All articles tagged with #stop motion
After more than four decades of stop-motion and CGI, Phil Tippett retires and Tippett Studio sells off 273 items in an 'everything must go' fire sale, marking the end of a studio that contributed to Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Robocop and Mad God. The studio had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024 after being acquired by PhantomFX, with plans for a stop-motion feature Sentinel ultimately winding down.
Legendary animator Phil Tippett is retiring, closing Tippett Studio and auctioning decades of props, artwork, and memorabilia after the company filed for bankruptcy protection; a two-day Berkeley sale beginning August 28 features items from Star Wars, RoboCop, and Jurassic Park (plus Mad God pieces), highlighting his go-motion roots and influence on effects, while he keeps his Oscars from Return of the Jedi and Jurassic Park.
Disney+ will stream Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu, a new stop-motion series from Aardman, as the first title under a new global distribution deal with The Pokémon Company International. It will debut on Disney XD and stream on Disney+ in 2027, and the deal also includes the classic Pokémon the Series: The Beginning.
Laika released the full trailer for Wildwood, a stop-motion fantasy based on Colin Meloy’s novel, featuring a star-studded voice cast and dozens of puppets, with a haunting cover of Avicii’s Wake Me Up; the film opens October 23, 2026.
Laika’s Wildwood trailer showcases a sweeping, adult‑oriented stop‑motion fantasy from director Travis Knight, with a star-studded voice cast and visuals that suggest a major leap for the technique; the film opens October 23, 2026 through Fathom Entertainment.
The Pokémon Company revealed details about Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch'd & Pichu, a stop-motion series produced with Aardman (the Wallace and Gromit studio). Set in the Galar region (the UK-like setting from Sword and Shield), the show aims for a 2027 release, with pilot footage unveiled at Annecy. Aardman describes a hand-crafted, humorous spin on Pokémon, telling stories from the Pokémon’s viewpoint, as director Tom Parkinson and chief creative director Sarah Cox emphasized. The project marks a collaboration that blends Aardman’s stop-motion craft with Pokémon storytelling, with more material expected to follow.
Aardman Animations is collaborating on a new Pokémon series, Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch'd & Pichu, with a poster revealed at Annecy showing the duo in a mountain setting (Pichu perched on Sirfetch'd's leek) and promising a 2027 release; the project was teased in 2024 and is expected to blend stop-motion humor with Pokémon characters.
Nintendo has released a series of stop motion shorts featuring Mario and friends as part of the 'My Mario' product line, available on YouTube, alongside new toys and an interactive app, in celebration of Mario's 40th anniversary.
Harold Halibut is a stop-motion point-and-click adventure game set in the ocean of an alien planet, featuring meticulously hand-crafted real-world materials. The game's slow pace and cozy, heartwarming atmosphere resemble a Wes Anderson-Aardman Animations collaboration, offering a quirky, lived-in feel with a retrofuturistic vision. While the game's plodding moments may deter those seeking a thrilling story or challenging puzzles, it provides a unique and charming experience akin to peering into an exquisitely crafted dollhouse.
Mark Gustafson, the co-director of the Oscar-winning animated feature "Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio," passed away at 64 after suffering a heart attack. Known for his work in stop-motion animation, Gustafson had a storied career that included collaborations with Guillermo del Toro and Wes Anderson. His legacy includes numerous awards and a reputation as a compassionate and talented artist. Guillermo del Toro and colleagues remember him fondly, praising his contributions to the world of animation.
Mark Gustafson, an Oscar-winning Portland animator known for his work in stop-motion filmmaking, passed away at the age of 64. He began his career at Will Vinton Studios and contributed to projects such as "Claymation Christmas Celebration" and "The PJs."
"Chicken Run 2: Dawn of the Nugget" is a sequel 23 years in the making, using cutting-edge technology and virtual production to handle the larger scale of the story and production. Aardman Animations turned to digital tools and virtual production to create the film, while still respecting the limitations of stop motion animation. The film follows Ginger and the chickens as they face a new threat to chickenkind: nuggets. With advancements in technology and materials, the production process has become faster, allowing for an average of one second of film to be completed per day. Despite some casting changes, the animators maintain the same acting and mannerisms for the characters.
"Chicken Run: Dawn of The Nugget," the long-awaited sequel to the original Chicken Run film, delivers a cleverly modern kind of family entertainment that balances dark subject matter with a giddily Dayglo aesthetic. Directed by Sam Fell, the film follows Ginger and Rocky as they venture into a chicken farm called Fun-Land Farms to rescue their curious daughter, Molly. The film combines elements of "Mission: Impossible" and '60s pop culture references, while maintaining the sincere moral values of the original. Despite the potential for animal rights issues, the film manages to make chickens seem fun, intelligent, and yet still very tasty.
The 12-minute stop-motion sequence in Ari Aster's "Beau Is Afraid" was originally planned to be stagecraft, but was later changed to half animation and half artificial sets. The animation was coordinated by Jorge Cañada Escorihuela, who helped plan the practical shoot with sets and green screen, created the workflow, and assembled several hundred assets from Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña. The stop-motion was the primary technique used, including paintings on large canvases, models sculpted and destroyed, and paper flowers and trees that grew through time-lapse photography.