Last December we reported on a nifty new Disney app called Mickey’s Magical Maths World. Now its sequel has arrived: Mickey’s Magical Arts World.
Yep, while that last app focused on counting and sums, this one’s about visual creativity – art and design. And that includes kids getting to create their own cartoon stars for a range of vintage Disney film clips.
“Join Mickey and friends as you create your own silly character, style him up from head-to-toe any way you like, add your own voice, and then watch your character come to life in a classic Disney cartoon,” explains its App Store listing.
“You can even create an entire world of your own – from trees to cars to rainbows – that comes to life right on Mickey’s Main Street hub. Then, make music with Mickey, design buildings with Minnie, and craft the craziest toys with Goofy.”
The structure is similar to the last app: five “worlds” each with its own activity, with an environment wrapped around them where children can tap on characters and objects, and see their own creations wandering around.
The five worlds include Mickey’s Sketch Artist, Donald’s Costume Play, Mickey’s Music Maker, Minnie’s Art-chitect and Pluto’s Crafty Creator.
When we had an early demo of the app last year, though, it was the classic cartoon angle that was most exciting. Disney has made clever use of technology to turn your children’s scribbled characters into animated figures to watch inside a selection of clips – some from films you’ll recognise, and others that might be new to you (and your kids).
Disney has clearly been checking out some of our favourite apps too: the part of Mickey’s Magical Arts World where kids style their character’s hair is VERY reminiscent of the Toca Hair Salon apps.
As with the last app, this is a freemium product: you can download it for free and try the five activities in limited form. Unlocking each world requires a parental in-app purchase.
Also like Maths World, this links with Disney’s separate Imagicademy Parents app, where you can see what your children have been creating and learning, and get some ideas for how to take the ideas off-screen.
Mickey’s Magical Arts World is a free download for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store.