ToonCrafter

Open-source AI research project that turns two cartoon frames into a smooth animated interpolation.

Open Source Video & Audio
Visit Website ↗ by CUHK & Tencent AI Lab

What is ToonCrafter?

ToonCrafter is an open-source generative cartoon interpolation model developed by researchers at CUHK and Tencent AI Lab, presented at SIGGRAPH Asia 2024. Given a starting frame, an ending frame, and a text prompt describing the motion, it generates a short video clip that bridges the two images with fluid animation. Released under Apache-2.0 with code on GitHub, it is aimed at researchers and developers, with public demos on Hugging Face Spaces and Replicate.

Key features

  • Two-frame cartoon interpolation
  • Text-prompt-guided motion
  • Sketch interpolation support
  • Reference-based sketch colorization
  • Sparse-sketch-guided generation
  • Live Hugging Face demo

Pros

  • Free and open source under Apache-2.0
  • Purpose-built for cartoon/anime interpolation
  • Strong published research with comparisons to baselines

Cons

  • Research project, not a polished product
  • Short output clips (~2 seconds)
  • Cannot render legible text; slight flickering artifacts

ToonCrafter at a glance

PricingOpen Source
CategoryVideo & Audio
Platformsweb
CompanyCUHK & Tencent AI Lab
Official websitedoubiiu.github.io
open sourceanimationinterpolationanimeresearchdiffusion model

How to choose the right Video & Audio tool

Video and audio tools split into generators (which create footage, voices or music from prompts) and editors (which speed up cutting, captions and cleanup). Start from your end product: short social clips, long videos, podcasts or voiceovers each reward different strengths. For generation, check output resolution, clip length, and how much control you get over style and consistency. For voices and music, listen for natural pacing and check the languages you need. Licensing is critical — confirm you can use the output commercially, especially for client work and monetised channels. Finally, weigh render times and credit costs: a tool that takes an hour per clip changes your whole workflow.

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ToonCrafter FAQs

What is ToonCrafter?

ToonCrafter is an open-source generative cartoon interpolation model developed by researchers at CUHK and Tencent AI Lab, presented at SIGGRAPH Asia 2024. Given a starting frame, an ending frame, and a text prompt describing the motion, it generates a short video clip that bridges the two images with fluid animation. Released under Apache-2.0 with code on GitHub, it is aimed at researchers and developers, with public demos on Hugging Face Spaces and Replicate.

What are the main features of ToonCrafter?

ToonCrafter offers Two-frame cartoon interpolation, Text-prompt-guided motion, Sketch interpolation support, Reference-based sketch colorization, Sparse-sketch-guided generation and Live Hugging Face demo.

How much does ToonCrafter cost?

ToonCrafter is open source, so the software itself is free to download, use and self-host. Your only costs are the infrastructure you run it on and any paid services you connect to it.

What are the pros and cons of ToonCrafter?

Strengths of ToonCrafter include Free and open source under Apache-2.0; Purpose-built for cartoon/anime interpolation; Strong published research with comparisons to baselines. On the downside, Research project, not a polished product; Short output clips (~2 seconds); Cannot render legible text; slight flickering artifacts.