One Animal Crossing fan has created a brief stop-motion animation starring the astronomy-obsessed owl, Celeste. While Blathers the owl diligently curates the island museum, his younger sister Celeste looks to the stars, instead. The character arrived in the franchise in Wild World and has since become a fan favorite thanks to her charming appearance and personality.

Despite not being a permanent resident in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Celeste has remained popular enough to get her own LEGO set in January of this year. Redditor AntBandit used the Stargazing with Celeste LEGO kit to create a sweet short stop-motion animation of the little owl camping out. Many fans praise the animator for their creation, which utilizes stop-motion for a handmade but professional feel.

Celeste Shines As The Star In Fan-Made Animal Crossing LEGO Animation

The Stop-Motion Animation Looks Professional For Good Reason

The animation shows Celeste roasting a little LEGO marshmallow over a fire in a white forest on a moonlit night. She turns her marshmallow over a few times, briefly turning to watch a shooting star make its way across the night sky.

The lighting and animation are both incredibly smooth, due in large part to the creator's profession: "I'm a freelance animator," says AntBandit in response to a comment on the post. The Redditor works on animations for various brands, including LEGO, and does their own fan projects between jobs. Despite stop-motion art often taking a long time to create, AntBandit says this one didn't take too long since it wasn't very complicated, "maybe a couple hours to animate."

Fans are delighted at the charming animation, like Redditor Hauptstimme, who writes: "This is beyond precious!!! I hope you’ll make more of these!" AntBandit assures the community that they do want to create more of these adorable tableaus, and is currently taking recommendations and ideas for which character or scene to tackle next.

Many Animal Crossing LEGO Sets Are Slated To Retire Soon

They'll Only Be Around Until The End Of The Year

If you're thinking of recreating this animation, or simply collecting the LEGO kit it uses, you may want to act fast. Out of the 11 LEGO sets currently available featuring the Animal Crossing series, eight are scheduled to retire on December 31 of this year. Luckily for fans of this particular set, Stargazing with Celeste won't be retiring until December 31, 2026 (though keep in mind that this date is subject to change).

Other kits in the series include popular characters like Isabelle and the Kapp'n, and beloved villagers like Rosie, Marshal, and Fauna. Fans can still get hold of these kits through official channels until the end of this year. With all the kits on hand, Animal Crossing fans can even combine them into their dream island while they wait for any announcements about the next title in the franchise.

Source: AntBandit/Reddit, Hauptstimme/Reddit