Groningen: Storyworld Museum at Forum Groningen

Comics come alive on Groningen’s sixth floor. Storyworld makes the creative work behind comics, animation, and games easy to grasp, with original pieces linked to Tintin, Asterix, The Lion King, Shaun the Sheep, and Horizon Forbidden West. I like the hands-on exhibits, and I like that you can make a cartoon, stop-motion video, or game instead of only looking at framed artwork.

The $12 admission is fair if you enjoy popular culture or are visiting with children. My main caution is that the museum’s appeal depends on your interests. If comics, animation, and games leave you cold, Storyworld may feel small for the price.

You will find Storyworld inside Forum Groningen, a major cultural building with a library, cinema, temporary exhibition rooms, and a roof terrace. Plan extra time for the building itself, especially if you want a city view after seeing the museum.

Key points to know before visiting

• Original work from famous productions: See material connected with Tintin, Asterix, The Lion King, Shaun the Sheep, Batman, and Horizon Forbidden West.
• Interactive learning: The displays explain how cartoons and games work, not just what they look like.
• Make your own media: Try creating a cartoon, stop-motion video, or game through the museum’s interactive installations.
• Sixth-floor setting: Storyworld is part of Forum Groningen, with a roof terrace offering views across the city.
• Good for families and curious adults: The museum is designed to be child-friendly without limiting itself to very young children.
• Practical price and access: Admission costs $12 per person, information is available in Dutch and English, and the museum is wheelchair accessible.

What Storyworld adds to a Groningen visit

Groningen has a strong cultural life, and Forum Groningen gathers several useful attractions under one roof. Storyworld is on the sixth floor, so it works well as part of a larger stop rather than an isolated museum visit. You can combine it with the library, a film at the cinema, one of the exhibition rooms, or the roof terrace.

The museum focuses on three related forms: comics, animation, and games. That mix matters. A comic uses still images and panels to guide your eye. Animation adds movement and timing. Games add rules, choice, and interaction. Storyworld helps you see the links between them.

I like this approach because it gives the visit a clear purpose. You are not simply walking past famous characters. You are learning how creators use images, motion, sound, and decisions to tell a story.

The museum also has a broad pop-culture range. Tintin and Asterix represent classic European comics. The Lion King and Shaun the Sheep point toward animation and screen production. Batman brings another major comic character into the mix, while Horizon Forbidden West shows how modern games rely on art, character design, and world building.

That variety gives different visitors an entry point. You might come for classic comics, stay for animation, and end up spending time with game design. If you are bringing children, the familiar characters can draw them in before the interactive parts take over.

Reaching the sixth floor of Forum Groningen

Storyworld is located on the sixth floor of Forum Groningen. The setting is important because the museum is part of a larger public building, not a separate old-style gallery with a long series of quiet rooms.

You should allow time to find Storyworld within Forum and to see what else is open during your visit. The building includes a library, a cinema, two exhibition rooms, and a roof terrace. That makes Forum a useful rainy-day stop or a good place to spend several hours around a museum visit.

The roof terrace is one of the best reasons to add a little time after Storyworld. You get a view across Groningen, which gives you a quick sense of the city’s layout. The terrace also changes the rhythm of the visit. After focusing on small drawings, production material, and interactive screens, you can step outside and look across the city.

The information at Storyworld is offered in Dutch and English. That makes the museum practical for international visitors, though the attraction itself relies heavily on visual material and interactive learning.

Original art from Tintin, Asterix, and Batman

The original works are a major reason to visit. Seeing a finished character on a screen is different from seeing the work used to develop that character or production. The museum presents material from international creators and productions, including Tintin, Asterix, The Lion King, Shaun the Sheep, Batman, and Horizon Forbidden West.

For comic fans, Tintin and Asterix connect Storyworld with the long tradition of European comics. These characters are instantly recognizable, but the value is in looking beyond the printed page. Original work lets you pay attention to line, layout, expressions, and the choices that help a story read clearly.

Batman adds a different flavor. The character has appeared across comics, animation, film, and games, so Batman fits naturally into Storyworld’s three-part focus. You can think about how a character changes when the same idea moves from a page to a moving image or an interactive screen.

The Lion King and Shaun the Sheep help explain animation from two very different directions. One is a large international production with a highly developed visual style. The other is known for stop-motion work and a strong physical sense of movement. Together, they can help you notice how animators create personality without relying only on dialogue.

Horizon Forbidden West gives the games section a modern reference point. Game art is not simply decoration. Characters, settings, objects, and visual clues all help a player understand the world and decide where to go. The museum uses this wider idea of storytelling to connect games with comics and animation.

The exact exhibition changes, so check the current display before you go. The permanent subject remains comics, animation, and games, but the featured material may vary. If you have a particular production in mind, confirm that it is part of the current exhibition rather than assuming every named example will be on display at the same time.

Interactive installations that explain how stories work

Storyworld’s interactive installations are central to the visit. They help you understand how a cartoon or game is made by letting you test ideas instead of only reading about them.

You might examine how a sequence becomes understandable, how movement changes a character, or how a game communicates its rules. The supplied information does not specify every installation or the exact layout, so I would treat the museum as a place for experimentation rather than expect a fixed list of stations.

This makes the museum especially useful for children. Young visitors can learn through action, and adults can see the basic mechanics behind media they already enjoy. The displays are designed to be child-friendly, but the subjects are broad enough to interest older visitors who want to know how stories are built.

The interactive focus also keeps the museum from feeling like a collection of celebrity names. Famous characters may bring you through the door, but the activities explain why those characters work. You can look at a drawing, then think about movement, sequence, rules, or audience attention.

Give yourself enough time to try the activities instead of rushing past them. A quick visit can still show you the main displays, but the museum’s best value comes from engaging with the installations.

Making a cartoon, stop-motion video, or game

The most direct part of the visit is the chance to create something yourself. Storyworld lets you make a cartoon, stop-motion video, or game through its interactive features.

That hands-on choice is useful because it turns a complex creative process into a small personal experiment. You do not need to be an artist or programmer to understand that a story requires choices. A character needs a look, movement needs timing, and a game needs rules or actions that make sense to the player.

Stop-motion is particularly well matched to the museum’s subject. Shaun the Sheep provides a clear connection to that form, while the activity gives you a basic sense of how separate images can become movement. You might find that even a short sequence requires more planning than expected.

The cartoon activity works in a similar way. A finished cartoon can look effortless, but creating one forces you to consider images in order. A small change in expression or position can alter the meaning of a scene.

The game-making activity gives the visit another useful layer. Games are not only pictures on a screen. They need interaction, goals, and a system that responds to the player. Storyworld’s creative installations help you see that difference.

These activities are also a good reason to visit with children who do not normally enjoy museums. Instead of asking them to remain quiet and look closely at objects, Storyworld gives them a task. You can take part alongside them and discuss what makes a cartoon funny, what makes a game clear, or why a character is easy to recognize.

How long to plan for your visit

The ticket is valid for one day. The supplied booking information says to check availability for starting times, so look at the available schedule when you reserve. The museum’s own displays may not require a long guided tour, but your actual visit length will depend on how much time you spend with the interactive installations and the rest of Forum Groningen.

I would avoid treating Storyworld as a ten-minute photo stop. The original works can be viewed fairly quickly, but the activities reward patience. If you are visiting with children, allow extra time because they may want to repeat a creative station rather than move on after one attempt.

The larger Forum building makes it easy to extend the outing. You can visit the library, see what is playing at the cinema, look at one of the two exhibition rooms, or go to the roof terrace. These additions are not part of the Storyworld admission description itself, so check what you want to do separately when planning your day.

Because the museum is indoors and wheelchair accessible, it can fit comfortably into a city schedule in poor weather. English and Dutch information also reduce the need to prepare in advance.

Is the $12 ticket good value?

At $12 per person, Storyworld is reasonably priced for a specialized museum with original material and interactive activities. The value is strongest if you plan to use the creative stations and visit the wider Forum Groningen building.

A visitor who only wants a large collection of original comic pages may find the museum less satisfying than a traditional comics archive. Storyworld is not presented as a quiet art museum. It is an educational and playful place that explains how comics, animation, and games are made.

Families are likely to get the clearest value because several people can engage with the subject in different ways. One person may focus on Tintin or Asterix, another on The Lion King or Shaun the Sheep, and another on the game-related material.

The ticket is also easier to justify if you combine Storyworld with other Forum activities. The roof terrace alone adds a useful city stop, while the library, cinema, and exhibition rooms make the building more than a single-purpose attraction.

You can cancel up to 24 hours before the visit for a full refund, and you can reserve now while paying later. Those terms help if your Groningen schedule is still changing. They do not change the museum’s content, but they reduce the risk of booking too early.

Who should visit Storyworld?

I would recommend Storyworld most strongly to:

• Families looking for an indoor activity with creative tasks
• Comic fans interested in original work from European and international productions
• Animation fans who want to think about movement and production
• Game players curious about visual design and interactive storytelling
• Adults who enjoy learning how familiar media are made
• Visitors already planning to spend time at Forum Groningen

You may want to choose another attraction if you prefer historic objects, classical art, or a large collection that can fill an entire day by itself. Storyworld has a focused subject and a playful style.

The museum also works well for mixed-age groups. Someone who knows little about comics or games can still follow the visual explanations, while a fan can look more closely at the original material and creative process.

Practical booking and access advice

Admission is $12 per person, and the ticket is valid for one day. Check the available starting times before reserving, since the booking system may show specific time options.

Information is available in English and Dutch, and the host or greeter can speak either language. The museum is wheelchair accessible, which makes it a practical choice for visitors who need an accessible cultural activity in Groningen.

Storyworld is operated by Forum Groningen. You will find it on the sixth floor, so include time to reach the museum inside the building. If the weather is clear, keep the roof terrace in your plans because it gives you a broad view of Groningen after the indoor exhibits.

Should you book Storyworld?

Book Storyworld if you like comics, animation, games, or hands-on museum activities. The strongest reasons are the original works tied to well-known productions and the chance to create your own cartoon, stop-motion video, or game.

I would especially recommend it for families and for visitors who want a break from traditional museums. The $12 price makes sense when you take time with the interactive displays and add the Forum building’s other cultural spaces.

Skip it if you want a large, traditional collection or if none of its three subjects interest you. Before booking, check the current exhibition at the Storyworld website, then match the visit with a roof terrace stop or another Forum activity for the best value.

FAQ

Where is Storyworld located?

Storyworld is on the sixth floor of Forum Groningen in Groningen, Netherlands.

How much does admission cost?

Admission costs $12 per person.

How long is the ticket valid?

The ticket is valid for one day.

What subjects does Storyworld cover?

Storyworld focuses on comics, animation, and games.

Can I see original artwork?

Yes. The museum presents original work connected with creators and productions such as Tintin, Asterix, The Lion King, Shaun the Sheep, Batman, and Horizon Forbidden West.

Can I create anything at the museum?

Yes. Interactive installations let you create a cartoon, stop-motion video, or game.

Is information available in English?

Yes. Information is offered in English and Dutch.

Is Storyworld wheelchair accessible?

Yes. The museum is wheelchair accessible.

Can I cancel my booking?

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. You can also reserve now and pay later.