Stop-Motion Animation in Horror

By: Jacquelyn Medley

The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, and Paranorman are just a few well-known examples of stop-motion animation in the horror genre. Stop-motion animation is a filming technique that involves taking a series of slightly different photos one after the other and then combining them to create the illusion of motion. But what exactly makes stop-motion animation so effective in the horror genre? One could argue that the meticulousness of the process lends itself well to creating a sense of unease and dread. Or maybe there’s something inherently eerie in witnessing inanimate objects come to life on television, so that even though we can’t see the folks behind the scenes, we know the figures are being moved by genuine beings, which adds to their authenticity. This heightens the sensation of being both connected to and isolated from the rest of humanity, creating a creepy and unsettling atmosphere, which is perfect for the horror genre.

Most stop-action animation films take a long time to make and release to the public because of the intricate nature of the process involved. For instance, The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) took over three years to be completed. The Nightmare Before Christmas, directed by Tim Burton, follows Jack Skellington, King of Halloween Town, as he discovers Christmas Town and becomes consumed by his newfound love of the holiday. Rick Heinrichs—a producer on the film—said the film’s success was the result of the efforts of more than one hundred people, including ten to twenty animators, working for more than a month and a half. There were a total of twenty film sets in use at once during the height of production, and 109,440 additional frames were added to the film overall.

In addition, Coraline is another animated horror film that has a different timeline. The film is based on the book of the same name by Neil Gaiman, in which a young girl named Coraline (played by actress Dakota Fanning) discovers a hidden door in her sprawling old house that leads to a dream version of her existence. The film took about four years to be completed, and over five hundred production workers gave their time and efforts to make it a success. Since principal photography alone took over a year and a half, the production schedule had to be stretched out to accommodate it. The film’s production company, LAIKA, also made history during this period by creating a feature-length film using digital doubles created with a 3D printer.

Coraline was unveiled during a huge premiere at the Portland International Film Festival in October 2008 before making its US theatrical debut the following February to near-universal acclaim. The film made $16.85 million in its first weekend and had earned more than $124 million worldwide by the end of its run in theaters, making it one of the highest-earning works of stop-motion animation ever. After the production of Coraline, director Henry Selick spent more than a decade working on Wendell & Wild as his next release. This show was created with the intention of reuniting Jordan Peele and Keegan Michael Key in their previous comedic partnership.

The process of creating top-motion animation is a labor of love that requires much planning and execution on the side of the artists. As production companies strive to create more engaging images for movies and television shows, the growing popularity of stop-motion effects has brought attention to the enormous time commitment necessary to generate these distinctive works.