Seeking brilliant stop-action animation
May 29, 2014 1:56 PM Subscribe
Mr. Hublot, the animated short film that won the Academy Award this year, is incredibly wonderful, and I want to find more films like it (or at least as well-made as that one).
Mr. Hublot is the most perfect bit of stop-action animation I've seen yet. I love pretty much everything about it—from the pacing, to the stitching of the furniture and the guy's leather coat, to the music. It also has some really great perspective shots in it, and the central story is quite moving.
A couple super-short trailers should shed some light on how beautifully crafted it is.
Now that I've been spoiled by this film, I'm looking for more great (not necessarily steampunk) stop-action animation that is beautifully made. Know of some?
Mr. Hublot is the most perfect bit of stop-action animation I've seen yet. I love pretty much everything about it—from the pacing, to the stitching of the furniture and the guy's leather coat, to the music. It also has some really great perspective shots in it, and the central story is quite moving.
A couple super-short trailers should shed some light on how beautifully crafted it is.
Now that I've been spoiled by this film, I'm looking for more great (not necessarily steampunk) stop-action animation that is beautifully made. Know of some?
Mary and Max.
Paranorman.
Peter & the Wolf.
Robot Chicken.
All of which are on Netflix!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:15 PM on May 29, 2014
Paranorman.
Peter & the Wolf.
Robot Chicken.
All of which are on Netflix!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:15 PM on May 29, 2014
Henry Selick's films:
The Nightmare Before Christmas
James & the Giant Peach
Coraline
P.S., I hate to break it to you, but Mr. Hublot was not stop-motion, it was computer animated. You might want to expand your search to include CGI animation as well, if you liked the style of that film.
posted by overeducated_alligator at 2:19 PM on May 29, 2014 [2 favorites]
The Nightmare Before Christmas
James & the Giant Peach
Coraline
P.S., I hate to break it to you, but Mr. Hublot was not stop-motion, it was computer animated. You might want to expand your search to include CGI animation as well, if you liked the style of that film.
posted by overeducated_alligator at 2:19 PM on May 29, 2014 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Crazy! I totally didn't realize it's all computer generated. I mean, some of it is obviously CGI, like the food bowl, but I thought the main characters were stop-action. Thanks, and yeah, I guess I might be looking for CGI stuff too then, which I thought I didn't like. Pixar stuff has always been a huge turn-off for me—yep, all of it. But I've always loved Svankmajer and the brothers Quay, for reference. Thanks for the info!
posted by heyho at 2:35 PM on May 29, 2014
posted by heyho at 2:35 PM on May 29, 2014
So...nobody has mentioned Wallace & Gromit yet? Several short films, and there is a bunch of other stuff from Aardman Animations.
posted by madmethods at 2:38 PM on May 29, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by madmethods at 2:38 PM on May 29, 2014 [6 favorites]
This FPP, The Bug Trainer, may pique your interest.
posted by MonkeyToes at 2:49 PM on May 29, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by MonkeyToes at 2:49 PM on May 29, 2014 [1 favorite]
The Brothers Quay are pretty amazing stop-action animators.
posted by nanook at 3:17 PM on May 29, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by nanook at 3:17 PM on May 29, 2014 [3 favorites]
A bunch of Yuri Norshteyn stuff:
Hedgehog in the Fog
Fox And Rabbit
The Heron and the Crane
My Green Crocodile
posted by edgeways at 3:56 PM on May 29, 2014 [1 favorite]
Hedgehog in the Fog
Fox And Rabbit
The Heron and the Crane
My Green Crocodile
posted by edgeways at 3:56 PM on May 29, 2014 [1 favorite]
Mary and Max
Be warned though, it's a tad melancholy.
posted by M Edward at 4:10 PM on May 29, 2014 [2 favorites]
Be warned though, it's a tad melancholy.
posted by M Edward at 4:10 PM on May 29, 2014 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Oh my God, have you looked at the NFB website? ( in Canada- it's the National Film Board). There are hundreds of free things you can look at there. Oh my, you must check it out.
NFB.ca.
Check out Madame Tutli Putli.
Check out their entire collection of animated shorts
posted by winterportage at 7:36 PM on May 29, 2014 [1 favorite]
NFB.ca.
Check out Madame Tutli Putli.
Check out their entire collection of animated shorts
posted by winterportage at 7:36 PM on May 29, 2014 [1 favorite]
I recommend Pat & Mat -- animated shorts from 70s-80s Czechoslovakia. You can find some on YouTube.
posted by edlundart at 12:25 AM on May 30, 2014
posted by edlundart at 12:25 AM on May 30, 2014
The Eagleman Stag is absolutely spectacular: ambitious, dense, dark and visually arresting. I think about it once a week. I bring it up in random conversations. It lives somewhere far away from the rounded, warm and comforting Pixar aesthetic, while still being somehow strangely comforting.
posted by distorte at 2:26 AM on May 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by distorte at 2:26 AM on May 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
Check out the stuff by Semafor Studio in Lodz, Poland. They received an Oscar in 2008 for Peter and the Wolf.
posted by rpfields at 2:03 PM on May 30, 2014
posted by rpfields at 2:03 PM on May 30, 2014
I second distorte's suggestion of watching The Eagleman Stag.
Other than that, here's a list that I've not sorted in any way, except to exclude a couple that have already been mentioned. A couple of these are werid/violent/disturbing
I Live in the Woods
"The Dragon" commercial
Crocodile Journals
Fresh Guacamole
Western Spaghetti
Screen Play
Vincent
38-39°C
Crank Balls
For Sock's Sake
Oedipus
Visit
posted by TheNegativeInfluence at 7:01 PM on May 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
Other than that, here's a list that I've not sorted in any way, except to exclude a couple that have already been mentioned. A couple of these are werid/violent/disturbing
I Live in the Woods
"The Dragon" commercial
Crocodile Journals
Fresh Guacamole
Western Spaghetti
Screen Play
Vincent
38-39°C
Crank Balls
For Sock's Sake
Oedipus
Visit
posted by TheNegativeInfluence at 7:01 PM on May 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
The same director who made the above-mentioned "Mary and Max" also directed this wonderful, touching short: Harvie Krumpet, which you can watch in its entirety at the link. It also won the Oscar for Best Animated Short in its year.
posted by sidi hamet at 2:13 AM on May 31, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by sidi hamet at 2:13 AM on May 31, 2014 [1 favorite]
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posted by Confess, Fletch at 2:02 PM on May 29, 2014 [3 favorites]