Free cartoon animation maker

Make cartoon animations on your phone

Nova Animate is a frame-by-frame animation studio that opens in your browser. Draw your own cartoon, or pick from 93 ready-made characters and 28 backgrounds, make them move with one tap, add music and export a video. No install, no sign-up.

Start animating, free → Read the user manual

No installNo accountWorks offlineYour drawings stay on your device

Nova Animate on a phone: a bear on a sunset background with the drawing tools and the frame timeline
93cartoon characters
28backgrounds
16one-tap moves
8drawing tools
MP4video export
What makes it different

Everything you need to animate, in your pocket

Most animation apps make you draw every single frame. Nova Animate gives you a head start: characters, backgrounds and motions are built in, and your own drawings, photos and voice fit right in.

Make it move

Bring a drawing to life with one tap

Draw something, or place a character, then tap Move. Nova Animate makes the frames for you: your picture bounces, jumps, walks, waves, spins or slides across the screen.

  • 10 loops that repeat smoothly: Bounce, Jump, Walk, Wave, Swing, Shake, Spin, Pulse, Float, Wobble.
  • 6 one-way moves: Slide right, Slide left, Fall, Grow, Shrink, Fade out.
  • Choose how long (½, 1 or 2 seconds) and how strong. One Undo takes it all back.
How Make it move works →
The Make it move sheet in Nova Animate with Bounce, Jump, Walk, Wave, Spin and other motions to tap
Onion skin in Nova Animate showing the previous and next frames as red and green ghosts
Characters and backgrounds

93 cartoon characters and 28 backgrounds, ready to use

Pets, wild animals, kids, monsters, robots, dragons and more, all drawn in one friendly style. Tap a character, drag it into place, pinch to resize and turn it, and tick to place it. Then pick a background: sunny day, space, beach, city, classroom, castle and more.

  • Characters come in several colours and looks, so your cast does not look the same.
  • Backgrounds fit wide, tall and square canvases.
  • Upload a picture from your gallery as a background, with fill or fit.
  • 450+ illustrations in 22 categories (food, vehicles, temples, festivals, space, sports and more) with search. Tap one to place it like a sticker.
All about characters and backgrounds →
A sheet of Nova Animate cartoon characters: a cat, dog, bunny, pig, bear, panda, fox, lion, penguin, unicorn, owl, frog, kids, monsters, a robot, an alien, a dragon, a ghost and a snowman Twelve Nova Animate background scenes: sunny day, sunset, night sky, beach, under the sea, forest, mountains, desert, snow, city, space and candy land
Frame timeline

A timeline made for thumbs

Animating on a small screen should not be fiddly. Choose several frames at once, loop just a range to check one movement, and drag a frame to a new place with a long press.

  • Multi mode: copy, delete, move or hold many frames together.
  • Range loop: choose frames 3 to 8 and Play repeats only those.
  • Onion skin shows the frame before (red) and after (green) so motion stays smooth.
  • Slow speeds from 1 frame per second up to 24, and Hold to keep a drawing for 2 to 4 beats.
Frames and timeline guide →
Nova Animate timeline in Multi mode with several frames chosen and Copy, Delete, Earlier, Later and Hold buttons
Trace

Trace a photo or a video

Pick a photo and it shows faintly under your drawing, so you can trace it. Pick a video and each frame shows the next moment of the clip, a classic technique called rotoscoping. The guide is never part of your finished video.

  • Choose how faint it is, behind or in front, fit or fill.
  • For videos: set where to start, the speed, and add exactly as many frames as the clip needs.
How to trace →
A mountain photo shown faintly in Nova Animate with red lines traced over the peaks
Text, stickers and layers

Titles, speech and scenery that stay put

Add text in six fonts with outline or box styles, then move, resize and turn it. Drop in emoji or your own photos as stickers. Use layers to keep the scenery still while a character moves.

  • Text is editable while it floats, with a live preview.
  • Up to 8 layers; hide, lock and reorder them.
  • Select part of a drawing with a box or lasso, then move, copy and paste it.
Text, stickers and layers →
The Add text sheet in Nova Animate with a Hello preview, six fonts, outline style and colour choices
The Layers sheet in Nova Animate with a Scene layer, Layer 1 and Layer 2
Sound and export

Add music and your voice, then export a video

Bring a song or sound effect from your phone, or record your voice with the microphone. Set the volume, the start time and looping. When you are happy, export an MP4 video, or send the animation to the Nova Clip editor to add more.

  • Several sound tracks, with a fade-out at the end.
  • Export runs on your phone and your files are never uploaded.
  • Save any single frame as a PNG picture.
Sound and export guide →
The Sound and music sheet in Nova Animate with a chord track, volume, start time and Record voice
The finished video in Nova Animate with Download, Share and Edit in Nova Clip buttons
The basics are covered too

A full set of drawing tools

Pen and eraser

Smooth lines that follow your finger or stylus, with a size you choose.

Fill

Colour a closed shape in one tap. Put colour on a layer behind your outlines to keep it tidy.

10 shapes

Circles, stars, arrows, speech bubbles and more, outlined or filled.

Colours

A palette of 12 colours and any custom colour you like.

Undo and redo

Go back up to 60 steps. Every move, sticker and frame action is one step.

Saved for you

Your animation saves on your device as you work and is waiting when you return.

Works offline

After the first visit it opens and exports without internet.

Any canvas shape

Landscape for YouTube, portrait for Reels and Shorts, or square for Instagram.

How it works

Your first cartoon in four steps

  1. Pick a canvasOpen Nova Animate and choose Landscape, Portrait, Square or Small landscape.
  2. Draw or add a characterDraw with the pen, or tap Stickers and choose one of the 93 characters. Add a background from the menu.
  3. Make it moveTap Move, choose Bounce, Walk, Spin or another motion. The frames appear in the timeline.
  4. Add sound and exportAdd music or record your voice, press Export, and download your video.
Who it is for

Made for anyone with a story to tell

Kids and students

A friendly first animation tool: tap a character, tap a move, watch it come alive.

Teachers

Make lesson videos, science explainers and class stories on any phone or tablet, with nothing to install.

Reels and Shorts creators

Portrait canvas, quick loops, text and music: a fresh intro or reaction clip in minutes.

Storytellers

Sketch scenes with layers, trace real footage and finish the film in the Nova Clip editor.

Game and app makers

Draw walk cycles and idle loops for characters, then export them as a video.

Greetings and invitations

Animate a birthday message with a character, text and a song.

फ़ोन पर कार्टून एनिमेशन कैसे बनाएं

Nova Animate एक मुफ़्त ऑनलाइन कार्टून एनिमेशन मेकर है, जो सीधे आपके फ़ोन के ब्राउज़र में चलता है। कुछ इंस्टॉल करने या अकाउंट बनाने की ज़रूरत नहीं है। आपकी ड्रॉइंग आपके फ़ोन में ही रहती है।

  1. Nova Animate खोलें और अपने वीडियो का आकार चुनें: YouTube के लिए Landscape, Reels और Shorts के लिए Portrait, या Square।
  2. पेन से ड्रॉ करें, या Stickers में से 93 तैयार कार्टून कैरेक्टर चुनें। मेनू में Backgrounds से बैकग्राउंड लगाएँ।
  3. Move बटन दबाएँ और Bounce, Walk, Wave या Spin जैसी मूवमेंट चुनें। फ्रेम अपने आप बन जाते हैं।
  4. Play दबाकर देखें, म्यूज़िक या अपनी आवाज़ जोड़ें, और Export से MP4 वीडियो सेव करें।

पूरी जानकारी के लिए Nova Animate यूज़र मैन्युअल देखें, या सीधे एनिमेशन बनाना शुरू करें।

Questions

Nova Animate, answered

What is Nova Animate?
Nova Animate is a free cartoon animation maker that runs in your web browser. You draw frame by frame, or start from 93 ready-made characters and 28 backgrounds, make them move with one tap, add music and export a video. It is built for phones first and works on tablets and computers too.
Is Nova Animate free, and do I need an account?
It is free, and you do not need to sign up. Open it, draw, and export your video. Your drawings are saved on your own device.
Can I make a cartoon animation on my phone?
Yes. Nova Animate was designed for touch: big buttons, pinch to zoom the canvas, press and hold to move frames, and a canvas that fits portrait phones. Use the latest Chrome or Edge on Android, or Safari 16.4 or newer on iPhone and iPad.
Do I have to install an app?
No. It opens in your browser. If you like, you can add it to your home screen from the browser menu so it opens like an app.
Does it work offline?
Yes, after the first visit. Nova Animate is stored on your device, so you can draw, animate and export without internet.
How do I make a character move?
Put your drawing or a ready-made character on its own layer, tap Move on the canvas, choose how long and how strong, then tap a motion: Bounce, Jump, Walk, Wave, Swing, Shake, Spin, Pulse, Float, Wobble, Slide, Fall, Grow, Shrink or Fade out. Nova Animate makes the frames for you, and one Undo removes them.
Are there ready-made pictures I can use?
Yes. Nova Animate has 93 cartoon characters and 28 backgrounds, plus more than 450 illustrations in 22 categories: food, vehicles, buildings, nature, space, school, sports, music, festivals like Diwali and Holi, and more. Open Stickers, then Illustrations, and search by name. They are drawn by code, so they stay sharp and work offline.
Can I use my own photos and drawings?
Yes. Upload a picture from your gallery as a sticker, as a background (fill the canvas or fit the whole picture), or as a faded guide to trace over. You can also trace a video, where each frame shows the next moment of the clip.
Can I add music or my own voice?
Yes. Add songs or sound effects from your phone, or record your voice with the microphone. Set the volume, the start time and looping for each sound. The sound is mixed into the video when you export.
What can I export?
You can export a video as MP4 (H.264) where your browser supports it, or WebM otherwise, and save any single frame as a PNG picture. You can also send the animation straight to the Nova Clip editor to add more music, text and effects.
How many frames can I draw?
It depends on your device memory and the canvas size. Most phones hold around 60 to 130 frames on a landscape canvas, and more on the smaller canvas. Nova Animate tells you when the limit is near, and long animations can be finished in the Nova Clip editor.
Can I keep more than one animation?
Yes. Open the menu and tap My animations. Each animation you draw on is saved on your device with a picture, and you can open, rename, copy or delete it. You can keep up to 30. They stay in your browser, so export a video of anything you want to keep for good.
Is my work private?
Yes. Everything is made on your device. Your drawings, photos and sounds are never uploaded to a server, and your animations are saved in your browser, so they are still there when you come back.

Make your first cartoon today

It takes a minute to start. Open Nova Animate, tap a character, tap Move, and press Play.

Open Nova Animate → User manual

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