as a franchise these days. In just a few short months, we’ve seen the games spread out onto mobile devices with Pokémon Shuffle and the announcement of Pokémon Go in the future. As a fan since Red and Blue, I’m more than happy to see the series continuing into all of these different facets, including the animation studio. If I were a kid in London, I know I’d definitely be there!
