Visitors to the National Media Museum will have chance to create their own Lego stop-motion films, produce animations using a Nintendo DSi and play Animation Bingo during a week of activities planned for the half-term break.

A range of free activities from February 19 to 26, is aimed at drawing people of all ages into the world of animation. Workshops include Drawing On Films sessions, involving visitors creating a section of animated film then watching it played back, and at 1pm each day there will be a game of Animation Bingo as part of special tours of the museum’s animation gallery, home to Wallace and Gromit, Morph, Wombles and Tom and Jerry drawings The TV Heaven gallery celebrates 50 years of programmes by Thunderbirds puppeteer Gerry Anderson, with more than 1,000 programmes from the last 60 years available to watch.

Family workshops offer the chance to create stop-motion films in the style of console games Lego Star Wars and Lego Indiana Jones, and to produce short animations using a Nintendo DSi in a Flipnote animation session.

The half-term break also sees the return of an old museum favourite, the Magic Carpet, using animation and chromakey technology to take visitors on adventures across oceans and through starry night skies.

Elaine Richmond, community learning programme co-ordinator, said: “Many of our visitors remember the Magic Carpet and due to popular demand we’re bringing it back for one week only. Those who take a ride will be able to relive their journeys this time, not only on the screen but also on Flickr where we’ll be able to upload footage so it can be shared with family and friends.”

Family Film Fundays allow visitors chance to see Disney classic Aladdin for £1 per person.

The toys from Toy Story and other gaming characters will also hit the big screen, but with museum visitors in control, when free Big Screen Gaming takes over one of the cinemas daily, between 10am and noon.

  • For more information or to book a place on any of the workshops, call 0844 8563797 or visit nationalmediamuseum.org.uk.

e-mail: emma.clayton @telegraphandargus.co.uk