In many ways, stop-motion is older than cinema itself. Before the arrival of celluloid film in 1888, inventions such as the zoetrope allowed audiences to view short clips made from a series of images. During the early silent film era, filmmakers used stop-motion techniques for special effects. However, for as fresh an audience as possible, stop-motion is synonymous with animated films that use puppets, clay (also called claymation), paper cutouts, or even other physical elements to tell a story. This type of animation is a labor-intensive but appreciated medium. Although stop-motion animated films can use many types of materials, they are all made by physically manipulating elements between photographed frames. The effect makes it appear as if the object is moving independently. The most productive stop-motion films come from all genres, but children’s films, art films and, surprisingly, horror films are the mainstays of stop-motion animation.
This list plays a little fast and loose with the concept of “movie. ” Includes a short film and television specials. However, all of the entries on this list have been shown on internal video and are viewed in film form. This list also prioritizes features. Movies. The motion prevention film genre is a strangely diverse field. While this is a popular strategy for family films, many films that prevent motion lean toward the grotesque, creepy, or creepy. Even some of the possible options for the family circle deal with the macabre.
This list takes several factors into account, adding quality, unique storytelling, and legacy; However, it also explicitly takes into account the look of the film. When it comes to avoiding movement, craftsmanship, design and film art are essential. The stars of many of these films are not the actors; They are physical characters built with clay and paper. While the art and character design is for all types of animation, the painstaking procedure of pre-emptive animation, along with its physical appearance, makes those films feel like art in motion.
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride is rarely the most creative film on this list, but it looks wonderful and has wonderful music. The film follows a nervous young man who marries an undead corpse before their wedding.
The film is loosely based on 17th-century Jewish folklore. The story was told to Burton by animator Joe Ranft while the two were working on The Nightmare Before Christmas. While its Jewish roots do not come through in the film, it has an almost folktale feel. Directed by Mike Johnson and Tim Burton, Corpse Bride stars Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp and Emma Watson. It is available to rent here.
The first of several movies on this list from the stop-motion animated studio Laika, Missing Link tells the story of an 1800s sasquatch in search of his lost family. Directed by Chris Butler, the film is notably much lighter than other films from Laika and feels very family-friendly.
Missing Link features an impressive cast, including Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Fry, Matt Lucas, Timothy Olyphant, Emma Thompson and Zach Galifianakis. However, it was a box office failure. Missing Link was the first non-CGI animated film to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film. It is available on streaming here.
One of several films directed by Henry Selick on this list, Wendell & Wild is a bit divisive. There are a lot of things that happen in the movie that are either a blessing or a curse. However, the animation in this film is undeniably impressive and thematically the film is interesting.
Wendell
Marcell the Shell with Shoes One may be a debatable selection for this list because it’s not a fully stop-motion animated film. The mockumentary mixes stop-motion and live-action and follows a talking shell desperate to track down his lost family.
Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, the film is based on a series of 2010s short films by Camp and Jenny Slate. The film stars Slate, Rosa Salazar, Thomas Mann, Camp, Lesley Stahl, and Isabella Rossellini. Marcell the Shell with Shoes On is a moving and immensely sweet film. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Golden Globes and Academy Awards, but lost to another stop-motion animated film, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. Marcell the Shell with Shoes On is available on platforms.
The Adventures of Prince Ahmed is a vital film in the history of animation and silent films. However, it comes with a slight warning about racist cartoons. Directed by Lotte Reiniger, the film is largely the first animated feature film and uses a strategy similar to Indonesian Sayang shadow puppet art.
The film is inspired by Hanna Diyab’s One Thousand and One Nights, though it blends several of the stories. Reiniger’s earlier film, 1922’s Cinderella, uses a similar paper cut style, establishing her as part of a group of early experimental German animators. While she continued working in cinema through the late 1970s, she had to flee Germany due to the rise of the Nazi Party and her outspoken leftwing politics. The Adventures of Prince Achmed was heavily censored in the 1920s as it included a pair of openly gay characters kissing. Reiniger was passionate about destigmatizing homosexuality and thought adding it to a children’s film was important. It is available on multiple platforms, including Kanopy for free.
Laika’s ParaNorman is a sweet film about a boy who can communicate with the dead. It’s not the studio’s most productive film, but it is a solid film with great animation. ParaNorman, the first stop-motion film to use character faces released in 3D color.
The film is also cited as the first mainstream animated film to feature an openly gay character. It was also the first PG movie to be nominated for a GLAAD Media Award.
Directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler, the film stars Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Man, Jeff Garlin, Elaine Stritch, Alex Borstein and John Goodman. It is available here.
Technically, The House is a television special. However, since it was released on Netflix and is 97 minutes long, it feels a lot like a movie. The House is a three-part horror anthology focused on families living in the same mysterious space in other eras.
The first segment is directed by Emma de Swaef and Marc James Roels, while the second comes from Niki Lindroth von Bahr. Paloma Baeza directs the third. It stars Mia Goth, Jarvis Cocker, Susan Wokoma and Helena Bonham Carter. Although The House is purposely off-putting and won’t be for everyone, it features impressive animation and a unique narrative approach. It is available to stream here.
It is surprising that a spin-off of a spin-off is as good as this film is. Shaun The Sheep Movie is based on the TV series Shaun the Sheep, which was a spin-off of the Wallace & Gromit short A Close Shave. Directed by Mark Burton and Richard Starzak, the film follows the titular sheep as he must rescue his farmer from the big city.
This film is very much for kids, but it is very charming. Inkoo Kang said of the movie in The Wrap, “Refreshingly for children (but especially for adults), there are no lessons to learn and no faults to admonish. Instead, it’s an 84-minute, dialogue-free distillation of all the innocent fun we wish childhood could be.” It is available to stream on multiple platforms.
Takehide Hori’s Junk Head is a Japanese stop-motion science fiction film about a dystopian future in which population decline is rampant. It is profound but at the same time captivating.
The film was directed almost exclusively through Hori, who not only wrote and directed Junk Head, but also sculpted characters, edited it, dubbed it, and operated the camera. This is especially impressive given that Hori was self-taught and spent seven years on the project. Brian Tellerico wrote about the film in his Fantasia Fest summary for Roger Ebert: “One sees Hori’s film marveling at the artistic achievement of his craft rather than immersed in his story; I’m not sure I can fully convey it to anyone. What is it about. . . and still cast a spell. The film is available here.
Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, is another special one. However, many rewatch each holiday season as if it were a Christmas movie, and it turns out that there isn’t a Rankin/Bass Christmas special on a list about stop-motion.
Rudolph stars Burl Ives, Billie Mae Richards and Larry Mann. Based very loosely on the Johnny Marks song of the same name, the special follows Rudolph to the island of Misfit Toys. It’s an adorable Christmas crop with now-iconic character designs. It is available for streaming here.
The Wolf House is one of the most disturbing films on this list. This is a surreal stop-motion horror film that will likely stay with audiences long after they’ve seen it. The film follows a young woman who flees a remote German colony, is chased by a wolf, and seeks refuge in a deserted house.
Directed by Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña, the film combines stop-motion and drawn animation. He also uses paper mache, clay and puppets. The film has a creepy, homespun look that sets it apart. The film can be seen streaming here.
King Kong mixes stop-motion special effects with a live-action world. Although the practice has declined, this strategy is a failure in the history of special effects. In early films, stop-motion allowed for fantasy and King Kong is a wonderful example. Willis H. O’Brien did the film’s special effects. O’Brien used a similar strategy for dinosaurs in The Lost World in 1925 and The Ghost of the Mountain Dream in 1918. However, his paintings of King Kong fostered a genre: monster movies.
King Kong follows a film crew who captures a giant ape and brings it to New York. Directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, the film stars Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong and Bruce Cabot. It was decided to preserve the film in the Library of Congress in 1991 and has encouraged sequels and remakes. You can get it here.
Directed by Wallace and Gromit’s Peter Lord and Nick Park, Chicken Run is still the highest-grossing stop-motion film ever. The film follows a cocky American rooster who must save a group of Yorkshire hens before they are turned into pot pies.
The film has fairly dark themes but balances it with homage and comedy. Chicken Run stars Mel Gibson, Phil Daniels, Lynn Ferguson, Tony Haygarth, Imelda Staunton and Julia Sawalha. The film was a co-production between Pathé and Aardman Animations in partnership with DreamWorks Animation. Chicken Run inspired the 2023 sequel Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget; however, the original film is better. It is available to rent on multiple platforms.
Street of Crocodiles is a short film, but no list on motion prevention would be complete without at least one motion prevention animation from The Brothers Quay. Street of Crocodiles follows a puppet who explores the dark and lonely world around him.
The film has been included in multiple home video releases, The Brothers Quay Collection: Ten Astonishing Short Films 1984–1993, Quay Brothers – The Short Films 1979–2003, and Phantom Museums – The Short Films of the Quay Brothers. It also was used in Christopher Nolan’s tribute documentary Quay in 2015. Unfortunately, it is currently not available on streaming.
Fantastic Planet is something of an exception on this list. To many, this may not sound like a typical prevention action. While many action-prevention movies are made of clay characters, Fantastic Planet uses cutouts, giving it a much more 2D look. feel. While the cut-out pre-sale had a moment in the 1970s, Fantastic Planet is experimental in its animation and storytelling.
Directed by René Laloux, the film tells an allegorical story about humans living on a planet invaded by giant humanoid aliens. The film won the Special Prize at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival. It was the first animated film to earn an MPAA PG score in the United States. It is available on various platforms.
You can’t talk about stop-motion cinema without Wallace and Gromit and Aardman Animations. While the duo’s shorts are arguably more famous, Wallace and Gromit have also appeared in two feature films. Directed by Nick Park and Steve Box, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is the first of their feature-length films.
The film follows Wallace and his dog, Gromit, who will have to use their pest activity to stop a giant rabbit from attacking the city. The film won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. The new Wallace and Gromit movie, Wallace
Directed by Ladislas Starevich and Irène Starevich, The Tale of the Fox is based on the medieval tales of Renard the Fox. The film follows the titular fox as he upsets the lion king. The film stars Claude Dauphin, Romain Bouquet, Laine, Sylvain Itkine and Léon Larive.
The film is the sixth animated feature film (and the third surviving one). It uses puppets and, being made in the 1930s, the animation has a wonderfully aged look. Unfortunately, it is not yet streaming and can be discovered online.
Adam Elliot’s Mary and Max keep two pen pals in their unlikely 20-year friendship. The film stars Toni Collette, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Eric Bana, with narration by Barry Humphries.
The film explores themes of loneliness, isolation, and intellectual fitness and is stunningly animated in claymation. Mary and Max used more than one hundred sets, 212 puppets and around 500 miniature props, plus a fully functional Underwood miniature typewriter, which took nine weeks to design and build. The film premiered on the opening night of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. It is available on platforms.
Co-directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is a remake of the old story of a wooden boy. The film co-written by Patrick McHale of Over the Garden Wall and stars Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Burn Gorman, Ron Perlman, John Turturro, Cate Blanchett, Tim Blake Nelson, Christoph Waltz and Tilda SwintonArray.
The film features some notable adjustments to Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel The Adventures of Pinocchio. Set 20 years after toymaker Geppetto lost his son in a World War I aerial bombardment, it examines the rise of Italian fascism between the two global wars. The film won Best Animated Feature at the Golden Globes and Academy Awards, as well as five Annie Awards. You can get it here.
While several videos on this list are aimed at children, Mad God is arguably the least suitable for younger viewers. The film is an experimental horror film that follows an unnamed killer who descends into an underworld overrun by monsters.
The film was directed by legendary special effects artist Phil Tippett. Tippett has worked on stop-motion and go-motion special effects on Star Wars, Robo-Cop, Willow, and Dragonslayer. However, Mad God is his first feature film as a director. While Tippett began racing in the task in the 1990s, he put it aside while racing in Jurrasic Park. Mad God is a dark film, but there is something undeniable about it. It is destined for cult vintage status. It is available for streaming here.
Fantastic Mr. Fox is one of two stop-motion animated films directed by Wes Anderson. If the other movie, Isle of Dogs, is wonderful, there’s something about Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Based on the story of The Call itself by Roald Dahl and co-written by Noah Baumbach, the film follows a fox who will have to protect his pregnant wife and their friends after a farm raid goes wrong.
The film features the vocal talents of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Owen Wilson and Bill Murray. Although it underperformed at the box office, it was approved by critics. The film features a lovely score by Alexandre Desplat (who also worked on Isle of Dogs). Fantastic Mr. Fox nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Score. Every shot in the film also includes orange, giving it a great autumnal glow. It is available on various platforms.
Directed by Henry Selick and produced by Tim Burton, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a stop-motion megahit. The movie has a Christmas and Halloween classic. It follows Jack Skellington, the king of Halloween Town, as he tries to take over Christmas through a mid-life crisis.
The film features an all-star cast, including Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara and Paul Reubens. However, arguably the most iconic aspect of the film is Danny Elfman’s music. While many mistakenly directed the film through Burton, he was unable to direct it due to his commitment to Batman Returns. However, the film is based on a poem that Burton wrote while working as an animator at Disney in the 1980s. Burton has directed other stop-motion animation projects, including the superbly directed short film Vincent. The Nightmare Before Christmas has a committed cult following. The film earned concerts, spin-off comics, video games, toys, a behind-the-scenes podcast, and even a seasonal theme park attraction overlay at Disney’s Haunted Mansion at Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland. Find it here.
Anomalisa is another movement prevention movie that is definitely not intended for children. The mental motion prevention comedy-drama co-directed by Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson. Kaufman also wrote the film, based on his 2005 audio piece of the same name. The film follows a motivational speaker and customer service professional whose life changes after meeting a girl.
Anomalisa stars David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tom Noonan. It premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and was subsequently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The film has been championed by critics and currently has a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. It is available on various platforms.
Coraline was Laika Studios’ first feature film (however, they were approached to paint over Corpse Bride in 2005). The studio has one of the biggest names in stop-motion animation, and that stands out with such impressive films as Coraline. Directed by Henry Selick, the film is a horror masterpiece for children.
Based on the young adult novel of the same name by Neil Gaiman, Coraline follows a young woman who discovers a sinister trading universe with a secret door. The film is a cult favorite and is enjoyed for its creepy and terrifying images. It is available for streaming here.
My Zucchini Life, also called My Zucchini Life, is a French-Swiss stop-motion animation. The film follows the formative years of a boy in an orphanage after the death of his mother. Directed by Claude Barras, the film has a French edition and an English dub. The English edition is a bit more star-studded, with performances from Nick Offerman, Amy Sedaris, Will Forte and Elliot Page. However, the French edition is more nuanced.
While the characters are colorful and the film is filled with whimsy, it isn’t afraid to explore weighty topics like abandonment and belonging. The film boasts a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. The film also won two Cesar Awards for Best Animated Film and Best Adapted Screenplay. Unfortunately, it is currently not on streaming.
Bottom Line
From upsetting horror to sweet films about clay sheep, there is so much to love about stop-motion animation. It’s a deeply artistic genre that will delight everyone from children to art-house cinema snobs.
Stop-motion animation is a strategy in which objects are photographed, psychically manipulated, and then photographed again. When those images are grouped into frames, small manipulations make the elements appear to move independently in the scene. Stop motion animators create those scenes with dolls, clay figures, and even paper cutouts.
Stop-motion animation has been used since the birth of film (and arguably before). The first stop-motion animated film was 1898’s The Humpty Dumpty Circus. While the film is now lost, it used dolls with jointed limbs to reenact a scene with acrobats and other circus performers. Since then, stop-motion has been used in many films as an animation and special effects technique.
Claymation is a subset of stop-motion animation. That is, clay animations are stop-motion videos that use clay figures instead of dolls made of other materials. Clay characters (and backgrounds) are regularly created by covering a flexible steel frame with clay. This plasticine is composed of calcium salts, Vaseline. and aliphatic acids. It is used because it does not dry out, which allows it to be replaced and manipulated between scenes.
William Harbutt developed modeling clay in 1897, and as early as 1902 in the short film Fun in the Bakeshop, it was used for this type of animation. Clay is synonymous with Aardman Animations, which has been using clay for characters such as Wallace and Gromit. Shaun the Sheep and Morph since the studio opened in 1972. However, many animators used and continued to use clay techniques.
The highest-grossing stop-motion animated film is Chicken Run from the 2000s. Lately he has been followed by Wallace.
Three stop-motion films have also held the title of highest-grossing animated film for a time: 1975’s The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix, 1993’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and Chicken Run. However, no stop-motion films are currently among the top 50 highest-grossing animated films.
There are some important decisions in stop-motion animation. Henry Selick is the noted director of The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, Monkeybone, Coraline and Wendell & Wild. Travis Knight is another big call in the industry. He is the current CEO of stop-motion animation studio Laika and has directed films such as Kubo and The Two Strings, as well as the upcoming Wildwood. He is also the producer and animator of many Laika films.
Across the Atlantic, Peter Lord founded clay studio Aardman Animations Limited and directed films such as Chicken Run and The Pirates! A bunch of misfits. He collaborates with fellow Aardman animator Nick Park, who directed the iconic clay exhibit Creature Comforts, Chicken Run, Early Man and the upcoming film Wallace.
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