The 10 greatest stop-motion animated movies of all time
Cinema, in its purest form, is the art of the moving image, where single shots are placed in succession to create the illusion of motion. Generations later, the industry is, of course, far more advanced, yet many still enjoy creating movies in its most rudimentary form, with animators across the world creating pain-staking stop-motion feature films in which models are tweaked and altered bit-by-bit to create stunning movies.
This way of creating unique works of cinema was pioneered by the likes of Lotte Reiniger, Jiri Trnka and Norman McLaren, who brought such seminal classics as 1926’s The Adventures of Prince Achmed, 1948’s The Emperor’s Nightingale and 1952’s Neighbours to the big screen. Largely explored outside of Hollywood, early stop-motion movies were seen as alternative, eccentric and experimental, pushing the boundaries of what cinema could be.
Nowadays, stop-motion cinema is rife in the mainstream, with such companies as Aardman in England and Laika in America making marvellous, vibrant films that provide a welcome respite from the noise of digital animation. Still seen as an avenue for experimental filmmaking, the art form has been used by some of the industry’s most unique minds to make some truly innovative works.
Charting the filmmaking process from its very birth, we’ve set out to explore the ten greatest stop-motion movies ever made, regretfully omitting short films like McLaren’s Neighbours and 1989’s Balance by the Lauenstein brothers, as well as the feature film great Mary and Max from 2009.
The 10 best stop-motion movies:
10. Anomalisa (Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson, 2015)
The American auteur Charlie Kaufman is known for his existential human dramas, where the mortal psyche is broken down, deconstructed and revealed for all its fragilities. He took this approach to the stop-motion form in 2015 with the release of Anomalisa, a film that told the story of a man whose mundane life takes a remarkable turn, forcing him to question his life and the world around him.
Very much an adult drama, Anomalisa is a fascinating viewing experience that demonstrates the scope of the stop-motion artform, transporting audiences to an otherworld where each and every nut and bolt is controlled by Kaufman.
9. Kubo and the Two Strings (Travis Knight, 2016)
In the busy world of contemporary animation, where Illumination Entertainment thrives with churned-out pieces of ill-thought children’s entertainment, Laika provides some relief, making stop-motion masterpieces. Perhaps their greatest release, sorry Coraline, is their 2016 flick Kubo and the Two Strings, a largely overlooked fantasy tale that told the story of a young boy who must find a magical piece of armour in order to defeat a vengeful spirit.
Demonstrating some truly staggering pieces of stop-motion artistry, Travis Knight’s film may be the most visually spectacular animation of its kind, especially when brought to life with voice work from Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey and Ralph Fiennes.
8. The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Lotte Reiniger, 1926)
The German pioneer Lotte Reiniger is one of the most unsung heroes of early animation, thriving at a time in the industry when female filmmakers were almost unheard of. The Adventures of Prince Achmed was her feature film debut and demonstrated stop-motion animation in a rudimentary form, with Reiniger using 2D silhouettes to craft a mesmerising piece of early filmmaking magic.
Truly pioneering at the time, Reiniger’s animation, which told the story of a prince who embarks on an otherworldly adventure, was unlike anything else the industry offered. So inspirational was Reiniger’s contributions to the craft that her film would later be immortalised in Disney’s 1992 film Aladdin, with a side character being named Prince Achmed.
7. Pinocchio (Guillermo del Toro, 2022)
The most recent release on our list comes from the Mexican movie maestro Guillermo del Toro, who reimagined Pinocchio in stop-motion form. As well as an aesthetically beautiful release, del Toro’s film proved to be a worthy adaptation, contributing to the legacy of the iconic children’s tale with some genuinely thought-provoking filmmaking rather than being yet another pointless retelling.
With a voice cast that included the likes of Ewan McGregor, Cate Blanchett and Finn Wolfhard, del Toro’s Pinocchio was brought to life with vim, vigour and style, earning its place in stop-motion history.
6. The Wolf House (Cristóbal León, Joaquin Cociña, 2018)
A truly versatile way of making movies, stop-motion can be used to tell large fantasy tales as well as more low-key dramatic affairs. Both approaches were taken during the making of Cristóbal León and Joaquin Cociña’s dark tale The Wolf House from 2018, which told the story of a young woman who seeks refuge from a German colony in a house in southern Chile.
Sinister, unusual and genuinely innovative, this borderline experimental piece of cinema is a masterpiece of storytelling, inviting the viewer into a world of instability where the walls shudder, and every part of the film is malleable.
5. The Nightmare Before Christmas (Henry Selick, 1993)
We’ve talked about some iconic pieces of cinema so far on this list, yet the Henry Selick film, devised from an idea by the great Tim Burton, The Nightmare Before Christmas, may have done the most to popularise stop-motion animation. Set in the dark otherworld of Halloween Town, the movie musical is an ambitious piece of filmmaking that follows Jack Skellington’s attempt to bring Christmas to his gothic community.
For its sheer audacity, The Nightmare Before Christmas deserves heaps of credit, with the animation team creating a world that feels so alive you can almost smell the stench in the mud and the smog in the air.
4. Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson, 2009)
Make no mistake, the American filmmaker Wes Anderson is one of the most inventive and consistent directors in contemporary cinema, yet for our money, his very best film might just be his 2009 adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox. A joyous tale about a fox who retaliates against a group of farmers trying to drive them from their home, Anderson brings the eccentric world to life with effortless glee.
It certainly helps that the voice cast is crammed with talent, with the likes of George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Bill Murray, among many others, crafting a cast of animated characters that are a joy to be around.
3. Alice (Jan Švankmajer, 1988)
We’d have to check the official laws, but we think that not including a film from the Czech animation master Jan Švankmajer might even be illegal. To avoid petty crime, we’ve included his 1988 masterpiece Alice on our list, a part live-action re-telling of the tale of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, with Švankmajer’s film taking a darker DIY approach to the fantasy tale.
Pioneering in more ways than one, whilst Alice may give many viewers nightmares, demonstrating what it might look like if your favourite doll were to wander across your bedroom, there’s no denying that this is a delectable piece of creative cinema.
2. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (Nick Park, Steve Box, 2005)
In the world of animation, Aardman is one of the most respected companies in the business, largely for their iconic Wallace and Gromit characters. Whilst the likes of The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave have long received their plaudits, we think it’s about time 2005’s feature film The Curse of the Were-Rabbit got some love for its pure love for the animation craft as well as its adoration for the history of cinema.
Inspired by the Universal horror monster flicks of old, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit tells a mad-cap comedy tale about a rabbit that turns into an unstoppable creature of the night. We’re not joking when we say this is pure cinematic perfection, with directors Nick Park and Steve Box telling a tale that bounces with creative glee and a genuinely hysterical funny bone.
1. Fantastic Planet (René Laloux, 1973)
On lists of the greatest animated movies of all time, you can expect René Laloux’s 1973 psychedelic masterpiece Fantastic Planet to be somewhere near the top every time. Right on cue, we’ve stuck the film at our number one spot for its sheer ability to transport the audience to another world and an entirely other way of thinking through only the use of hand-crafted stop-motion 2D paper cut-out figures.
Known as one of the most hypnotic and psychedelic animations ever made, Laloux’s tale is set on a distant planet where giant blue ‘Draags’ rule the world and oppress human rebels with powerful force. Unique in its animation style, Fantastic Planet is a detailed marvel of artistry that changes the game with its revolutionary approach to the relationship between animation and cinematography.
