GoAnimate Introduces New Anime Theme

GoAnimate's new Anime Theme.

This week drag'n'drop animation site, GoAnimate, launched its new Anime theme (sample image pictured above). The theme represents the most significantly different new style added to the site since the launch of their 2012 Election theme mid to late last year. (Note that I'm excluding the Business Friendly theme because that's only available to business users).

Unlike the 2012 Election Theme the new Anime theme comes with it's own character creator and, in the future, it is planned that you'll be able to buy action packs too (just like the Lil' Peepz themed characters).

As of writing this the Anime character creator is limited to just a few different facial, hair and head features and doesn't yet include outfits. Though you can buy ready made characters with different outfits which you can modify the head, hair and facial features of.

The characters themselves are classic Anime style and seem to centre around school age characters and outfits. Their animation is a little bit choppy but, then again, this is Anime, which often employs lower frame rates to traditional American, Disney style animation.

What's really great about the theme is the large number of backgrounds initially released with the theme (drawn with correct perspective rather than isometric perspective used in the Lil' Peepz theme). Again, a lot of the backgrounds are school interiors but a considerable number are general city locations like parks, street corners, bridges and more.

Initially the theme was released as a GoPlus theme only but GoAnimate seems to have had a change of heart after many basic users were disappointed at being over looked yet again for a new theme release. Anime theme is now available to everyone but you'll still need a lot of GoBucks to access much of it. All of the characters (after the free supplied characters) cost gobucks as do about half of the backgrounds.

I have to say that, initially I was very excited to see a theme that was in a definite animation style that is widely used not just in animation but comics and other art too. It felt like GoAnimate is finally starting to 'grow up' as a serious tool for animation.

I'm hoping they'll develop the Anime character creator so that it is at least as versatile as their Comedy World Character Creator but hopefully they'll push the bar right up to the versatility of their original Lil' Peepz character creator.

I'll be watching to see how the theme is added to over the coming weeks. Especially in terms of action packs and further development of the character creator.

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