Animate

An animate effect or spell is one that turns a non-creature into a creature, most of the times for a certain amount of time. The mechanic was first introduced in Alpha with Animate Artifact, Animate Dead and Mishra's Factory.

Examples

Animated Artifacts

Self-animating

• Chimeric Staff, and other Chimeric artifacts
• Darksteel Brute
• Jade Idol and all other Idols
• Slumbering Tora
• Stalking Stones

Animate others

• Karn's Touch
• Karn, Silver Golem
• March of the Machines
• Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
• Titania's Song
• Toymaker
• Xenic Poltergeist

Animated creature cards in the graveyard

• Animate Dead
• Dance of the Dead

Animated Enchantments

Self-animating

• Halcyon Glaze
• Lurking Jackals
• Still Life
• Testament of Faith
• Sleeping enchantments like the Hidden, Opal and Veiled creatures of Urza's Saga (Hidden Gibbons, Opal Acrolith, Veiled Crocodile etc.)

Animate others

• Opalescence

Animated Lands

Land is the most popular card type to be animated

• Animate Land
• Awakener Druid
• Genju of the Cedars
• Genju of the Falls
• Genju of the Fens
• Genju of the Fields
• Genju of the Realms
• Genju of the Spires
• Hunting Wilds
• Jolrael, Empress of Beasts
• Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
• Lifespark Spellbomb
• Quirion Druid
• Rude Awakening
• Soilshaper
• Vivify

If a land is self-animating its is called a manland.

Animated Planeswalkers

• Gideon Jura

Variants

• Animate Wall allows creatures with defender to attack.
• Licids and Soul Sculptor turn creatures into enchantments.

"Artifact-ize"

There are spells or effects that turn non-artifacts into artifacts.

• Argent Mutation
• Ashnod's Transmogrant
• Liquimetal Coating
• Memnarch
• Mycosynth Lattice
• Myr Landshaper
• Neurok Transmuter
• Phyrexian Metamorph
• Silverskin Armor
• Thran Forge
• Transmogrifying Licid
• Xathrid Gorgon