Written and directed by Henry Selick, the film uses stop-motion animation and stars Dakota Fanning as Coraline.
As firm nightmare fodder for younger viewers,Coralinewent much darker than the average kids' stop-motion animated film.
The film follows five local dogsChief, Rex, Boss, Duke, and King.
Anderson has also shown his love for stop-motion with the acclaimed Roald Dahl adaptation ofFantastic Mr. Fox.
At the orphanage, he navigates friendship, love, and the challenges of a new life.
My Life As A Zucchiniwas a powerful meditation on childhood trauma by the Swiss filmmaker Claude Barras.
The film explores themes of isolation and the search for human connection.
Through their letters, they share their struggles, forging a bond that transcends their differences and distances.
The film explores themes of loneliness, connection, and the human experience with poignant depth.
Grace had a harsh home life but found meaning in collecting snails.
Custom image by Yailin Chacon.
Kubo and the Two Strings is a stop-motion animation film from Laika that follows a young boy named Kubo who lives a quiet, normal life in a small shoreside village. His life is suddenly turned upside down when a spirit from the past visits him and re-ignites an age-old vendetta. Now on the warpath of various gods and creatures, Kubo must locate a legendary suit of armor worn by his late father.
Based on Neil Gaiman’s novella, Coraline follows Coraline Jones, a lonely young girl who, after moving to a new house with her inattentive parents, discovers a portal to another, more sinister alternate reality behind one of the house’s many doors. Written and directed by Henry Selick, the film uses stop-motion animation and stars Dakota Fanning as Coraline.
Island of Dogs is a stop-motion animation film set in a dystopian future in Japan in which dogs have been quarantined on a remote island due to a new virus called “canine flu.” The film follows five local dogs—Chief, Rex, Boss, Duke, and King. They are fed up with their isolated existence until a boy named Atari Kobayashi ventures to the island to search for his dog, Spots. Atari receives their help, and they will protect him from the Japanese authorities who have come to retrieve him.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021) is a charming mockumentary that follows Marcel, an anthropomorphic seashell voiced by Jenny Slate. Living with his grandmother, Marcel navigates life in a human household, using resourcefulness and wit to tackle everyday challenges. Dean Fleischer-Camp directs this adaptation of the popular web series, expanding the whimsical world of Marcel while maintaining its unique blend of humor and heart.
My Life as a Zucchini is an animated feature directed by Claude Barras. The film follows a young boy named Courgette, nicknamed Zucchini, who is sent to an orphanage after his mother’s death. At the orphanage, he navigates friendship, love, and the challenges of a new life. The film is based on the novel Autobiographie d’une Courgette by Gilles Paris and has received acclaim for its heartfelt storytelling and unique visual style.
Anomalisa is a stop-motion animated film directed by Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson, based on Kaufman’s play. The story centers on Michael Stone, a self-help author grappling with a profound sense of monotony and disconnection in his life. During a business trip to Cincinnati, he encounters a woman named Lisa, who might offer a break from his emotional desolation. The film explores themes of isolation and the search for human connection.
Mary and Max is a stop-motion animated film directed by Adam Elliot. The story follows an unlikely friendship between Mary, a lonely young girl in Australia, and Max, an older man with Asperger’s Syndrome living in New York. Through their letters, they share their struggles, forging a bond that transcends their differences and distances. The film explores themes of loneliness, connection, and the human experience with poignant depth.
From director Guillermo del Toro comes Pinocchio, a stop-motion animation reimagining of Carlo Collodi’s original tale, The Adventures of Pinocchio. A darker story than the Disney original, this Pinocchio takes place during the fascist regime in 1930s Italy after the passing of Gepetto’s son, Carlo. When Gepetto’s grief overcomes him, he finally seeks an outlet by creating a wooden boy who comes to life. However, Gepetto’s new wooden son is more of a trickster than a well-behaved boy, as he pranks the people he comes across and tends to lean on the wild side. Pinocchio will struggle to make his father proud and learn what it means to be a real boy while avoiding the pursuit of the film’s main antagonist, Count Volpe.
Wendell & Wild is a 2022 animated film directed by Henry Selick, following two demon brothers who team up with a guilt-ridden teenager named Kat Elliot. Their collaboration leads to an unusual and comedic journey as they attempt to summon themselves to the land of the living.
In 1970s Australia, Grace Pudel, a shy and melancholic woman, navigates a life of loss and loneliness after being separated from her twin brother. Finding solace in her love for snails and eccentric friendships, Grace’s journey highlights themes of resilience and self-discovery, told through Adam Elliot’s signature stop-motion animation.
