By: Dona
Wes Anderson’s newest stop-motion feature film, “Isle of Dogs”, has renewed my interest in stop-motion animation. The intricacy, craftsmanship, and patience required in making these films is something that I respect. It’s old-school cool. Are you a fan of Gumby? Or are you more of a Celebrity Deathmatch sort of person? Whatever rocks your boat, here’s a list of a few stop-motion videos to get inspired by:
Dog
Let’s start off the list with Dog by Suzie Templeton. This film made me start to wonder if stop-motion animators are generally dog people. This thought-provoking film won both a British Animation Award and the BAFTA for short animation in 2002.
Fell in Love with a Girl
Next on our list is a music video by one of my favorite bands of all time: The White Stripes! Yey! Biases aside, this music video was made by Michel Gondry using LEGO bricks. Quick trivia: Before the video premiered, Jack White tried to strike a deal with the toy company to package the record with boxes of bricks that fans could use to build little Jacks and Megs. LEGO scoffed at the proposal, but after the video blew up, they came crawling back and said, “Let’s do it!”—to which Jack White replied with a big, fat, “Hell no.”
The Little Prince
I can’t believe is eye candy of a movie came out three years ago already. Loosely based on Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s beloved children’s novel, it’s the tale of a disaffected young girl looking to escape the unfeeling world in which she lives by taking solace in a local aviator’s remarkable stories.
Deer Flower
Another stunner, Deer Flower is based on Director Kangmin Kim’s “most beautiful, but terrible” experience of his life - the time he had to drink deer blood. Kim was a sickly kid growing up in Korea and he recalls not-so-fondly, “my parents tried many different types of health food, believing they would make me healthier. Deer blood was one of them.” The experience, later on, inspired this movie. Squeamish much? The storyline may sound gory, but I promise you it isn’t.
Fantastic Planet
Fantastic Planet is a 1973 classic animated science fiction film. This one doesn’t look like your typical stop-motion movie. These are Daliesque 2D pen and ink drawings meticulously positioned and photographed frame by frame. It portrays an allegorical story in which humans are depicted as animals dominated by giant aliens.
Fun in a Bakery Shop
Last on our list is actually one of the first stop-motion animations ever made. Fun in a Bakery Shop was made by Edwin S. Porter and produced by none other than Thomas Edison in 1902. This film features a baker having - you guessed it - fun in a bakery shop. Enjoy!
Featured Article
