1. A computer-implemented method for generating animated video messages using video images of human faces, the method comprising: receiving a sequence of video frames; detecting a human face within the sequence of the video frames; tracking, within the sequence of video frames, facial expression changes in the detected human face; mapping, by at least one processor, the tracked facial expression changes to three-dimensional motion data; and applying the mapped three-dimensional motion data to a three-dimensional character model to animate a face of the three-dimensional character model.