The 7 Best Stop-Motion Movies Every Filmmaker Should Study

When I was a kid, I watched Jason and the Argonauts on TBS on a rainy Saturday afternoon. When it came time to fight the skeletons, I was amazed at the way the figures moved on screen. And when I found out there were whole movies made the same way, I was pretty excited.

Stop motion is one of those magical ways to tell a story that gets audiences excited by the sheer nature of how the images were captured. Let’s take a look at seven stop-motion movies that can teach you so much about the medium.

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1. The Nightmare Before Christmas

Director: Henry Selick

Writers: Screenplay by: Caroline Thompson, Adaptation by: Michael McDowell, Story by: Tim Burton

Cast (Voice Actors): Chris Sarandon (speaking voice) and Danny Elfman, (singing voice) as Jack Skellington, Catherine O’Hara as Sally, Danny Elfman as Barrel, William Hickey as Dr. Finkelstein, Ken Page as Oogie Boogie

This is probably most kids’ first introduction to stop motion. It’s such a fun and interesting movie with a lot of fantastic visuals, songs, and movements. It also is larger than life, entering the cultural lexicon and never leaving.

2. The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Director: Wes Anderson

Writers: Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach (based on the book by Roald Dahl)

Cast (Voice Actors): George Clooney as Mr. Fox, Meryl Streep as Mrs. Fox, Jason Schwartzman as Ash, Bill Murray as Badger, Willem Dafoe as Rat

Stop motion plus Wes Anderson equals something special. Anderson, known for his sumptuous production design, was absolutely perfectly paired here. Seeing his imagination in this way is worthy of many lessons.

3. Shaun the Sheep

Directors: Mark Burton, Richard Starzak

Writers:, Mark Burton, Richard Starzak

Cast (Voice Actors): Justin Fletcher as Shaun/Timmy, John Sparkes as Bitzer/The Farmer, Omid Djalili as Trumper

Once you really get into the stop-motion world, it’s fun to spend time looking at movies from different countries to see how their artists tackle the same basic shots and characters but in new and exciting ways. Like with sheep.

4. Wallace and Gromit (All of them)

• Creator: Nick Park
• Writers: Nick Park and various others depending on the specific work.
• Cast (Voice Actors): Peter Sallis as Wallace (until his retirement), Ben Whitehead has also provided the voice of Wallace.
• Wallace & Gromit series (Aardman Animations):
  • A Grand Day Out (1989)
  • The Wrong Trousers (1993)
  • A Close Shave (1995)
  • Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
  • Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

The more you watch stop motion, the more you learn to appreciate the people who have been working in the medium and pushing it forward. Nick Park’s contributions to stop motion are immeasurable. and when there’s a new movie or short to watch with these two scamps, I always tune in.

5. Chicken Run

Directors: Peter Lord, Nick Park

Writers: Karey Kirkpatrick, Peter Lord, Nick Park

Cast (Voice Actors): Mel Gibson as Rocky, Julia Sawalha as Ginger, Miranda Richardson as Mrs. Tweedy, Timothy Spall as Nick, Tony Haygarth as Mr. Tweedy

Seeing this in theaters with my family is a great memory for me. It was such a funny story and a great way to showcase visuals you couldn’t do anywhere else. The pacing in this movie is really patient, taking time to develop characters but never sacrificing comedy.

6. Kubo and the Two Strings

Director: Travis Knight

Writers: Marc Haimes, Chris Butler

Cast (Voice Actors): Art Parkinson as Kubo, Charlize Theron as Monkey/Kubo’s Mother, Matthew McConaughey as Beetle, Ralph Fiennes as Raiden the Moon King

I’m very happy the medium of stop motion has continued, and with the aid of computers and motion smoothing, it feels like some of the best stop motion movies are ahead of us. Still, you have to take the pictures and move the pieces, and that’s what keeps this such a labor-intensive process.

7. Anomalisa

Directors: Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson

Writer: Charlie Kaufman

Cast (Voice Actors): Jennifer Jason Leigh as Lisa Hesselman, David Thewlis as Michael Stone, Tom Noonan as All other voices.

There’s a part of me that would be easily convinced Charlie Kaufman sees the world in stop motion anyway. A lot of times, animation gets pushed as a medium for kids, but that’s not true. there are plenty of adults telling very adult stories in these worlds.

More Stop Motion Movies to Check Out

Here’s just a giant list of stop motion movies you should watch that hopefully inspire your creativity.

Classic Films With Stop Motion:

• The Tale of the Fox (1937)
• King Kong (1933)
• Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

Laika Studio Films:

• Coraline (2009)
• ParaNorman (2012)
• The Boxtrolls (2014)
• Missing Link (2019)

Modern Stop-Motion Highlights:

• Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
• Isle of Dogs (2018)
• Mary and Max (2009)
• My Life as a Zucchini (2016)
• Marcel the Shell With Shoes On (2021)
• Mad God (2021)
• Corpse Bride (2005)
• Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (2019)
• The Wolf House (2018)
• Wendell & Wild (2022)
• James and the Giant Peach (1996)

International Stop-Motion:

• Alice (1988)
• Street of Crocodiles (1986)
• Many of the films by Ladislas Starevich

Other Notable Stop-Motion Films:

• Early Man (2018)
• Pinocchio (1940’s many of the special effects were stop motion)
• Various Gumby and Davey and Goliath productions.
• Robot Chicken (TV series that demonstrates stop-motion’s versatility)
• Pingu (TV series)
• Creature Comforts (TV series)
• The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012)
• Loving Vincent (While primarily painted animation, some stop-motion techniques were used)
• The Adventures of Mark Twain (1985)
• Twilight of the Cockroaches (1987)
• The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb (1993)
• Monkeybone (2001)
• 9 (2009)
• Cabin Boy (1994)
• Bumpety Bump: Adventures in Magic Town (1946)
• The Magic Roundabout (2005)

Summing Up The Best Stop-Motion Movies Every Filmmaker Should Study

Now that you have a great basis, it’s time to go out and make your own movies. Who knows, someday you could be added to this list for your masterpiece!

At the end of the day, studying these movies should help you tap into your own voice and give you ideas of what you can bring to the screen.

If there are other titles to check out, please send them to me. I love this medium!

Let me know what you think in the comments.