At seven the octopus stops, looks at the last arm and slowly hides it behind his back. One small gesture, one big laugh. Animate that.
Tatako is hiring its first Series Animator to give the octopus and his friends their acting in every episode, song video and short. Your stage is the series, not the app: the Animation Engineer builds the character who reacts to taps in a lesson, and you make him perform on screen. You work with the Series Director.
About Tatako
Tatako is a first-words app for families raising a child with two languages. A lesson takes about five minutes, there is nothing to read, and a small round octopus keeps everyone company. He has eight arms, no socks, and usually loses count at seven.
The language of home stays the language of home. Tatako adds a second one on top, at a toddler’s pace, from the very first words. A guide voice can explain what to do, and you can switch it off whenever you like. Every lesson has three small steps: Hear it, say it. Touch it. Name it. In the last step the picture comes back without the word, and the child names it first.
We started with English: first words and phrases, from “hello” and “mommy” to colors, animals and what the teacher says at preschool. More languages are on the way. Tatako works in the browser on any phone or tablet.
The role
- Remote and full-time, open to candidates anywhere in the world
- Fluent English
- You report directly to the founders
By day 90, you have animated a full scene that feels handmade, the cast has a shared library of walks, blinks and mouth shapes, and the director’s notes take a single round.
What you will do
- Animate scenes from boards and voice tracks: acting comes before polish, then timing, then the small overlapping moves of eight arms.
- Keep a handmade rhythm: holds, slight wobbles and the small imperfections of a puppet moved by a human hand.
- Build the cast’s movement library: walks, blinks, breaths, the shy look and the proud one.
- Keep mouths simple, so a new language can replace the lines without reworking the scene.
- Make the quiet moments work: a character who listens and waits should feel as alive as one who jumps.
- Time song videos to the music, with gestures a child can copy in the kitchen.
- Deliver clean shots on schedule, with named layers and notes, ready for the editor.
What you bring
- 4+ years as a character animator in stop-motion, 2D or 3D, with a reel of acting shots.
- Command of timing, weight, anticipation and overlapping action.
- Fluency in your tools: Dragonframe, Toon Boom Harmony, After Effects, Blender or Maya.
- An actor’s instinct: you know what a character is thinking before you move it.
- A feel for music: you hit the beat without looking mechanical.
- Steady output: you keep your standard from the opening shot to the last one on a series schedule.
Bonus points
- You have animated real puppets on a table, frame by frame.
- You have worked on a series for very young viewers.
Why you will love it
- A lead with eight arms, and each one can play a different joke.
- Your acting is what a child copies at breakfast the next day.
- Scenes with room to breathe: nobody here asks you to make it faster.
How to apply
Meet the octopus at tatako.com, then email join@tatako.com with your LinkedIn profile or portfolio. Make sure it shows a character acting scene you animated.
If your experience matches the role, our team will get in touch to discuss next steps.