Masters of Stop-Motion: A Look at the Pioneering Animators Who Shaped the Art Form

The creative bounds of stop-motion animation in a vast sea of visual storytelling techniques are endless. The stop-motion medium stands as a distinct genre, one that utilizes and manipulates the world’s art forms to create something magical. It is defined as a photographic method in which static objects simulate movement through frame-by-frame manipulation [1].

The earliest examples of stop-motion animation in film history can be traced back to the 1890s when Albert E. Smith and J. Stuart Blackton made The Humpty Dumpty Circus (1898). This small but groundbreaking discovery inspired other artists to push the boundaries of what’s possible in stop-motion animation, influencing films we watch to this day.

With Coraline coming back to theaters nationwide for its 15^th anniversary, we are exploring the evolution of stop-motion through the animators who pushed the boundaries of what’s possible.

James Stuart Blackton – the Father of American Animation.

After introducing the world to stop-motion animation in The Humpty Dumpty Circus, James Stuart Blackton worked with Thomas Edison on the silent film The Enchanted Drawing (1900). In this film, Blackton sketches a face, a bottle of wine, a glass, a top hat, and a cigar on a large paper pad. As the image comes to life, Blackton seemingly starts to remove objects from the drawing, pulling them into reality before our eyes. Considered one of his most famous pieces of work, the short film is the first animated sequence to be filmed on 35mm.

In 1906, he patented the new technique through his studio Vitagraph, and in doing so the concept of stop-motion was born [2]. He directed another stop-motion short, Humorous Phases of Funny Faces (1906), which combined stop-motion and stick puppetry, cementing his legacy as the father of American animation. Blackton is often considered a forgotten filmmaker of “old Hollywood,” as the boom of the silent era was left behind with the invention of the talkies and the golden age of Hollywood. Even so, the foundation of stop-motion animation would not be possible without him and Vitagraph Studios (which was acquired by Warner Bros. in 1925).

Willis H. O’Brien – Classic Monsters and 3D Stop-Motion.

One of the most influential stop-motion animators in history, Willis H. O’Brien invented the 3D stop-motion animation technique. His work became mainstream when the world was introduced to The Lost World (1925) and King Kong (1933). O’Brien used models to create the illusion of life by integrating them into live-action films. The model for Kong was only 18 inches in height, yet he felt like an immortal colossus on the big screen. This was largely due to camera techniques and moving the model frame by frame, while painted glass was placed in the foreground of each sequence.

Mighty Joe Young (1949) earned O’Brien an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. He refused to accept the same award a decade earlier for King Kong, because he insisted that his entire crew should receive awards rather than himself [3]. His influence helped shape and mentor the most famous animator of all time, Ray Harryhausen.

Ray Harryhausen – the Golden Age of Special Effects.

“Without Ray Harryhausen, there would likely have been no Star Wars.” – George Lucas

Pioneer of Dynamation, the technique of live-action actors interacting with stop motion animation to convey realism in special effects, Ray Harryhausen pushed the envelope of what was possible within this art form.

Legendary filmmakers James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and Henry Selick have all publicly stated that his animation had an enormous impact on their careers [4]. Harryhausen brought to life some of the most memorable creations in what has been defined as the golden age of special effects. His career started in 1949 after meeting and working with his idol, Willis H. O’Brien, on Mighty Joe Young. During this time, animators were trying to add a level of believability and realism to these special effects, and Harryhausen took that to heart.

His first stab at this was the 1953 film The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. Considered the first great monster movie of the 1950s and an influence for the 1954 Godzilla, Harryhausen’s ability to create a believable monster that wreaked havoc on New York made it timeless. However, his legacy as a special-effects pioneer was cemented in the technicolor film The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958).

Harryhausen always felt that stop-motion could be used for more than creatures and wanted to show audiences something they had never seen before. Viewers were treated to living skeletons, Cyclops, two-headed birds, and a Medusa figure battling in a mythical world. This film inspired generations and paved the way for other classics such as J ason and the Argonauts (1963), First Men in the Moon (1964), and Clash of the Titans (1981).

Art Clokey – Grand Father of Claymation.

Considered the grandfather of Claymation, Art Clokey left a lasting impression on animation. His career started with stop motion and live-action commercials for Andersen’s Pea Soup. Brands such as Coca-Cola and Budweiser saw these and hired him to produce a series featuring their products.

In 1955, he and his wife Ruth began working on a Claymation story involving a green amorphous figure with an orange hairdo. This became Gumby; his adventures became a symbol of nostalgia for adults who grew up in the ‘50s and ‘60s. The Gumby Show influenced countless animators and filmmakers such as Tim Burton and Nick Park. In addition, Art Clokey’s innovative Claymation paved the way for other iconic characters such as Wallace and Gromit [5].

Jiří Trnka – the Walt Disney of the East.

Known as the puppet master and the Walt Disney of the East, Jiří Trnka revolutionized the stop-motion puppet animation world. Preferring to use lighting, camera angels, music, and puppet gestures to tell his stories over lip-syncing and facial expressions, he started experimenting with this distinct style in his first animated film, Špalíček (1947). The film was met with international acclaim and won the Grand International Award at the Venice Film Festival. His last film, Ruka (1965), inspired Rebecca Sugar, one of the animators and writers of Adventure Time.

Henry Selick – the New Age of Stop-Motion.

Henry Selick was influenced by stop-motion cinema from an early age. His first theatrical experience was Ray Harryhausen’s The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, which inspired the young filmmaker to pursue animation [6]. He took this passion to CalArts where he was introduced to puppet animation from Eastern Europe. This translated into a series of short films before he partnered with classmate Tim Burton to make The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).

Originally conceived as a 30-minute tv special, the film proved to be a breakout for Selick. Using 227 puppets and over 109,000 individual stop-motion frames, The Nightmare Before Christmas paid homage to German Expressionism. He pushed the envelope of stop-motion again with James and the Giant Peach (1996), and arguably his most important film to the art form Coraline (2009).

Working with the award-winning LAIKA Studios, Selick chose to shoot Coraline in 3D, making it the first ever stop-motion to be shot this way. Both he and his cinematographer Peter Kozachik wanted to build a distinct visual language that would subtly bring contrast between the different worlds that Coraline occupies. The film grossed over $124 million dollars, making it the third highest-grossing stop-motion film of all time. [6].

Henry Selick continues to push the boundaries of stop-motion animation, making his stories and art one of the most impactful of his generation.