As much of a boon as computer-generated content has been for the entertainment industry, it has also sucked much of the life out of it (personally, I strongly prefer the Yoda confined to Luke’s back over the one flipping around a green screen like a circus monkey). Maybe I’m just being nostalgic, but I think that part of what brings me back to the films of my childhood is that the hand-crafted special effects served a purpose, and were performed extemporaneously—unlike the lifeless, lazy, and premeditated renderings of modern cinema.

So, in an attempt to reclaim some of that magic for my daughter’s generation (and the ones that preceded her), I’ve gone about creating a mobile app that brings both worlds together. YoPuppet is still at an early stage of development, and our main goal here is simply to get some feedback from the internet . Right now our app is geared toward families and content creators, with the ability to record and share if desired. I’m confident that with a little help I can take this app to a production-ready state on iOS and Android devices (and desktops, as well). Up to this point we are self-funded, and we are debating how to best fund this project going forward.

For anybody interested from a technical perspective, you can read on below. Otherwise, I appreciate your reading this far and thank you in advance if you shared or donated!