Common Sense Media Review
By Amanda Bindel
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Super fun movie maker lets kids star in their own creations.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
TeleStory
What's It About?
With TELESTORY, kids create and star in original video stories. They start by choosing a theme and then selecting a scene and cue card. They'll choose a costume (with hats, wigs, glasses, and helmets) that fits onto their image using face detection and then record their scene. Kids can add as many scenes as they'd like to create, then name their story and save it in-app. They can return to saved episodes for further editing or share them via ToonTube, the developer's moderated community, or save them to the device's camera roll.
Is It Any Good?
TELESTORY both inspires and empowers kids to be creative. The preset themes will spark ideas, and the crazy costumes and accessories will empower kids to set their creative sillies free. The face-finding technology is really cool -- but not perfect -- so kids will have to let go of perfectionist expectations because their costumes won't line up perfectly for every move they make. Kids can choose from story-starting cue cards, or they can develop or improvise their own ideas. At the time of review, included themes are The Band, Star Adventure, Eye Spy, and The News, with each theme featuring a different setting, costumes, and fun special effects -- which, in an already totally cool tool, may be the coolest feature of all. Kids can watch videos created by other kids or share their creations (once approved).
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about making wise choices in what kids record and share, remembering their videos can be seen by those other than their intended audience.
Families can parody their favorite shows, mocking the judges from performance shows, creating their own spy spoofs, or blasting space shows.
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
- Subjects : Language & Reading : presenting to others , speaking , storytelling , Arts : script writing
- Skills : Creativity : imagination , making new creations , producing new content , Communication : conveying messages effectively , multiple forms of expression , presenting , speaking , Tech Skills : digital creation , using and applying technology
- Pricing structure : Free
- Release date : October 9, 2014
- Genre : Education
- Topics : Adventures , Arts ( Music and Sing-Along )
- Publisher : Launchpad Toys
- Version : 1.5.1
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 7.0 or later
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
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