Optics, illusions and experiments

N03-1 Animated Movie - Single

One rotating cylinder with drawings inside - that is how the single version of this outdoor frame-by-frame animation equipment is built. A hand spins the drum, and the eye picks up the small differences between the drawings - training observation and coordination along the way. It goes to nurseries, schools and education centres.

Sensory Ecological Illusion Personalised

Safety certificate: EN 1176-1
Warranty: 2 years
Made in: Poland

Talk to an adviser Documentation

Product description

A spinning cylinder turns drawings into motion

It all starts at the cylinder: the child grabs it by the edge, sets it spinning and looks inside through the narrow slits in its wall. Inside runs a row of drawings, each differing from the one before by one small detail, and the slits reveal them one at a time - and out of these small differences, movement appears. The more even the spin, the smoother the film, and spinning more slowly also slows down the movement in the drawings: the pace stays in the child's hand. Why such a drum in a playground? The zoetrope was spinning before the age of cinema, and this is how animated films used to be made - frame by frame, using stop-motion animation.

For the cylinder to keep turning for years, the equipment has to withstand rain, frost and sun. The frame is steel, galvanised and powder-coated, and the mechanical parts are made of stainless steel - damp leaves no rust on them. The Animated Movie stays outdoors all year round and does not need to be put in storage for the winter season. The equipment has a declaration of conformity and a certificate from an accredited body, and its durability is backed by a warranty. The manufacturer is EduPlayground, and the Animated Movie is made in Poland.

A film without a screen or power

The animation starts with a push of the hand: it needs no power, display or app. The child watches the film and at the same time sees how it is made, and knowledge gained through your own observation stays longer than knowledge from listening to a lecture.

Children's own drawings as a film

The cylinder takes not only ready-made designs but also drawings children make in art or design and technology lessons. The group comes up with a story, draws it frame by frame, then watches its own animation in the playground.

Emotions are easier to show in animation

Activities based on stop-motion animation are also used in therapy: they help a child express their own emotions and better understand other people's feelings. Before the first drawing is made, a story has to be told - and that is where the conversation begins.

What makes up the Animated Movie

Four elements: three make up the animation mechanism itself, and the fourth lets you swap the drawings without tools.

Rotating cylinder

The cylinder is the moving part of the equipment: it turns on its own axis when a hand pushes it by the edge. It is simple enough for a child to manage alone - no adult help is needed to watch the animation.

Narrow slits in the wall

You look through the slits into the cylinder, not over them: each one reveals one drawing at any given moment. Without them, the spinning drawings would merge into a blurred streak and no film would be visible.

Sequence of drawings in the cylinder

The design inside the cylinder decides what the child will see in motion, and there are various designs to choose from. The prints are on self-adhesive film protected by a UV-resistant laminate, so the colours do not fade after a season in the sun.

Replaceable magnets

A magnet holds the drawing to the wall inside the cylinder, so changing a whole series needs no tools: one set comes off, the next goes on. A card drawn by a child holds just as firmly as a ready-made design.

Add-on: magnets with more animation designs

Replaceable magnets with animation designs can be bought for the animated movie, so the cylinder does not have to keep spinning the same film. An adviser will suggest which set of designs to order for your setting.

Catalogue no. AN03_A00-A08

Magnet designs

Which film will run in the cylinder

All the magnets fit the same cylinder and differ only in the animation design. Each design has its own catalogue number.

Frog

Black-and-white silhouettes of a frog in a dozen or so frames: take-off, jump and landing. Spreading the movement across frames shows phases of the jump that the eye cannot catch in a live frog.

Catalogue no. AN03_A01

Horse

Black silhouettes of a galloping horse with a rider on its back. Horse and rider move together, so one film carries two movements at once, and each of them can be followed separately.

Catalogue no. AN03_A02

Factory

A blue factory with a chimney, above which a cloud of smoke first grows and then drifts away. An animation with no character and no animal, but with a topic for a conversation about clean air.

Catalogue no. AN03_A03

Basketball Player

A colourful figure crouching with a ball straightens up, throws it upwards and goes back to a crouch. The sequence closes and starts again, so the movement flows without a break on every turn.

Catalogue no. AN03_A04

Bird (Black)

Black silhouettes of a bird in flight, set one after another in successive phases of a wingbeat. With no colour and no detail of the plumage, the animation comes down to pure movement.

Catalogue no. AN03_A05

Bird (Colour)

A colourful bird broken down into frames of flight: red belly, grey wings and a black cap. The patches of colour let you follow individual parts of the body in motion, not just the outline of the wings.

Catalogue no. AN03_A06

Plant

A sprout comes out of the soil, grows, blooms into a sunflower and finally wilts. The only design that shows a plant's whole life cycle instead of a single movement, condensed into one turn.

Catalogue no. AN03_A07

Swimmer

A swimmer figure with the arms caught in successive positions of a single cycle. The design suits lessons about sport and a conversation about how people move in water.

Catalogue no. AN03_A08

Blank magnet

A magnet with no printed design, for frames drawn by the children. The only one where what moves in the cylinder is decided entirely by the group.

Catalogue no. AN03_A00

Personalisation

Animated movie with your own drawings and in any colour

Ready-made animation designs do not always tell the story of what your setting is about. Personalisation changes the content of the animation and the look of the equipment, while the spinning and viewing through the slits work just as in the catalogue models.

Animation drawings
Instead of ready-made designs from the catalogue, custom drawings spin in the cylinder, with content decided by the customer. The blank magnet is for frames drawn by children; personalisation is for an animation ordered by the setting.
Any colour for the post and drum
As standard, the post is green (RAL 6018) and the drum is pink. To order, both parts can be any colour. An adviser will agree the details with you.

Ask about personalisation

Specification

Technical data

Technical drawing N03-1, front view — Front view - from technical drawing N03-1.

Catalogue no.	N03-1
Dimensions	length 30 cm \| width: 30 cm \| height: 116 cm
Safety zone	diameter 3.3 m
Children's age	from 3 years
Material	Steel frame. Main profile: Ø108 mm tube, black steel. Mechanical parts: stainless steel. Prints: self-adhesive film, UV-resistant laminate.
Protection	Galvanised, powder-coated frame
Colour	Green (RAL 6018)
Installation	Galvanised steel anchors L=75 cm, set in the ground and concreted in; bolted connection to the equipment.
Safety standard	EN 1176-1
Main category	Optics, illusions and experiments
Country of origin	Poland
Warranty	2 years

For tenders

Technical documentation

Product data sheetPDF Download EN Download FR

Full design pack for tenders:

2D viewsPDF · 1 file
CAD drawingsDWG · 2 files
3D modelSTL

Gallery

Animated movie in action

See installations →

From the same category: optics, illusions and experiments

See the whole category →

SensoryIllusion I02 Whose Face Is It View product

TherapeuticSensory I05 Distorting Mirrors View product

ScienceIllusion I06 Scientific Hex View product

TherapeuticSensory I07-1 Mirror writing - standard labyrinth View product

Before it is installed

Siting and installation with an expert

Before the animated movie goes into the playground, our adviser will help you plan all the technical details. We are with you at every stage of the project, sharing our knowledge and experience so that the equipment serves children as well as possible for many years.

Export

Urszula Brzóska (Mrs.)

WhatsApp +48 698 728 005 u.brzoska@npz.edu.pl Write to me on Facebook

Head of Export Department

Customer service office: office@eduplayground.eu

Catalogue to download

The whole range in one file

Once you enter your email address, the catalogue of science, sensory and therapeutic equipment is sent to your inbox.

EduPlayground 2026 product catalogue - the cover and open pages with an overview of equipment and educational boards

Products

Themed playgrounds

Who it's for

Bespoke projects