Laika Studios is lead producer of stop motion animation films. Stop motion animation is a type of animation where physical objects are moved frame-by-frame to create a video. How are stop motion animation movies made? How else is stop motion animation used?

Stop motion animation movies are sometimes made using puppets.  The puppets often have some pretty complex movement in order to capture body and facial movements. These puppets are incredibly expensive. Some of them cost as much as $30,000. The puppets are moved and posed by the animators to bring the characters to life.  Often main characters are created using more than one puppet. In Corpse Bride the Corpse Bride was animated using 14 different puppets, and Victor had 12.

Another type of stop motion animation is claymation. For claymation a figure is sculpted. Rather than just moving the figures for the next frame, the figures are then completely remodeled or reshaped. Claymation is generally more complicated and a longer process than regular stop motion animation. Since this process is long the clay figures run the risk of drying out.  Because of this the animators generally use a clay called Plasticine.

Stop motion animation isn’t just used to make a full movie. It’s also used to create special effects. Some of the earliest special effects were created using stop motion animation. The silent film A Trip to the Moon used stop motion animation to create some of the visual effects.  Blockbusters like the first Star Wars movies also used stop motion animation for the visual effects.

Stop motion animation is a long process that yields incredible results. It allows for amazing movies and stunning visual effects. What’s your favorite stop motion animation movie? Mine is Corpse Bride. If you’d like to read more about cartoons, cosplay, media, and more, then subscribe to Media Mania.