On this page
- Short answer
- How to make a microdrama, step by step
- Example episode ideas for a 3-episode series
- What a microdrama costs in Kartoonz
- What is a microdrama?
- An example 3-episode series outline
- Writing the hook and the cliffhanger
- Keeping the same cast in every episode
- Styles: cartoon, anime, 3D, fruit dramas and animal dramas
- Posting the series
- Frequently asked questions
Short answer
A microdrama is a drama series told in very short vertical episodes that open on a hook and end on a cliffhanger. To make one with AI, write a one-line premise, save your lead and rival as character images, then open Kartoonz, add the cast with the lead first, choose portrait 9:16 and a length of 1 minute to 2 minutes, and use Shape the story first to put the hook in the opening line and the cliffhanger in the last. A 1.5 minutes episode costs 189 credits on Seedance 2.0 Mini or 284 credits on Seedance 2.0, captions included.
Try this in the studio
How to make a microdrama, step by step
- 1
Write the premise
One or two lines: who your lead is, what they want and who stands in the way. Big, simple stakes work best: a secret, a betrayal, a rivalry, a second chance.
- 2
Save the cast
Design a lead, a rival and one supporting character in the character studio, or upload drawings you own. Keep each image in your assets with a clear name.
- 3
Outline the season
List the episodes before you make any: one line each for the hook, what happens and the cliffhanger. Three episodes is enough to test the series.
- 4
Set up episode one
Open Kartoonz, paste the episode idea, add the cast with the lead first, and pick portrait 9:16, a style and a length. Keep these settings for the whole series.
- 5
Shape the hook and the cliffhanger
Choose Shape the story first. Read the story, move the most surprising line to the very start, and make sure the last line leaves a question open. Writing and editing the story costs no credits.
- 6
Make it, post it, continue
Press Make my cartoon (the credits are on the button), download with or without captions and post it. For episode two, start the idea with a one-line recap of the cliffhanger.
Example episode ideas for a 3-episode series
Paste one idea per episode into Kartoonz, add Rosa first and Damien second from your assets, and choose portrait 9:16. Each idea carries its own recap, because every episode is written from the idea you give it.
Episode 1: The Eviction Notice
A drama in a tiny seaside bakery. Rosa, a young baker with flour on her apron, is icing a birthday cake when Damien, the developer's son in a sharp grey suit, slaps an eviction notice on the glass counter and says the bakery will be gone by Friday. Rosa refuses to cry in front of him. That night, alone, she cleans out her grandmother's old oven and finds a yellowed envelope hidden behind the bricks. End on Rosa reading the first line of the letter, shocked.
Episode 2: The Letter
Last time, Rosa found a hidden letter in her grandmother's oven. Now she reads it at dawn: the bakery's land was never sold, it was promised to her family forever. She marches to Damien's glass office with the letter, and his smile disappears. He asks for one day to check it. Back at the bakery, Rosa looks at the signature at the bottom of the letter for the first time. End on her whispering the surname on the signature: it is Damien's.
Episode 3: The Signature
Last time, Rosa learned the promise was signed by Damien's own grandfather. Damien arrives at the bakery at closing time, alone, holding the eviction notice. He admits he never knew about the promise and tears the notice in half. For a moment they smile at each other over the counter. Then the bell over the door rings and Damien's father walks in with two lawyers. End on Damien's face as his father says: you have no idea what you just did.
What a microdrama costs in Kartoonz
Credits per episode at the usual microdrama lengths, and a first season of 10 episodes of 1.5 minutes, from the same function the studio charges with. Each episode is charged once, when you make it. Captions add nothing.
| Model | 60 s episode | 90 s episode | 120 s episode | Season of 10 (90 s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seedance 2.5 | 252 credits | 378 credits | 504 credits | 3,780 credits |
| Seedance 2.0 | 189 credits | 284 credits | 378 credits | 2,840 credits |
| Seedance 2.0 Fast | 152 credits | 227 credits | 303 credits | 2,270 credits |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini | 126 credits | 189 credits | 252 credits | 1,890 credits |
What is a microdrama?
A microdrama (also called a micro drama, short drama or vertical drama) is a series made for phones: vertical episodes of about one to two minutes, each opening on a hook and ending on a cliffhanger, so viewers keep tapping to the next one. Apps such as ReelShort and DramaBox made the format popular with live-action shows. KreatorFlow has no connection with them.
In 2026 the format moved into AI animation: fruit characters on a dating villa and cats in tiny outfits acting out soap opera plots. Kartoonz makes the animated version: your own characters, one episode at a time, in portrait 9:16.
An example 3-episode series outline
Plan the series as a list before you make anything. Here is the outline behind the three example ideas above. Each episode has one hook, one turn and one cliffhanger, and the cliffhanger of one episode becomes the recap at the start of the next.
- Series: Second Chance Bakery. Rosa is about to lose her grandmother's seaside bakery to Damien, the developer's son.
- Cast: Rosa (lead, flour on her apron), Damien (rival, sharp grey suit), Damien's father (the real threat, appears in episode 3).
- Episode 1, The Eviction Notice. Hook: the notice slapped on the counter. Cliffhanger: a hidden letter in the old oven.
- Episode 2, The Letter. Hook: the land was never sold. Cliffhanger: the promise is signed by Damien's grandfather.
- Episode 3, The Signature. Hook: Damien tears up the notice. Cliffhanger: his father walks in with two lawyers.
Writing the hook and the cliffhanger
The first 3 seconds decide whether someone keeps watching, so open on action or a line of dialogue, never on scenery. The last seconds decide whether they watch the next episode, so end on a question: a reveal half seen, a door opening, a name said out loud.
Shape the story first is where you control both. Kartoonz writes the story and stops so you can edit it as text before anything is made: move the strongest line to the start, cut anything that explains too much, and make the final line the one you want people to remember.
- Hook ideas: a slap, a slammed door, a secret said out loud, a stranger who knows your lead's name
- Cliffhanger ideas: a letter half read, a phone that lights up with a name, someone walking in at the worst moment
- One turn per episode: a 1 to 2 minute episode has room for one big surprise, not three
Keeping the same cast in every episode
Viewers follow characters, so the cast has to look the same every time. Add the same character images to every episode and always add the lead first: the first character you add leads the story and is kept consistent from start to finish.
Kartoonz does not remember earlier episodes, so start each idea with a one-line recap of the last cliffhanger. Keep the same style, shape and model for the whole series, and the same caption look: one of 3, with 1 to 4 words per line.
Styles: cartoon, anime, 3D, fruit dramas and animal dramas
Kartoonz has 5 styles: 3D cartoon, anime, comic book, claymation and ink Toon. Pick one for the series and keep it. The style never changes the price.
Fruit dramas and animal soap operas work in any of them: describe a strawberry diva and a banana flirt, or a cat in a tiny office shirt, in your idea, or add your own character images. Kartoonz does not make photorealistic footage. For a realistic-looking cat drama or fruit drama, the AI cat drama and AI fruit drama guides show how to make it step by step in the video studio on Seedance 2.5.
Posting the series
Post episodes in order on a fixed rhythm, number them in the caption (Part 1, Part 2) and pin the first episode so new viewers can start there. Burned-in captions keep the dialogue readable with the sound off.
On a paid KreatorFlow plan you own what you create and can use it commercially. Label AI-generated content where a platform asks you to, and only use character images you have the rights to.
Frequently asked questions
What is an AI microdrama?
A short drama series in vertical episodes of about one to two minutes, each opening on a hook and ending on a cliffhanger, made with AI instead of a film crew. In Kartoonz you write the idea, add your characters and get an animated episode with sound and captions.
How long should each episode be?
Most microdrama episodes run 1 minute to 2 minutes. Kartoonz offers any length from 15 seconds up to 2 minutes in 15-second steps, and longer specials of up to 8 minutes.
Can I make it vertical for TikTok and Reels?
Yes. Choose portrait 9:16 and the whole episode is made in that shape, in 720p. Square 1:1 and landscape 16:9 are also available.
Does Kartoonz remember the last episode?
No. Each episode is written from the idea you give it, so start every idea with a one-line recap of the last cliffhanger and add the same cast, lead first. Shape the story first lets you check that the opening picks up where the last episode ended.
How much does a microdrama season cost?
With episodes of 1.5 minutes, a season of 10 costs 3,780 credits on Seedance 2.5, 2,840 credits on Seedance 2.0, 2,270 credits on Seedance 2.0 Fast or 1,890 credits on Seedance 2.0 Mini. Each episode is charged once, when you make it, and captions are included.
Can I make a fruit drama or a cat drama this way?
Yes, as an animated series in any Kartoonz style. Kartoonz has no photorealistic style, so for a realistic look use the video studio on Seedance 2.5, as the AI fruit drama and AI cat drama guides explain.
