Every kid has a different idea of how scary Halloween should be. Some want friendly ghosts and nothing more. Some want to be frightened, a little, from the safety of the sofa. So instead of one Halloween look, Animy has four this year, running from cute to properly scary. They're available until October 31.
The easiest way to see the difference is one drawing in all four. Below is one drawing, a girl holding a paper star, run through each style.
Monster Me: cute
The friendliest of the four. Animals, creatures and objects in the drawing become fuzzy, huggable monster versions of themselves, with soft fur in their own colors, little round horns and a big grin. A person in the drawing stays human, with their own face, and is dressed in a fuzzy hooded monster costume. Nothing new is added to the scene.
Good for: toddlers and preschoolers, anyone who loves soft toys, and any drawing of a pet.
Spooky: cozy
Halloween night, not Halloween fright. The character keeps its shape, colors and expression and becomes a soft 3D figure from a cozy Halloween special. The background, including any blank paper, is repainted as a moonlit night with glowing jack-o'-lanterns, a few small smiling ghosts and twisty trees. It's warm and inviting, and it never tries to frighten.
Good for: almost any age, and the safest pick if you're showing the result to a younger sibling or grandparents.
Creepy Clay: eerie
Gothic stop-motion, the look of a handmade animated film. The scene is rebuilt in clay: gravestones, crooked trees, a crescent moon. A person in the drawing becomes a clay doll with button eyes. It's strange and a bit unsettling, but it still looks handmade, which keeps it on the charming side for most kids.
Good for: school-age kids who like things a little weird, and drawings with a whole scene in them rather than one character.
Scary: not for little ones
A still from a live-action horror film. The thing your kid drew becomes a real, physical presence in a dark place at night, with thick fog and a single cold light. The dread comes from lighting and atmosphere only. The style is written to leave out blood, gore, wounds and weapons. A person in the drawing becomes a handmade doll rather than a realistic human.
Even without gore it can be genuinely unsettling, which is why the picker labels it "not for little ones". It's the one to preview yourself before your kid sees it.
Good for: older kids who asked to be scared, and monster drawings that deserve to be taken seriously.
How to choose
- Ask your kid first. "Do you want it cute or scary?" is a question most kids answer instantly. It's their drawing, so let them make the call.
- When in doubt, start cozy. Spooky works for nearly everyone. You can always try a scarier style on the same drawing afterwards.
- Match the style to the drawing. A pet or a single character suits Monster Me or Spooky. A haunted house or a graveyard full of detail suits Creepy Clay. A monster your kid is proud of suits Scary.
- Preview before the big reveal. AI animation varies from run to run. Thirty seconds of watching on your own keeps the reveal a happy one.
Trying more than one
The same drawing can be animated again in another style. It's one of the most fun things to do with a Halloween drawing: put the cute and the scary version side by side and see which one your kid likes better. Each animation is saved in your gallery next to the original drawing, so nothing gets overwritten.
Need something to draw first? Our 24 Halloween drawing ideas are sorted on the same cute-to-creepy scale as these styles, so you can pick a prompt and a style that match.
After Halloween
The four Halloween styles leave the picker after October 31. Animations you made with them stay in your gallery, and you can still download and share them. The regular styles stay available all year.
Cute or scary? Let them pick.
Four Halloween styles until October 31. Your first animation is free, no card required.
Try the Halloween Styles