THE PEOPLE BEHIND STOP MOTION STUDIO
Small moves. Big imagination.
We’re Cateater. We create powerful, approachable tools that bring your imagination to life.
Our story
Founded in 2010, Cateater™ is a development studio based in South Carolina and the creative force behind Stop Motion Studio.
We combine powerful animation tools with an interface that makes creating fun and approachable. From a first experiment to a classroom project, we help creators around the world bring their stories to life.
2010
Cateater is founded.
2011
Stop Motion Studio begins its journey. Read an early review →
2014
Reviewed in Japan by GIGAZINE, with a hands-on guide to creating an animation. Read the review →
2016
Covered by The Guardian and The Washington Post. Read the Post’s review →
2019
Selected by the American Association of School Librarians as one of its Best Apps for Teaching & Learning →
2025
Featured in an Apple ad from Japan, as students animate a school festival film. Watch the ad →
Featured by Apple
Stop Motion Studio has appeared in multiple Apple ads and was showcased at Apple’s special education keynote.
Life on iPad
Apple’s 2013 film “Life on iPad” featured Stop Motion Studio alongside creative uses of iPad around the world.
A school festival film in Japan
In an Apple ad shared in 2025, students use Stop Motion Studio to bring paper cutouts to life for a school festival film, with animation group StudioJACA from Tama Art University.
Apple’s special education keynote
Across app platforms
- Apple. Selected as Apple’s App of the Week and featured in its Staff Favorites and What’s Hot lists. Apple’s “Apps We Love” feature shows how to make a film with Stop Motion Studio, from the first frame to sound and backgrounds. Apple also includes Stop Motion Studio in its “Tools for Teachers” collection. Read the feature → · Explore Tools for Teachers →
- Google. Stop Motion Studio carries the “Teacher Approved” badge on Google Play and is also available through Google Play Pass. Explore the app listing → · View the Play Pass option →
On television
Stop Motion Studio made an appearance on Tokudane!, Fuji TV’s morning programme in Japan.
Technology programmes and educational television have also featured the app:
- Category5 Technology TV. A March 2017 segment shows how to create Stikbot animations with Stop Motion Studio. Watch the segment →
- PBS Michiana’s Education Counts Michiana. In an April 2023 episode, children at Pulaski County Public Library turn LEGO stories into films with Stop Motion Studio on iPads, as part of a Purdue Extension programme. Watch the episode →
…and the BBC has used Stop Motion Studio, too. The app also appears in BBC trainer Marc Blank-Settle’s mobile journalism app recommendations.
Creative learning from broadcasters
- so geht MEDIEN. In this joint project from ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio, presenter Tim Gailus demonstrates Stop Motion Studio in “Die Trickfilm-Werkstatt – So entstehen Animationen.” Explore the lesson →
- ABC Australia’s Behind the News. Classroom resources from November 2015 and May 2017 recommend Stop Motion Studio in step-by-step activities for making clay animations. Explore the 2015 activity → · Explore the 2017 activity →
- KET / PBS LearningMedia. KET’s 2015 classroom animation handout and media arts guide recommend Stop Motion Studio for classroom animation projects. Read the 2015 handout → · Explore the media arts guide →
- Bayerischer Rundfunk. A June 2019 classroom story follows pupils making animations with Stop Motion Studio, then adding backgrounds and music with other apps. Read the project story →
In the press
Newspapers, technology publications and family media guides have explored Stop Motion Studio and the possibilities of creating animation.
- The Washington Post. Hayley Tsukayama reviewed the app in March 2016. Read the review →
- The Guardian. A February 2016 mobile filmmaking guide covers Stop Motion Studio’s animation and green-screen features. Read the article →
- Creative Bloq. Paul Hatton’s February 2025 review awarded Stop Motion Studio 9/10. Read the review →
- 148Apps. Gianna LaPin’s September 2011 hands-on review offers an early look at the app. Read the review →
- Windows Central. A December 2014 hands-on article explores the Windows Phone version and shares a sample animation. Read the article →
- Focus Magazine. The Dutch photography magazine covered Stop Motion Studio in a July 2020 article, also published in its print edition. Read the article →
- iPadWelt. The German magazine takes a look at Stop Motion Studio in issue 05/2014 (page 51). Explore the issue →
- CHIP. The German technology publication introduces the app and its animation tools. Read the review →
- Heise / Mac & i. A November 2019 guide shows readers how to make animated films with an iPhone or iPad, including Stop Motion Studio. Read the article →
- Heise. A March 2021 review puts Stop Motion Studio alongside four other apps for making animated videos. Explore the comparison →
- Common Sense Media. A parent-focused review explores the app’s creative tools, storytelling possibilities and introduction to animation. Read the review →
- Boing Boing. An October 2013 episode of the “Apps for Kids” podcast reviews Stop Motion Studio. Read and listen →
- GIGAZINE, Japan. A December 2014 hands-on guide takes readers from installing the app to sharing a finished animation, with screenshots and sample films. Read the review →
- TechTudo, Brazil. A dedicated Portuguese-language review awarded the app 9.5, while a separate illustrated tutorial shows how to create animations for Instagram. Read the review → · Explore the tutorial →
- 01net / Telecharger.com, France. A French-language guide introduces Stop Motion Studio and the ways readers can make their own animated films. Read the guide →
- Applesfera, Spain. A June 2015 article explores how educational apps, including Stop Motion Studio, work with iTunes U to support classroom projects. Read the article →
From small sets to festival screens
Films created with Stop Motion Studio have won awards and reached festival audiences around the world.
- ROOM (2022) — Ian Dani Kim. Winner of the Wavemaker Award Grand Jury Prize at the 2023 Seattle International Film Festival. Kim used Stop Motion Studio as part of the filmmaking process, capturing footage on an iPhone 13 Pro Max. Explore the film → · Official award results →
- Thine Own Self (2021) — Evan Bode. One of five winners of The Gotham’s 2021 Focus Features & JetBlue Student Short Film Showcase. Bode used the free Stop Motion Studio iPhone app to animate the film’s clay spirits. Watch the film and explore the making-of → · Official showcase winners →
- The Fairy and The Cherry (2015) — Peter Hall and Gerhard Funk. Shot with Stop Motion Studio on an iPhone 5 and completed in 17 hours. The filmmakers report winning Best Creative Effort in the Kaliber35 Munich International Short Film Festival’s Kurz & Knapp competition. Watch the film and read the credits →
- The Good Job Box — Hannah Chin. A clay-animation short shot with Stop Motion Studio on an iPhone 12 Mini. Chin shares the making of the film and its screening at the 2024 Flamingo Film Festival in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Explore the film and making-of →
Bringing music to life
Musicians and filmmakers use Stop Motion Studio to turn songs into animated stories, from LEGO performances to paper-cutout worlds.
- Neon Dreams — “Sick of Feeling Useless” (2020). The band shares how they captured the animation with Stop Motion Studio on an iPhone and edited it in Premiere. The video was nominated for Music Video of the Year at the 2021 Music Nova Scotia Awards. Watch the official video → · Go behind the scenes → · See the award nominees →
- Mike Field — “Hotel By The Mansion.” Filmmaker Zephyr Pickell created a LEGO music video for the jazz musician using Stop Motion Studio and an iPhone. Field’s interview with Pickell explores how he made it. Watch the video and read the interview →
- Leah Morise — Lanie & Friends. Morise brought paper dinosaurs to life in a music video with Stop Motion Studio, capturing more than 3,500 images along the way. Explore the music and making-of →
- Zrangi — “The Fish.” Students at TUMO’s Dilijan center created an animated music video using clay, paper and chalk, with Stop Motion Studio and After Effects among their production tools. Explore the project and video →
In museums and exhibitions
Stop Motion Studio helps museum visitors explore animation and artists bring their work to exhibition audiences. Museums also use and recommend the app in workshops and creative learning resources.
- Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam. Eye’s online stop-motion workshop teaches families to make their own animated films with Stop Motion Studio, supported by a dedicated step-by-step guide to the app. Explore the workshop → · Read Eye’s app guide →
- Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Los Angeles. Stop Motion Studio was used in an exhibition at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
- NaFilM National Film Museum, Prague. Visitors can bring cardboard characters to life with Stop Motion Studio at an animation station in the museum’s permanent exhibition. See the installation on page 14 →
- Oklahoma State University Museum of Art. The 2019 exhibition “Little Nemo’s Progress: Animation and Contemporary Art” featured Lyndon J. Barrois’s miniature animations, including They Were the First to Ride, made with iPhones and Stop Motion Studio. Explore the exhibition catalogue →
- Louvre Abu Dhabi. The museum’s “Art in Motion” spring challenge invited participants to explore an exhibition online and create animations with Stop Motion Studio, ending with a screening of their films. Explore the program →
- Young V&A. The school resource for the 2026 exhibition “Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends” recommends Stop Motion Studio for classroom animation activities inspired by the exhibition. See the exhibition resource →
- Museum of Pop Culture. The museum’s 2026 “Exploring LEGO Stop Motion” camps used Stop Motion Studio to help children turn LEGO builds into animated stories. Explore the camp →
- CCA Tel Aviv-Yafo. Family workshops accompanying Gilad Ratman’s 2024 exhibition “Plecos” invited children and parents to create clay animations with Stop Motion Studio. Explore the workshop →
- MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation. The museum’s MOXI@Home stop-motion activity recommends Stop Motion Studio for creating animated short films at home. Try the activity →
At LEGOLAND Discovery Centres
Official filmmaking resources from LEGOLAND Discovery Centres in New Jersey and Melbourne recommend Stop Motion Studio for bringing LEGO stories to life. In New Jersey, guest iPads are set up with Stop Motion Studio. Melbourne’s 2021 Filmmakers Camp helps families get started with an introductory tutorial.
See the New Jersey filmmaking guide → · Explore Melbourne’s Filmmakers Camp →
Creating at festivals
Film festivals and animation organizations introduce participants to Stop Motion Studio through workshops, teaching resources and collaborative filmmaking projects.
- Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film, Germany. A children’s online workshop in the 2021 festival programme invited young filmmakers to create animations with Stop Motion Studio. Explore the catalogue →
- ASIFA Central, United States. Animators explored Stop Motion Studio together at the Midwest chapter’s 2021 summer retreat, with a practical app tutorial shared in its August newsletter. Read the newsletter →
- Barbican, United Kingdom. An animation workshop at the 2026 Chronic Youth Film Festival asked participants to bring a smartphone with Stop Motion Studio installed to create their own short films. Explore the workshop →
- La Guarimba Film Festival, Italy. In its 2026 school workshops, students spent four days turning ideas into animated films with tablets, tripods and Stop Motion Studio, then watched their creations together. Read the project story →
- Lille International Short Film Festival, France. The “Les bolides fantastiques” workshop introduces animation using Stop Motion Studio to bring imaginative handmade vehicles to life. Explore the workshop programme →
- El Meu Primer Festival and L’Alternativa, Spain. A joint online workshop in 2020 taught families to animate Playmobil figures with Stop Motion Studio, with plans to bring their clips together for a film on the festival platform. Explore the catalogue, page 66 →
- DreamBIG Children’s Festival, Australia. The 2025 “Pixilation Parade” instructions guide schools through filming and exporting their festival submissions with Stop Motion Studio. Read the filmmaking guide →
- Reel Shorts Film Festival, Canada. A 2019 claymation workshop led by animator Evan DeRushie used Stop Motion Studio to introduce participants to filmmaking. Explore the workshop →
Creating in libraries
Libraries bring Stop Motion Studio into creative spaces through workshops, lending kits and learning resources.
- New York Public Library, United States. At Mott Haven Library’s Teen Center, teens can explore Stop Motion Studio alongside tools for video, photography and other creative projects. Explore the Teen Center →
- State Library Victoria, Australia. A recorded 2020 workshop with artist Isobel Knowles asks children to use Stop Motion Studio to animate fruit and record dialogue for their stories. Explore the workshop →
- Bücherhallen Hamburg, Germany. Niendorf Library’s July 2025 filmmaking workshop uses Stop Motion Studio to turn LEGO and clay scenes into short animated films. Explore the workshop →
- Christchurch City Libraries, New Zealand. Families can try animation at home with the library’s STEAM Lab Online activities, which suggest Stop Motion Studio as one way to get started. Explore the learning resources →
- Free Library of Philadelphia, United States. Parkway Central Library’s 2026 Comix Club animation workshop asks participants to download Stop Motion Studio for projects using paper cutouts, clay and everyday objects. Explore the workshop →
- NORWELD, Ohio, United States. The regional library system’s Stop Motion Animation STEM kit includes a tablet with Stop Motion Studio installed, alongside LEGO filmmaking materials. Explore the kit →
- Library learning resources, France. A guide shared by Lyon’s municipal library offers ideas for making films with library visitors and recommends Stop Motion Studio for getting started. Read the guide →
Creating together
At Pyramid in Leeds, an inclusive arts project with Aspire used Stop Motion Studio with artists with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Participants explored sensory objects from nature, created tactile collages and helped turn their artwork into experimental animated films. Artists took part at every stage, exploring new ways to create and share their stories.
Read the project story from 100% Digital Leeds →
From first films to classrooms
A few everyday objects can become a story. Stop Motion Studio helps people explore animation at home, in classrooms, and in creative workshops.
- Young filmmakers. Creator Camp uses Stop Motion Studio to help children bring LEGO figures, paper puppets, and handmade sets to life. See the camp →
- Learning through animation. An educator shared how sixth-grade students used the app to animate algebraic expressions. Read the classroom story →
Teaching animation around the world
Teachers around the world can find ideas for animation and storytelling in these learning resources.
- France. A February 2025 activity on the Ministry of Education’s Primàbord platform helps classes explore animation with Stop Motion Studio on tablets. Explore the resource →
- India. Animation training materials from CIET, part of NCERT, introduce Stop Motion Studio for creating animated learning resources. Explore the training slides →
- Finland. The University of Jyväskylä’s 2021 LUKILOKI storytelling guide, shared by the Finnish National Agency for Education, suggests Stop Motion Studio for creating animations. Read the guide →
- New Zealand. The Ministry of Education’s Tāhūrangi platform includes Stop Motion Studio in its directory of websites and apps supporting technology teaching. Explore the directory →
Learning the craft at university
From a first animation exercise to character performance, students explore filmmaking with Stop Motion Studio in university guides and courses.
- NYU — Kanbar Film & Television. An illustrated guide helps students create animations during a remote semester, from capturing frames to editing and sharing their films. Explore the teaching guide →
- University of Texas at Dallas. Students in the Summer 2025 “Stop Motion I” course use Stop Motion Studio for animation exercises and character performance. Read the syllabus →
- Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. The “Drawn Animation for Beginners” short course asks participants to bring a smartphone with Stop Motion Studio installed as they explore frame-by-frame animation. Explore the course →
Learning from animation professionals
Aardman Academy suggests Stop Motion Studio as one of the tools learners can use in its four-week online Stop Motion Foundation course. The course introduces animation principles through practical masterclasses and weekly tasks taught by Aardman talent. Explore the course →
In a My Creative Careers interview, artist and animator Lyndon J. Barrois Sr. discusses creating stop-motion films on his iPhone. Stop Motion Studio is one of the tools shared alongside the episode. Explore the interview →
In books
Published animation guides also help readers learn to create with Stop Motion Studio.
- The LEGO Animation Book. In its update for the ninth printing, publisher No Starch Press recommends Stop Motion Studio as a free way to start animating. Read the publisher’s update →
- LEGO-Filme mit Stop Motion. Alexander Altendorfer’s German-language guide (mitp, fourth edition, 2024) walks readers through shooting with Stop Motion Studio, putting frames together and editing their films. Explore the book →
Part of the animation kit
Animation kits also give creators a way to get started with Stop Motion Studio. HUE Animation Studio and PCS’s Claymation Camp include Stop Motion Studio for HUE licences. Let’s Animate’s Animation Kit recommends the app, while Indigo Art Education’s Animated Beats kit and Woz ED’s Animation Level II kit use it in their filmmaking activities.
Creativity comes first
We build tools that keep the focus on creating. No ads. No tracking. Your projects stay on your device unless you choose to share them.
Let’s talk.
Have a question, feedback, or just want to say hello? We’d love to hear from you.
Mailing Address
Cateater, LLC.
500 Westover Dr #35931
Sanford, NC 27330
USA