Storytime video: tell it without showing your face
Write the anecdote the way you would tell it. The AI cuts it into scenes, draws the characters, records the voice-over, places the subtitles and delivers a vertical video of 30 seconds to 1 minute — no camera, no editing, no face of yours on screen.
Free account · first story 50% off, from €1.99 (Pack Start, no subscription)
Storytime, without filming yourself
A storytime — “let me tell you about the time…” — is a format of voice and text: people listen to it, read it in the subtitles, wait for the punchline. What holds them is the story; the face telling it is incidental, and for many people it is the sticking point: they have a good story and no wish to show themselves, or the people involved.
The AI Story tool replaces the camera: drawn characters act the scene out, a voice-over narrates, the subtitles follow, and the video comes out in 9:16. The animated version of a storytime, with the same words you would have said to camera.
Why an animated storytime works
Your face stays out of shot
A storytime is told in the first person, but nothing says you have to film yourself. Drawn characters act the scene out for you: you tell the story about the colleague, the ex or the neighbour without showing your face — or theirs.
Vertical from the start
The video comes out in 9:16, ready for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, with no cropping and no editing. No black bars, no blurred background: the scenes are composed for a phone screen.
Readable with the sound off
A lot of videos are watched muted. The subtitles are synchronised with the voice-over and switched on by default: the story can be followed by reading, and the sound sets the tone for those who turn it on.
A voice-over, not a microphone
The narration is read by an AI voice, in English or in five other languages. No recording to redo, no background noise — and nobody recognises your voice if you would rather they did not.
Three steps, from anecdote to video
1. Write your storytime
Tell the anecdote the way you would tell a friend, in the first person. Pick 30 seconds or 1 minute, the 9:16 format, the look, the narrator's voice and the style (Pixar 3D, anime, comic book…). For 30 seconds, count on 6 scenes and about 78 spoken words; for 1 minute, about 156.
2. The AI cuts it into scenes and draws the characters
The script splits your text into 5-second scenes, with the narration and, if you want, a line or two of dialogue. Each character gets a visual sheet reused in every scene — the "colleague" from the opening is the same one at the end. In Step-by-step mode you read and edit this script for free before you pay.
3. Scenes, voice-over, subtitles, export
The scenes are drawn and then animated according to the look you chose, the voice-over is recorded, the subtitles placed, the music added if you ticked it, and everything is edited into a vertical MP4 that lands in your gallery. You can close the page in the meantime.
Writing a 30- to 60-second storytime
A 30-second storytime is 6 scenes of 5 seconds and about 78 spoken words; 1 minute, about 156. The script tells you if your text runs over — and Step-by-step mode lets you trim it before you pay.
1
The hook, within the first 2 seconds
The first sentence is the reason to stay: "I got sacked over an email I never sent." No "hi everyone", no background — start at the moment things tip over; the context comes afterwards.
2
One twist, not two
In 30 to 60 seconds a story holds one "except that". Set the situation up in two sentences, then the thing that turns it over. Two twists need 2 minutes; cut the second one or keep it for a follow-up.
3
The punchline, then stop
The last sentence should be the shortest: the final line, the reveal, what you took from it. Nothing after it. An open question ("what would you have done?") invites comments without making the video longer.
A real video made with the tool
Five seconds of a story rendered by the AI Story engines — a Nano Banana 2.1 keyframe animated by Seedance 1.5 Pro, with sound, no subtitles, no editing. It is not a storytime: it is the look — characters, scenes, light — that yours will get.
Four storytimes you can write in ten minutes
The work story
The job interview that went sideways, the impossible client, the meeting where everyone went quiet. Colleagues become drawn characters: nobody is recognisable, and the story stays true.
The ex story
The disastrous first date, the message sent to the wrong person, the break-up by text. Told as a cartoon, it can be shared without exposing anyone — not you, not them.
"The time I…"
The time you missed the flight, turned up at the wrong wedding, or the cat destroyed everything. The simplest format there is: one situation, one punchline, 30 seconds.
The confession
The thing you never said, the lie that lasted ten years, the family secret. The anonymity of a drawn character lets you tell what you would never tell to camera.
What it costs, no surprises
- Every account's first story is 50% off: 43 credits for an illustrated 30-second storytime — the Pack Start (€1.99, 55 credits, no subscription) pays for it on its own.
- After that, full price: 86 credits for 30 illustrated seconds, 134 credits for a minute; 416 credits for 30 animated seconds, 746 in the cinema look. Background music adds 15 credits per started minute.
- The 40 welcome credits do not pay for a story on their own: you need a credit pack (no subscription) or a subscription. The Pack Mini (€4.99, 150 credits) pays on its own for a full-price illustrated 30-second story.
- In Step-by-step mode the script is written for free: you only pay when you start the creation. A refused scene is retried, then removed and refunded.
- On the free plan, a discreet "ToonZap.com" watermark; a subscription removes it, and so does a pack for 30 days.
Plans and credit packs in detail: see pricing.
What if you are the one talking?
You can play your own part: upload up to 3 photos or drawings per character (4 characters at most), and the drawn narrator looks like you without being a video of you. If what you want instead is a portrait that talks, lips in sync, with your voice or an AI voice, that is the talking avatar, a different tool — for the storytimes where the face is part of the story.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to create a storytime?
Measured on 18 October 2026 on 30-second stories: about 2 to 3 minutes in the illustrated look, 4 to 6 minutes animated, 10 to 15 minutes in the cinema look. A 1-minute video has twice as many scenes and takes longer. You can close the page: the video carries on being created and lands in your gallery.
How much does a storytime cost?
The price depends on the look and the length, and it is shown before you start. An illustrated 30-second storytime without music costs 86 credits; 1 minute, 134 credits. In the animated look, 30 seconds cost 416 credits; in the cinema look, 746 credits. Music adds 15 credits per started minute. Every account's first story is 50% off: 43 credits for 30 illustrated seconds, which the Pack Start (€1.99, 55 credits, no subscription) pays for on its own. The 40 welcome credits are not enough by themselves.
Why is the first story half price?
So that you can judge the result on your own text before spending more. The 50% discount applies to the first story the account starts, whatever the look and the length; a story that fails and is refunded does not use it up. The following ones are full price: the Pack Mini (€4.99, 150 credits) pays on its own for an illustrated 30-second story.
Can a scene be refused?
Yes. The image and video models apply their own moderation rules: a fight, a situation that is too explicit or a celebrity can be refused. The scene is retried; if it is refused again, it is removed from the video and its price is returned to you in credits. Content is family-friendly by default: a raw storytime gets through better by suggesting than by showing.
Is the voice-over a real voice? Can I use mine?
The narration is read by an AI voice picked from the catalogue, in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian or Portuguese, with synchronised subtitles. The characters’ mouths do not move in time in the illustrated or animated look; in the cinema look, the characters speak their lines with synchronised lips. For a video where your own portrait talks, with your own voice, use the talking avatar — a different tool.
Can I tell a story about a real person?
Tell your own stories, change the names, and leave out anything that would identify someone who has not agreed to it: privacy and image rights apply to cartoons too. Celebrities and protected characters (Disney, Marvel…) are refused by the models. You can, on the other hand, have a character drawn from your photos play your own part — yourself, or people close to you with their consent.
Is there a watermark?
On the free plan, a discreet "ToonZap.com" watermark is embedded in the video. Any subscription removes it, and a credit pack removes it too for 30 days after purchase. Your videos belong to you.
You have the story. The video is the missing part.
Create your account, write the anecdote, read the script in Step-by-step mode — the first story is 50% off, from €1.99.
No card needed to sign up · illustrated 30-second video in 2 to 3 minutes