Bitmoji are cartoon avatars created by Bitstrips that can be customized to look like you. They are integrated into apps like Snapchat and are often static images. However, some wonder if Bitmoji can also be animated. This article will examine whether Bitmoji can move and come to life through animation.
What are Bitmoji?
Bitmoji are personalized avatars created by Bitstrips, a company acquired by Snapchat in 2016. To make a Bitmoji, users can customize an avatar to look like themselves by choosing options for hair, eyes, skin tone, facial features, and more. The customized avatar then becomes their personal Bitmoji.
Bitmoji are integrated into various apps and services, most notably Snapchat. In Snapchat, users can use their personalized Bitmoji as their profile picture, react to snaps and chats with Bitmoji stickers, and create Bitmoji Stories. Outside of Snapchat, Bitmoji can also be used in apps like Gboard as stickers while messaging.
Overall, Bitmoji provide a way for users to express themselves through a virtual avatar designed to look like them. The avatars can reflect users’ style, mood, and personality.
Key characteristics of Bitmoji
– Customizable: Users can customize a generic avatar with various options to make it look like themselves
– Personalized: Each user has their own unique Bitmoji to represent them
– Integrated: Bitmoji work inside various apps and services, especially Snapchat
– Static: Bitmoji are generally static, non-moving images
Are Bitmoji animated?
For the most part, Bitmoji are static images rather than animated characters. The Bitmoji you see in your Snapchat profile, stickers, or Gboard are not animated or moving.
However, there are a few limited ways that Bitmoji can be animated:
Bitmoji Stories
One way your Bitmoji can come to life is in Bitmoji Stories. These are short comic-style stories starring your Bitmoji. When creating a Bitmoji Story, you pick from preset templates and customize text bubbles and narration for your Bitmoji.
The end result is a short comic or story with your personalized Bitmoji character speaking, moving, and expressing emotions. Bitmoji Stories provide a way to animate your avatar in a customized, comic-book style story.
Bitmoji TV
In 2020, Snapchat launched Bitmoji TV, a series of short animated shows starring users’ Bitmoji. The shows take your personalized Bitmoji and place it into various animated adventures, such as a sitcom or cooking show.
Bitmoji TV provides short 2-4 minute animated shows that bring your static Bitmoji to life. The animation shows your Bitmoji walking, talking, and interacting with other characters.
Games and apps
Some mobile games and apps that leverage Bitmoji also animate the avatars. For example, in the game Bitmoji Party, your customized avatar acts as your player character and is fully animated. Bitmoji are also animated in apps like Fitbit, where your avatar acts as your digital coach.
In these limited cases, developers animate Bitmoji for interactive gameplay and apps. But most standard uses of Bitmoji are static.
Why aren’t all Bitmoji animated?
There are a few key reasons why Bitmoji generally remain static icons rather than moving animated characters:
Technical limitations
Animating Bitmoji takes technical skill and resources. Each customized avatar would need to be animated frame-by-frame for movement. This process would be more complex compared to static images. For a company like Snapchat with millions of users, animating every single user’s personalized avatar would be an immense undertaking.
Creative choice
Bitmoji were intentionally designed as static stickers for messaging rather than animated characters. Simple, stationary avatar stickers serve their main purpose of adding personalized flair to conversations. While some limited animation expands Bitmoji uses, too much movement could detract from their simplicity.
Cost
Experts estimate that just one minute of basic animation costs around $10,000 to $20,000. Animating all Bitmoji would therefore be hugely expensive at scale. Since static Bitmoji already work for Snapchat’s core messaging purposes, the high cost and effort of full animation does not make financial sense.
The future of Bitmoji animation
While full Bitmoji animation is unlikely due to the challenges explored above, there are ways animated Bitmoji could become more common:
Growth of Bitmoji TV
If Bitmoji TV gains popularity, Snapchat may choose to produce more animated shows. This would provide more entertaining content while bringing user avatars to life through quality animation.
Expanded partnerships
Snapchat could partner with more game studios and app developers to integrate animated Bitmoji. Collaborations with partners to create interactive Bitmoji experiences could make limited animation more mainstream.
Animation tools
Snapchat or third-party tools may eventually allow users to animate their own Bitmoji with simple drag-and-drop tools. This could let users easily create custom stickers, comics, or short videos bringing their avatar to life. Advanced creative tools put animation directly in users’ hands.
Conclusion
Overall, most standard Bitmoji remain static stickers due to the technical and financial challenges of fully animating a vast range of customized user avatars. While Snapchat has experimented with limited Bitmoji animation in shows, games, and apps, the majority stay stationary. But new animation technologies and creative partnerships could lead to more animated Bitmoji in the future. For most uses though, Bitmoji will likely stay simple and static.
Summary in a Table
| Areas | Animated? | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Bitmoji | No | The Bitmoji seen in Snapchat, messaging, etc. are static images |
| Bitmoji Stories | Yes | Custom comics animate your Bitmoji |
| Bitmoji TV | Yes | Short shows fully animate your Bitmoji |
| Games & Apps | Sometimes | Some third-party apps animate Bitmoji |