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Film buffs will appreciate subtle nods to Metropolis like the glowing rings that surround newly-minted letters of the alphabet.

#NUMBERLYS APP FULL#

But that suited Joyce and Oldenburg’s vision for the Numberlys’ vertically emphasized world, which is full of belching smokestacks, heaving pistons, art deco skyscrapers, and of course, the letters of the alphabet themselves. Joyce and his co-director, Brandon Oldenburg, wanted to shake up the traditional wide-screen view of most 'cinematic' apps, so 'Numberlys' only plays in portrait orientation.

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The story unfolds in a silent-film-esque series of animated vignettes and title cards. There’s even an emotional payoff at the end that made this new dad very nearly tear up. But like the best children’s books, 'Numberlys' is stuffed full of so much sumptous art and witty design (Joyce conceived the experience as a stylistic homage to Fritz Lang’s black-and-white sci-fi classic Metropolis, of all things) that parents will end up just as entranced as their kids. 'Numberlys' is essentially a bedtime story whose punny prose style and simple interactive games will appeal to very small children. Now it looks like they might be following in Pixar’s footsteps as a back-to-back hitmaker, as well. (Moonbot co-founder William Joyce, who wrote and co-directed the app, swears like a sailor.) People like to compare Moonbot to Pixar, not only because Joyce used to work there, but because their commitment to quality storytelling is just as fierce. Better than 'Lessmore.' A complete mother*$#&ing delight. Moonbot gave me a preview of the full app, which is available today, and it’s amazing. It’s better than 'Lessmore.' A complete mother*$#&ing delight. The Numberlys App Teaser from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo. In November, I visted the company that created it, Moonbot Studios, and saw what they were working on as a follow-up: a story-app called 'The Numberlys,' about a group of cute misfits who invent the alphabet in a gray, stern world inhabited only by numbers. I wrote about an iPad app last summer called 'The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore', which was basically the acme of interactive storytelling on the iPad to date. Moonbot Studios, which astounded us with 'The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore,' avoids the sophomore slump with its latest story-app.

Numberlys app