Hailuo Live2D is an advanced AI model from Minimax that is designed to turn still images into vivid animations with smooth, stable motion, supporting a wide range of artistic styles.
curl-X POST 'https://pollo.ai/api/platform/v1/generation/minimax/video-01-live2d/video'\-H'Content-Type: application/json'\-H'x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY'\-d'{ "input": { "prompt": "A cinematic shot of a golden retriever running through a field of sunflowers at sunset, warm rim light, shallow depth of field", "image": "https://example.com/first-frame.jpg" }}'
Optionally include webhookUrl to receive a callback when the task succeeds or fails.
Optional request field
{"input":{"prompt":"A cinematic shot of a golden retriever running through a field of sunflowers at sunset, warm rim light, shallow depth of field","image":"https://example.com/first-frame.jpg"},"webhookUrl":"https://example.com/webhooks/pollo"}
Hailuo Live2D transforms still character illustrations into animated videos with subtle, stable motion across facial features, hair, and clothing while preserving the visual style of the source artwork.
With Hailuo Live2D on Pollo API, you can turn any uploaded image into a short animated clip, guided by an optional prompt, and retrieve the result through one straightforward request.
Key Features of Hailuo Live2D API
Illustration-First Animation
Generate an animated video from a single source image, with its subject, composition, and visual style as the foundation for motion.
Smooth, Stable Motion
Maintain consistent motion across the clip, with smooth movement in facial features, hair, and clothing.
Expressive Character Motion
Support subtle character movements, including head turns, gaze shifts, and gentle body sway, to animate static illustrated portraits.
Depth and Liveliness
Add perceived depth through subtle foreground and background movement, creating a parallax effect in otherwise static artwork.
Broad Style Support
Supports anime, chibi, painterly portraits, stylized mascots, and other art styles while preserving the source image’s visual characteristics.
Prompt-Guided Nuance
Accepts an optional text prompt to control the animation’s motion, mood, and pacing while preserving the source illustration’s appearance.
Use Cases of Hailuo Live2D API
VTuber and Avatar Idle Loops: Animate a character reference into a breathing, blinking idle clip for streaming overlays and virtual persona apps.
Anime Fan Art in Motion: Let communities bring their favorite illustrated characters to life with gentle, expressive movement built for sharing.
Visual Novel Character Beats: Add subtle motion to portrait sprites so dialogue scenes feel more alive inside story and game tools.
Mascot and Brand Character Clips: Turn a static brand mascot into a friendly moving icon for social posts and app onboarding.
Illustrated Sticker Packs: Convert drawn stickers and emotes into short animated versions for messaging and creator platforms.
Portrait Photo Liveliness: Animate stylized portraits and profile art into moving avatars that catch attention in feeds and galleries.
Concept Art Previews: Show a character design in motion early, giving illustrators and studios a quick feel for how a design reads animated.
How to Use Hailuo Live2D API
Get an API Key: Create a Pollo API account and generate your API key from the developer dashboard.
Choose the Model: Send your request to the Hailuo Live2D endpoint at /generation/minimax/video-01-live2d.
Add Your Inputs: Provide an image URL (JPG, PNG, or JPEG, aspect ratio within 4:1) and, optionally, a prompt to guide the motion.
Generate and Retrieve: Submit the task, poll the returned taskId for status, and download the video once it succeeds.
Prompting Best Practices for Hailuo Live2D API
Since the image carries the subject, your prompt should describe motion and mood, not appearance. Name the movement you want, keep it gentle, and let the illustration do the visual work.
A Simple Prompt Formula
Subject reference + desired motion (blink, sway, turn) + emotional tone + pacing or energy
What You Should Notice
Start With A Clean Image: Use clear, well-cropped character art so the model has a strong subject to animate.
Respect The Aspect Ratio: Keep the source within a 4:1 range so the image is accepted and framed correctly.
Describe Motion, Not Looks: Focus the prompt on movement, expression, and pacing.
Keep Actions Subtle: Specify movements such as blinking, gentle swaying, or slight head turns for controlled character animation.
Set The Mood: Add a brief emotional cue, such as calm or cheerful, to guide the animation’s overall tone.
Example Prompts
Anime Idle Loop
"The character breathes softly, hair drifting in a light breeze, eyes blinking now and then, a faint gentle smile forming. Calm, warm mood with slow, steady idle motion suited to a streaming avatar."
Visual Novel Beat
"The illustrated heroine tilts her head slightly and glances to the side, expression shifting from curious to reassured. Soft, unhurried movement that fits a quiet dialogue moment in a story scene."
Mascot Wave
"A cheerful cartoon mascot lifts one hand in a small friendly wave, bouncing lightly on its feet with bright, upbeat energy. Playful looping motion designed for app onboarding and social clips."
Painterly Portrait
"A stylized portrait comes alive as the subject's gaze slowly settles on the viewer, hair and collar shifting faintly. Contemplative mood, delicate motion preserving the original painterly brushwork."
Hailuo Live2D vs Kling Image-to-Video vs Vidu
Capability
Hailuo Live2D
Kling Image-to-Video
Vidu
Illustration and character focus
✅ Built for animating drawn art
✅ Handles art, tuned for realism
✅ Strong with anime characters
Motion style
Subtle, stable Live2D-style movement
Broad, dynamic camera and action
Character-driven animated motion
Input
Single image, optional prompt
Image plus prompt
Image or reference plus prompt
Preserves original art
✅ Keeps the source look intact
✅ Mostly, with more restyling
✅ Good style retention
Best fit
Avatars, VTubers, illustrated characters
General image-to-video shots
Anime scenes and characters
Recommended For
Bringing static illustrations to life
Dynamic real-world motion
Stylized anime storytelling
Why Choose Hailuo Live2D API?
Hailuo Live2D is a practical choice for projects that require controlled animation of illustrated characters. It supports single-image input, prompt-guided motion, subtle character movement, and source-style preservation, making it suitable for avatars, visual novels, animated artwork, mascots, and character-based content workflows.
Through Pollo API, Hailuo Live2D can be accessed alongside other video models through a single API, simplifying evaluation, integration, and deployment.
Hailuo Live2D API FAQs
What is Hailuo Live2D?
Hailuo Live2D is a Minimax model that animates a single still image into a short video, giving illustrated characters expressive, stable motion across a wide range of art styles.
What input does Hailuo Live2D API need?
It requires one image URL in JPG, PNG, or JPEG format, with an optional text prompt to guide the motion and mood of the animation.
What kind of motion does it create?
It produces smooth, subtle movement such as blinks, head turns, and gentle sway, giving static artwork a lively, present feel rather than large dramatic action.
Does it work with anime and stylized art?
Yes. The model supports a broad range of styles, from anime and chibi to painterly portraits, animating each while keeping the original look intact.
Can I control the animation with a prompt?
Yes. A prompt is optional and best used to describe the desired motion, pacing, and mood, since the uploaded image already defines the subject and style.
Why run Hailuo Live2D through Pollo API?
Pollo API gives one integration for Hailuo Live2D and 300+ other models, with clean documentation, task tracking, and lower-cost generation than comparable providers.
