In a year in which the film industry was still in disruption because of the formidable powers of digital streaming, stop-motion animation — maybe the most analog of all styles of filmmaking — has had a peak year, with three features vying for awards and shorts introducing powerful new talents. It definitely hasn’t always been like this, but several stop-motion helmers hope the trend continues.
The stop-motion films “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” “Wendell & Wild,” and “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” were all released in 2022, which is rare since the techniques used to make stop motion can be incredibly detailed and often require dozens of artists to be shooting scenes for the film if it’s ever to be completed in a reasonable amount of time. Add to that the need for, among others, hundreds of replacement faces for the various puppets, clothing made of fabric scaled down for...
The stop-motion films “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” “Wendell & Wild,” and “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” were all released in 2022, which is rare since the techniques used to make stop motion can be incredibly detailed and often require dozens of artists to be shooting scenes for the film if it’s ever to be completed in a reasonable amount of time. Add to that the need for, among others, hundreds of replacement faces for the various puppets, clothing made of fabric scaled down for...
- 1/10/2023
- by Karen Idelson
- Variety Film + TV
This week, the pioneering studio Laika returns with “Missing Link,” the stop-motion animated family film starring Hugh Jackman and Zach Galifianakis. With “Missing Link” landing in theaters on Friday, TheWrap looks back at the history of stop-motion animation, going all the way back to the dawn of cinema.
“The Humpty Dumpty Circus” (1898)
The first ever stop-motion animated film was made by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith between 1897 and 1898, “The Humpty Dumpty Circus.” Though the film is lost to history, the directors used their daughter’s dolls to imagine acrobats and animals in motion.
“The Enchanted Drawing” (1900) and “The Trip to the Moon” (1902)
Early cinema experimented with editing techniques to create illusions and special effects on screen in what would become traditional stop motion. Shorts like “The Enchanted Drawing” (1900) or “Fun in a Bakery Shop” (1902) found actors on screen manipulating drawings or piles of dough as if by magic.
“The Humpty Dumpty Circus” (1898)
The first ever stop-motion animated film was made by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith between 1897 and 1898, “The Humpty Dumpty Circus.” Though the film is lost to history, the directors used their daughter’s dolls to imagine acrobats and animals in motion.
“The Enchanted Drawing” (1900) and “The Trip to the Moon” (1902)
Early cinema experimented with editing techniques to create illusions and special effects on screen in what would become traditional stop motion. Shorts like “The Enchanted Drawing” (1900) or “Fun in a Bakery Shop” (1902) found actors on screen manipulating drawings or piles of dough as if by magic.
- 4/12/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
This week Wes Anderson returns to stop motion animation with “Isle of Dogs,” his first animated film since 2009’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” The movie is bursting with voice talent and Anderson’s irreverent sensibilities, but it’s still rare to see such a high profile filmmaker working in the medium. In honor of the film’s release, TheWrap looks back at the history of stop motion animation, charting a timeline that goes all the way back to the dawn of cinema. “The Humpty Dumpty Circus” (1898) The first ever stop-motion animated film was made by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith between 1897...
- 3/19/2018
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ (Courtesy: Laika)
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
If the nominations for best animated feature this year tell us anything it’s that we might be experiencing a comeback for stop-motion animation. Two of this year’s nominees are stop-motion films: Kubo and the Two Strings (a critically acclaimed letdown at the box office) and My Life as a Zucchini (which just so happens to be a foreign film, too). Let’s look at the relatively recent history of the best animated feature category to see how stop-motion is coming into its own and theorize on why that could be happening.
In addition to Kubo and the Two Strings and My Life as a Zucchini in the best animated feature category, there’s a solid showing by other styles. There are two Disney hits, Zootopia and Moana, that feature computer animation and one Studio Ghibli underdog,...
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
If the nominations for best animated feature this year tell us anything it’s that we might be experiencing a comeback for stop-motion animation. Two of this year’s nominees are stop-motion films: Kubo and the Two Strings (a critically acclaimed letdown at the box office) and My Life as a Zucchini (which just so happens to be a foreign film, too). Let’s look at the relatively recent history of the best animated feature category to see how stop-motion is coming into its own and theorize on why that could be happening.
In addition to Kubo and the Two Strings and My Life as a Zucchini in the best animated feature category, there’s a solid showing by other styles. There are two Disney hits, Zootopia and Moana, that feature computer animation and one Studio Ghibli underdog,...
- 1/27/2017
- by Carson Blackwelder
- Scott Feinberg
Sean Wilson Sep 16, 2016
With Kubo & The Two Strings now playing, we salute some of our favourite stop motion animated movies...
With Laika's visually sumptuous and breathtaking stop motion masterpiece Kubo And The Two Strings dazzling audiences throughout the country, what better time to celebrate this singular and remarkable art form?
The effect is created when an on-screen character or object is carefully manipulated one frame at a time, leading to an illusion of movement during playback - and such fiendishly intricate work, which takes years of dedication, deserves to be honoured. Here are the greatest examples of stop motion movie mastery.
The Humpty Dumpty Circus (1898)
What defines the elusive appeal of stop motion? Surely a great deal of it is down to the blend of the recognisable and the uncanny: an simulation of recognisably human movement that still has a touch of the fantastical about it. These contradictions were put...
With Kubo & The Two Strings now playing, we salute some of our favourite stop motion animated movies...
With Laika's visually sumptuous and breathtaking stop motion masterpiece Kubo And The Two Strings dazzling audiences throughout the country, what better time to celebrate this singular and remarkable art form?
The effect is created when an on-screen character or object is carefully manipulated one frame at a time, leading to an illusion of movement during playback - and such fiendishly intricate work, which takes years of dedication, deserves to be honoured. Here are the greatest examples of stop motion movie mastery.
The Humpty Dumpty Circus (1898)
What defines the elusive appeal of stop motion? Surely a great deal of it is down to the blend of the recognisable and the uncanny: an simulation of recognisably human movement that still has a touch of the fantastical about it. These contradictions were put...
- 9/8/2016
- Den of Geek
With the recent release of “Kubo and the Two Strings,” Vimeo user Vugar Efendi decided to create a three-minute video essay about the evolution of stop-motion. Featuring films like “The Enchanted Drawing,” the 1933 film “King Kong,” “Star Wars: A New Hope,” “A Nightmare Before Christmas” and many more, the filmmaker takes viewers all the way back to the early 1900s to show how the animation technique has changed and improved over time.
Read More: Stanley Kubrick & Andrei Tarkovsky’s Cinematic Styles Are Compared In Beautiful Video Essay
One of the first uses of stop-motion is credited to Albert E. Smith and J. Stuart Blackton for the 1898 film “The Humpty Dumpty Circus.” The 1902 movie “Fun in a Bakery Shop,” shown in the video below, was also one of the first to use the technique.
Read More: Watch: Film Imitates Art In This Beautiful Supercut
IndieWire has previously showcased Efendi’s videos...
Read More: Stanley Kubrick & Andrei Tarkovsky’s Cinematic Styles Are Compared In Beautiful Video Essay
One of the first uses of stop-motion is credited to Albert E. Smith and J. Stuart Blackton for the 1898 film “The Humpty Dumpty Circus.” The 1902 movie “Fun in a Bakery Shop,” shown in the video below, was also one of the first to use the technique.
Read More: Watch: Film Imitates Art In This Beautiful Supercut
IndieWire has previously showcased Efendi’s videos...
- 9/4/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
From George Melies through to Peter Jackson and Jj Abrams' Star Wars film, the rise, fall and rise of practical effects explored...
From the very earliest days of cinema, practical effects have been the big draw for audiences. The very first films may have wowed the crowds with images of trains pulling into a station, but it was the fantastical made real that fired the imaginations of millions, and led to film as we know it - narrative flights of fancy which have entertained and made us gasp for well over 100 years. But the last 25 years have seen practical effects fall by the wayside.
Digital effects created in a computer took over, and allowed filmmakers to dream even bigger. But practical effects are beginning to make a comeback. Some of this is due to audiences feeling the CG burnout; no longer quite believing what they’re seeing, resulting in...
From the very earliest days of cinema, practical effects have been the big draw for audiences. The very first films may have wowed the crowds with images of trains pulling into a station, but it was the fantastical made real that fired the imaginations of millions, and led to film as we know it - narrative flights of fancy which have entertained and made us gasp for well over 100 years. But the last 25 years have seen practical effects fall by the wayside.
Digital effects created in a computer took over, and allowed filmmakers to dream even bigger. But practical effects are beginning to make a comeback. Some of this is due to audiences feeling the CG burnout; no longer quite believing what they’re seeing, resulting in...
- 8/12/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
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