Customer Reviews

Disney Magic Artist Studio

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have 2 kids ages 6 & 3. Both of them can work with this program independently. My 6 year old son loves to create scenes using the animated characters with music. Then he saves the scenes, pulls them up later, and adds color to them. My 3 year old daughter just loves to color in the spaces with the different coloring utensils. She can change the utensils by herself. My son has figured out parts of it that I haven't even done yet. Get it with the Sketch Board so the kids can use it like a drawing tablet and it is tons of fun! The only reason I gave it 4 stars rather than 5 is because I can't figure out how to work some of it. Then again, I don't spend as much time with it as my son.

DISNEY MAGIC ARTIST STUDIO IS A CD ROM FOR KIDS THAT ADULTS WILL ENJOY AS WELL. THERE ARE SEEMINGLY ENDLESS THINGS TO DO AND EXPLORE. MAKE MOVIES, PICTURES, BIRTHDAY CARDS, OR JUST DOODLE. ONE OF THE BEST CD ROM'S OUT THERE.

OK, This is a great program for kids, but VERY FRUSTRATING since (as mentioned by other reviewers already) it doesn't work under Windows XP.

I did some web surfing and finally found the solution. (First go ahead and install the program even though you'll probably get an error message and then it won't work). One reviewer mentioned http://www.disneyinteractive.com/support
but I didn't find the answer there. Surprisingly, I found it at a Gateway support site:

http://support.gateway.com/s/issues/667633911.shtml

This explains the problems and points you to the following download: ftp://ftp.gateway.com/pub/hardware_support/gw-sold_apps/games/7512455.exe If you run this it will extract 2 files to C:\Cabs\7512455, including DMASUpdate.exe. When you finally run DMASUpdate.exe it will fix the problem and you will then be able to use Disney Magic Artist Studio under WinXP (and your kids will be verrrrry happy !).

And I can't even draw a straight line! Now both my 3 year old and I are drawing cartoons to music! This program has it all. There are tons of typical drawing tools yet each one has a myriad of options and surprises that allow for endless hours of fun with your own imagination. There is a section with instructions for making simple animations plus the ability to make your own (very primitive animations, though.) There are also 15 seperate scenes which you can cut and paste to your hearts delight to create real Disney characters dancing around to music. Then you can take those scenes and change them in numerous ways to suit you using the drawing tools. You can save, create a slide show and even put your own picture into whatever you are creating. This is truly a great game for the whole family!

This was one of my childrens' favorites computer programs, until we upgraded to an computer with Windows XP. The install warned that it was designed for 95 (which means it would work on 98), and it might not work on our new system. And it didn't!

The description above lists the platforms with which it is compatible (proper leaving off XP), but I thought I would mention it since so many have XP now and not everyone thinks to check this point.

How disappointing that Disney would release this CD Rom for OS but it is not compatible with OS X! The box says 8.1 or higher, but it's wrong. The program runs, but is unable to print. Both Disney Interactive tech support and Apple (Genius Bar) have confirmed this. Do NOT buy this for Mac if you are running OS X. (Even in classic it can't print.)

Actually, I should say the best $10 my mom spent... she purchased this for my 4-year old who has literally spent hours playing this software. It is a wonderful tool for fostering not only artistic ability, but also imagination and creativity-- not to mention computer skills. It's fun for adults too, as there are so many hidden treasures in this software- we are always finding something new. Given the pricetag and the quality of this program, I say - what are you waiting for? Get it!!

Magic Artist Studio was purchased for a graduating kindergartener. And, she absolutely adores this program! Most computer programs only keep her attention for a little while, but this creative outlet keeps her imagination and creativity flowing. She "dances" in her chair while listening to the music and making "masterpieces". Goofy and Donald Duck stamps make her giggle. Even her older brother (9) and baby sister (2) enjoy the program. I couldn't resist trying it out one day, and found it to be above quality compared to regular paint programs. I would reccommend this program for any child interested in art and computers.

I read the reviews after I bought this. It is so good, I am ordering a bunch today for gifts for my daughter's friends. I will make sure they don't have XP as it works on Windows 95-98, which I wasn't aware of until today (after reading someone else's review). The price is unbelievable, and you get much more than you realize. I have created logos, school signs for fundraising, book covers, etc. At first, I thought it was just animation and Disney characters that you fill in, but after playing with it, realized it does much more. My daughter likes the characters, (also spiders, ladybugs, etc.) but I like the other options, where you start from scratch. It's like the "Paint" function on your computer, magnified by 1000. I am going to check with my daughter's school to see if their computers are compatible with this software. If so, I will try to do fundraisers so every computer at school has this program. It has let my daughter explore her creativity, (and myself) and makes beautiful art. I think it could even be used for textile designing, because it has options for textures too. The ONLY problem with this is that the parents will want to play with it, and my daughter has to wait her turn!! Make sure to try all the options it has, because I am still finding new options. If you click on the icon on the bottom of the screen, it gives more options, and you can drag and smear color, also click on the ???, and you get other fantastic colors and looks. I have barely used the animation, because the other options are so fascinating. I think this is great for ANY age, as I am in my 40's, and my daughter is 10, and I think I enjoy it as much (maybe more) as she does. I highly recommend this software!!

This is a pretty fun game for my daughter however, we ended up getting the Magic Artist Deluxe version. We kept getting an error message even after doing the patch for the original version. My daughter would get frustrated because it always popped up and would shut the game down. The newer deluxe version has no issues and works fine with XP which is what we have. It also has some really cool upgrade from the original. I'd wait on this and get the deluxe version (we bought a used one) and do that unless you have an older computer.