{{Short description|Canadian digital-entertainment company}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2015}} {{Infobox company | name = Technologies Nawmal Inc. | logo = File:Nawmal Logo.png | type = 3D animation website | founded = {{Start date and age|2004}} | hq_location = Montreal, Quebec, Canada | website = http://www.nawmal.com }}
'''Nawmal''', formerly known as '''Xtranormal''', is a web and desktop do-it-yourself animation software. It is produced by '''Technologies Nawmal Inc.''', formerly Nawmal Ltd., a Canadian digital entertainment company based in Montreal, Canada. Nawmal turns words from a script into an animated movie using text-to-speech and animation technologies.<ref name="lat">{{cite web | title=Using video to fight workplace stress | website=Los Angeles Times | date=2011-04-24 | first=Jeannine | last=Stein | url=http://articles.latimes.com/2011/apr/24/health/la-he-xtranormal-20110424 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113175056/http://articles.latimes.com/2011/apr/24/health/la-he-xtranormal-20110424 | archive-date=2014-11-13 | url-status=unfit | access-date=2024-07-13}}</ref>
== History == thumb|Logo of Xtranormal Nawmal's predecessor, Xtranormal, was launched after four years of software development.<ref name="albrecht">{{citation|title=Xtranormal Launches Text-to-Movie Making|first=Chris|last=Albrecht|date=October 8, 2008|publisher=gigaom|url=http://gigaom.com/video/xtranormal-launches-text-to-movie-making/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101115231648/http://gigaom.com/video/xtranormal-launches-text-to-movie-making/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 15, 2010}}.</ref> It was established as a storyboarding tool for writers and film directors. The original intent was to allow users to create videos by choosing from a menu of pre-designed characters and sets, and scripting their own dialogue.<ref name="lat"/><ref name="albrecht"/><ref name="newman"/><ref name="pcworld"/>
Xtranormal's '''State''' platform allowed casual users to create their own animated videos, and could be downloaded for free and run offline. At some point, State was replaced with a newer version of the animation software called '''Xtranormal Desktop''' (or, XD). Like State, XD was free to download from the Xtranormal website, but is no longer available after Xtranormal's shutdown.<ref name="pcworld">{{citation|title=Make Bobbleheaded Animations Easily With Freebie Xtranormal State|first1=Sally Wiener|last1=Grotta|first2=Daniel|last2=Grotta|date=April 2, 2010|journal=PC World|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/192187}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.</ref> Xtranormal also released a web-based animation software tool called '''Movie Maker''' (alternately known as "Text-To-Movie"). Movie Maker offers users a more limited subset of functionality in exchange for the convenience of a web browser. Xtranormal videos could at one time be created through an interface directly on the YouTube website.<ref name="newman">{{citation|title=Make Your Own Cartoons and Slideshows on YouTube|first=Jared|last=Newman|date=March 24, 2011|url=https://techland.time.com/2011/03/24/make-your-own-cartoons-and-slideshows-on-youtube/|magazine=Time}}.</ref>
In 2011, Xtranormal launched a subscription service called ''Xtranormal for Education''. This program aimed to empower teachers and students by giving them a new way to express themselves in the classroom. Teachers could create and grade animation-based assignments directly from their web browsers. ''Xtranormal for Education'' was implemented in K–12, university and special needs classes all over the world.{{Citation needed|date=March 2019}}
On January 30, 2013, Xtranormal's CEO at the time told ''Forbes'' magazine that Xtranormal was at break-even but the future was in mobile, so they were focusing on their new Tellagami app, a spinoff platform that is more limited than Xtranormal's.<ref>{{citation|title=Tellagami Makes Fast, Fun User Generated Video Content For The Mobile Generation|first=Anthony|last=Wing Kosner|date=January 30, 2013|journal=Forbes Tech|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykosner/2013/01/30/tellagami-makes-fast-fun-user-generated-video-content-for-the-mobile-generation/}}.</ref> However, on June 28, 2013, the company stopped accepting new users, stopped processing transactions for its XP virtual currency, stopped distributing Xtranormal Desktop, and then announced that they would be discontinuing their current subscriptions, points plans and existing services as of July 31, 2013.<ref name="xtranormal-2013-june-28" /> They encouraged users to use up existing points and to publish and download their created movies before that date.<ref name=xtranormal-2013-june-28>{{cite web |title=Important Message From Xtranormal |publisher= Xtranormal Blog|date=June 28, 2013 |url=http://blog.xtranormal.com/index.php/important-message-from-xtranormal/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630120600/http://blog.xtranormal.com/index.php/important-message-from-xtranormal/ |archive-date=June 30, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Xtranormal's online services were taken down shortly after, with the content of their website replaced by a holding page showing the company's logo, a set of media player control buttons, and the word "pause",<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-08-01 |title=Storytelling {{!}} Xtranormal |url=http://www.xtranormal.com/ |access-date=2024-07-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801162532/http://www.xtranormal.com/ |archive-date=August 1, 2013 }}</ref> but in early October, the placeholder was gone, thus their site was shut down completely. Its official YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter pages had also been deleted.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}} The site was briefly home to a store called "The College Shop" in November 2013, but that disappeared as the following event took place.{{Citation needed|date=March 2019}}
In April 2014, Xtranormal's domain hosted a close mirror of the site called Nawmal Ltd. which acquired Xtranormal's intellectual property.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-04-03 |title=move over to nawmal |url=http://www.xtranormal.com/ |access-date=2025-11-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403165339/http://xtranormal.com/ |archive-date=April 3, 2014 }}</ref>
In July 2014, it was announced that the assets of Xtranormal had been acquired by Nawmal Ltd.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xtranormal.com/|date=31 July 2014|title=Xtranormal|publisher=Nawmal Ltd.}}</ref> As of 2016, Xtranormal's new parent company, Nawmal Inc. has split Xtranormal into 2 different animators named after the company itself, both just like Xtranormal, except one being for professional use, and one being for education use.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nawmal.com/ |title=Home |website=nawmal.com}}</ref>
As of 2020, Xtranormal had a new feature of Nawmal Inc. but is introducing new VR, AR, advanced customization and more.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}
==Legacy== thumb|Xtranormal bear characters Some user-created videos reached more than a million views on YouTube.<ref name="lat"/><ref name="newman"/><ref>{{citation|url=http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/best-buy-suspends-employee-for-making-funny-iphone-4-vs-htc-evo-video-2010072/|title=Best Buy suspends employee for making funny iPhone 4 vs HTC Evo video|first=Matthew|last=Humphries|publisher=Geek.com|date=July 2, 2010|access-date=December 10, 2010|archive-date=December 12, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111212020824/http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/best-buy-suspends-employee-for-making-funny-iphone-4-vs-htc-evo-video-2010072|url-status=dead}}.</ref><ref>{{citation|title=Best Buy Trying To Fire Employee Over Those Hilarious EVO Versus iPhone Videos|first=MG|last=Siegler|date=July 1, 2010|url=https://techcrunch.com/2010/07/01/best-buy-iphone-4-evo-4g/|publisher=TechCrunch}}.</ref> According to NPR, Xtranormal's most successful videos featured a conversation between "a wise guy who is the voice of reason" and "a tone deaf, argumentative adversary".<ref name="p105">{{cite web | last=Kurwa | first=Nishat | title=Behind Rise Of Xtranormal, A Hilarious DIY Deadpan | website=NPR | date=2011-01-05 | url=https://www.npr.org/2011/01/05/132653525/behind-rise-of-xtranormal-a-hilarious-diy-deadpan | access-date=2024-07-13}}</ref> A popular subgenre of content involved career professionals satirizing their workplaces<ref name="lat"/><ref name="s237">{{cite web | last=Edwards | first=Jim | title=Xtranormal, Where Office Dissenters Skewer Their Bosses and Clients | website=CBS News | date=2011-01-19 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/xtranormal-where-office-dissenters-skewer-their-bosses-and-clients/ | access-date=2024-07-13}}</ref> or students satirizing their college majors.<ref name="j348">{{cite web | title=So you want to do a PhD in the humanities? | website=University Affairs | date=2011-01-20 | first=Léo | last=Charbonneau | url=https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/margin-notes/so-you-want-to-do-a-phd-in-the-humanities/ | access-date=2025-04-21 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026073229/http://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/margin-notes/so-you-want-to-do-a-phd-in-the-humanities/ | archive-date=2020-10-26 | url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 2010, the short film ''Sleeping with Charlie Kaufman'' by director J Roland Kelly, animated entirely with Nawmal, premiered at the Little Rock Film Festival and was shown at The Rome International Film Festival in Rome, Georgia. Xtranormal videos once formed a recurring feature on the late night FNC talk show ''Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld'', and were featured as part of a GEICO advertising campaign.<ref>{{citation|title=Video: Robo-Talking Superhero Ad Uses Text-to-Voice Trick|first=Hugh|last=Hart|date=October 26, 2010|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/10/geico-superhero/}}.</ref> The Micros series of shorts about the world of online poker has been the most popular Xtranormal web-series on YouTube.<ref>{{citation|title=The Micros: Nerds Web Series Flops a Boat|first=Mark|last=Hustvedt|date=June 3, 2011|journal=Tubefilter News|url=http://www.tubefilter.com/2011/06/03/the-micros-poker-nerds-web-series-flops-a-boat/}}.</ref> Some videos created on Nawmal have appeared on shows such as ''The Colbert Report'', ''The Kroll Show'' and ''Howard 100''.
A viral November 2010 cartoon by real estate manager Omid Malekan criticizing quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve was referenced by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in his memoir.<ref name="b989">{{cite web | last=Weigel | first=David | title=The Man Behind the Quantitative Easing Cartoon Speaks! | website=Slate Magazine | date=2010-11-22 | url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2010/11/the-man-behind-the-quantitative-easing-cartoon-speaks.html | access-date=2024-07-24}}</ref><ref name="u935">{{cite web | last=Malekan | first=Omid | title=I Created 'The Bernank' on YouTube. And I Was Mostly Wrong. | website=The New York Times | date=2018-10-01 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/01/business/dealbook/bernank-financial-crisis.html | access-date=2024-07-24}}</ref>
== See also == * Vyond * Muvizu * Moviestorm * iClone * PowToon
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.nawmal.com/ Nawmal Ltd.]
Category:Marketing companies established in 2008 Category:Internet properties established in 2008 Category:2013 disestablishments in New Jersey Category:3D animation software Category:Online mass media companies of the United States Category:Machinima Category:Companies based in Newark, New Jersey Category:Websites about animation Category:Defunct companies based in New Jersey Category:Re-established companies