Thanks to the Art Museum’s new animation exhibit, "Art Goes to the Movies," I can now say I have created my very own stop motion movie from three plastic pieces and 100 still frames. It took about 10 minutes to create a 12-second clip of a mermaid flying through the air over the Art Museum. And although my toddler climbed up and into a fragile exhibit featuring "The Incredibles" while I was focused on creating the movie, I think it was worth it. Take a look and decide for yourself.

Creating our own movie helped us tap into our inner animator, so we continued on, assembling a flip book and pitching our own movie. We proudly posted our projects on the wall of the exhibit alongside other visitors’ creations.

To find inspiration, we explored actual still life sketches from Sleeping Beauty and other animated favorites as well as character molds and models on loan from Disney. We learned what it takes to produce an animated film by watching interviews with Disney and Pixar producers. Towards the back of the exhibit, we tested our culture I.Q. on the "Wall of Inspiration" by matching the animated movie with the art that inspired it.

The exhibit is designed for children ages 3-12, and they will love seeing their favorite characters from animated movies and participating in the hands-on activities. But older visitors will appreciate learning about the intense research that goes into constructing animated worlds and the art and history that inspires the creative process. The exhibit runs through Aug. 31 and is definitely not to be missed.

Find out more about what the art museum offers kids and families here.