Some may laugh but if you haven't tried Anim8or, you might be missing something good. The more I use it the more I like it. If you do a web search you will see some really great stuff including characters. I too started wanting to do characters. I wanted to make my own MS Agent Characters. I know you can get something a lot more complex for $600 to $800 but you won't find much that is better than Anim8or for FREE. Don't mind me, I'm just a nubie.