Where adults see toasters and chairs, a child sees endless possibility. Adventures abound with our favorite inanimate objects and if we meet a talking toaster along the way, LET'S CALL IT JIM!
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Core Concepts: description, voice
Oooooooh how fun!
I'll start this party - should this specifically be a children's story?
Yes! Write for an audience of children, with age 12 as the highest.
Thank you, that was going to be my question, as well!
Okay, I'll ask the dumb question. Does the animated object have to be named Jim????
No, it can be any name you would like!
No, you can name it whatever you like.
Ok thanks I think that also answers my question too then: we don't ever need to say "let's call it Jim" in the story?
No you do not!
Thank you!
Another question: should this be in the modern vein of children's stories, with the typical positive tropes or can it go old school dark like Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson?
Oooooooo
Great question! Either would be fine, just keep the story appropriate since it is a children based audience- oldest age being 12.
I'll also chime in: does the object have to be inanimate all the way through, or can it move of its own volition like "Brave Little Toaster"?
Yeah - I'm totally thinking of the "Be Our Guest" scene in Beauty & the Beast!
Be Our Guest is on the right track! a key part of this event is for an inanimate object to be animated--or, brought to life however you see fit.
The animated object can choose to move, it doesn't have to stay inanimate. It also doesn't have to move as though it is drawn. As Gabby said, it is how you see fit to animate the object.
Does the story have to convey a theme or can it just be for entertainment?
It can totally just be entertainment! All it needs is to be a story for children up to age 12 and have an inanimate object come to life.
@Gabby Sullivan Thanks!
Does the inanimate object have to be THE main character, as in, it's present for the entire story (pretty much), or can it be a very important side character - one that impacts the story greatly, but comes in and out of the spotlight during the story?
Great question! The animated object doesn't have to be the main character. It can be a very important side character who comes in and out of the spotlight. The key here is ensuring the presence of the animated object is well recognized.
@Sarah Excellent, thank you!
Going to jump in with one more! In the event definition it talks about teaching a life lesson: does that still hold true for this event?
If you want to include a life lesson, feel free! But, the only real qualifications are to have an inanimate object somehow be animated and it be a children's story (up to age 12)! Great question, though.
Hi! Newbie here. Following the thread on the inanimate object being "animated." Does that mean it has to actually move, or can it be self-aware? In other words, does it need to sing and dance, or can it simply have "thoughts" and interact via dialogue with other inanimate objects? Thanks!
Hey Lisa! It can simply have thoughts and interact with other inanimate objects! We don't want to limit you in any way, though! Good luck!
Thank you!
@Lisa Fox No problem!! Don't hesitate to post anymore questions if they arise!
Jumping in with one last late question: aside from the inanimate objects being animated, should our stories be in a realistic setting?
That is completely up to you! We didn't want to limit you guys from writing what you wanted, so as long as it is geared to a young audience with animated objects then you will be ok!
How about puppets? Would they be considered animate or inanimate here?
Also, the writing needs to be in a fairy tale kind of way, yeah? I mean like... Gingerbread, for example, and the ending, can it be something like "and they lived happily forever" or are there pariculars..?
@Huda Zainab Great question! The way you write your entry is up to you, so the writing doesn't have to be like a fairy tale, but it can be. As long as there is an animated object and the story is geared towards children no older than 12, the writing and the ending is up to you!
That's a good question! If the puppet is alive without any help from a human then yes! If a human is making it come alive, then it wouldn't be technically animated by itself. We wanted writers to create objects that are self aware and something that would not happen normally.
Oh, this should be fun. A nice way to get back on track for the events. Most of my doubts have been answered already. Thank you.
We're so happy you're excited for the Event! Please don't hesitate to ask any questions!