God Save
Stop
Motion
‘Is there a
future for
stop motion
animation?’
Joanna Kirby
Ack
nowle
dge
ments
I would like to use this section to take the opportunity to
thank those who have helped me during this dissertation.
Firstly I would like to thank Mark Ingham, who hasn’t just
been a tutor, but has injected excitement into the research
that I have undertaken and provided me with even more
enthusiasm for the subject.
Secondly I would like to thank my Mum, Julie Davenport,
who, although has no idea what I am talking about most
of the time has listened to me discuss this dissertation
endlessly. Also thank you to my Auntie Chantie who as
well as my Mum has been my reader through the entire
dissertation.
In concerns of the production of the dissertation, I would
like to say thank you to my Dad, David Kirby and his wife
Cheryl Kirby, who helped me bring my dissertation to its
3D form.
Lastly I would like to thank all the animators that I have
referred to within this dissertation. Some of them I was
already aware of before beginning my work but others,
especially Adam Elliot, have really opened my eyes to
different approaches of storytelling. Any animator that
takes the time to create stop motion animation and enjoy
the entire process is a true inspiration to me!
Con
tents
Introduction
Does what it says
From pencil to mouse: The journey
A brief history of animation and how stop motion has
developed
Case study of Adam Elliot’s ‘Cousin’
A discussion of the animation and the animators that
produced it
Case study of Pixar’s ‘Monsters Inc’
A discussion of the animation and the animation studios
that produced it
Case study of Aardman and DreamWorks’
‘Flushed Away’
A discussion of the animation and the animation studios
that produced it
Don’t judge an animation by it’s technique!
The heart of the dissertation
So has this ship sailed?
The research pieced together
Conclusion
My answer to the question
Bibliography
Reference to all the information that I have used
Intro
duction
6
This digital design dissertation will explore the question
of ‘Is there a future for stop motion animation?’ My aim
is to determine whether traditional stop motion will be
replaced by digital stop motion and will digital stop motion
go on to be replaced by other forms of digitally enhanced
techniques such as CGI (Computer Generated Images).
I have chosen the subject of stop motion as my research
basis because I have always been keen to learn about
animation, so where better to start than one of the earliest
forms.
My interest grew within my first year at university, when
I was able to complete a stop motion animation project.
When completing this project my admiration for animation
increased as I looked at animation companies such as
Aardman Animation, who are the creators of characters
such as, Shaun the Sheep and Wallace and Gromit.
I enjoyed every minute of creating my animation from
story boarding to the sound editing as it allowed me to
use specialist animation equipment such as the rostrum
camera.
Shaun The Sheep: Aardman: 2010
As a designer, doing this research will enable me to catch
a glimpse of the future of animation and discover whether
there is still a place for stop motion. I also want to find out
what other people feel about stop motion or if indeed they
know what it is!
To start the investigation I will look into the history
of animation with the intention of highlighting how
the technology has moved on since the animation
phenomenon started. I then want to write a case study
on several animations that are well known by animation
lovers. I will begin with Adam Elliot’s ‘Cousin’, which is
made using clay with the stop motion technique, followed
by ‘Monsters Inc’ and ‘Flushed’, away which uses CGI
technologies.
Using the case studies as examples when needed, I will
then get to the heart of my dissertation. I will present the
research I have found to determine whether there is a
future for traditional stop motion. I will give examples of
the newer technologies that are being used and question
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10
why they seem to be towering over traditional stop motion.
I will use relevant research I have gathered to support this.
I will also discuss the differences between old and new
techniques in relation to the production of the film (time,
difficulty, software etc), the mood that can be achieved,
the reality of the characters and the relationship with the
viewer.
Using information gathered by questionnaires, I will
discuss how people see stop motion as a whole: do they
enjoy it? Do they even know what it is? The result of these
questions will help verify whether new technologies have
taken over. I will go on to express why traditional stop
motion is so magical and makes people happy when they
watch it, and additionally why as an animator it is also so
magical to create.
Following my main investigation I will collate all my
research to try and answer the main question ‘Is there
a future for stop motion animation?’ I will then go on to
discuss how my views have changed since I first started
my research if indeed they have at all!
Slodge’s Last Word: Kirby, J: 2009
From pencil
to mouse:
The journey
14
In this section I will give a brief history of animation. I
will include some important dates, within the animation
timeline, which lead up to when stop motion was created
and what different techniques can be used. I will also
present some key facts that are not only interesting but
are things that have been questioned before, such as,
what equipment is used and why do we use 24 frames per
second.
Paul Wells is the Director of Animation, within The
Animation Academy [Loughborough University School of
Art and Design. 2010] and talks about some of the early
involvements in animations. He discusses some of
the equipment used and how animation was found by
accident when experiments were undertaken for the
cinematic moving image. He tells us how since 1798
people have been creating equipment that can project
moving drawn images. [Wells:A. 2004:88]
The Phenakistoscrope was created by Joseph Plateau
in 1832. This was an early optical toy which allowed the
viewer to see horses or acrobats move. Andrien-Luc
Sanders, is a freelance writer, animator, web designer,
and graphic designer with a background in computerized
design and animation. He wrote, on an information
website, how the device is made using a wheel with the
animation on it. The animation is laid out in sequence
around the circumference of the wheel. This would be
known as each individual frame that is used to create a
film today. There are slits made in the wheel and when
placed in front of a mirror, the device is spun resulting
in the viewer seeing the animated moving image.
[Pictureshowman. 2004]
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16
This progressed to animators using the techniques of stop
motion to create animation. Maureen Furniss is a writer,
animation historian, animation theorist, critic, professor,
and president of the Society for Animation Studies [Ask.
2010]. In the book called ‘Animation Bible’ she discusses
the technique of stop motion stating that the technique is
achieved by manipulating objects in front of the camera,
frame by frame. [Furniss:A. 2008:232] I strongly recommend
this book to anyone who is interested in animation of all
kinds, as she goes into great detail about the processes
of different techniques used to create animation, and she
also gives some brilliant examples of those techniques.
According to the website, Pictureshowman, James
Stuart Blackton is known to be the father of the animated
cartoon. He was born in England, Sheffield in 1875. In
1906 he created ‘Humorous Phases of Funny Faces’,
which was the first cartoon made. He used stop-motion
by drawing a face on a blackboard and filming it. When
filming was paused he changed the faces and continued
filming to create a moving image. [Mosley. 2010]
Phenakistoscope: Muybridge, E: 1893
The technique used by Blackton set a trend and in 1914,
Windsor McCay (1867-1934) created ‘Gertie the Dinosaur’.
Van Eaton’s website discussed how this animation was
slightly different to ‘Humours Phases of Funny Faces’
because there was interaction between the character and
the animator. Gertie was instructed to do tricks like bowing
to the audience. [Eaton. 2010]
This technique continued to grow and animators started
to experiment with different materials to create these 2D
stop motion animations. Furniss [2004] spoke about the
different types of 2D stop motion animation in the book
‘Animation Bible’. She explained how 2D stop motion
animation has many different forms and each technique
that can be used is very unique. They can be made
from sand, salt, pins which create shadows, cut out
bits of paper and many more. In 1995 a polish animator
called Aleksandra Korejwo used coloured salt to create
an animation titled ‘Carmen Habanera’. Using gouache
watercolours to change the colour of the sand she allowed
it to dry in the sand before applying it to a black canvas
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20
and manipulating it with feathers from a local zoo. She used
pre-drawn pastel images to guide her into creating each
frame. [Furniss:A. 2008:232,236].
The technique of using frames to create a continuous
moving image grew even further when animators started to
use 3D objects to create stop motion animations. Furniss
[2004] also spoke about 3D stop motion in the same
book motioned in the previous paragraph. She described
how 3D stop motion has become quite recognisable in
comparison to 2D as it is responsible for animations such as
Morph and Wallace and Gromit, which have both become
famous. Both animations use clay to create their characters
and surroundings. Other 3D stop motion animations can
include LEGO bricks, this technique is called Brickfilm. The
animator uses the toy bricks to create a magical world. In
1989 an Australian animator called Lindsay Fleay created
an animation made from LEGO bricks titled ‘The Magic
Portal’. The sixteen minute film took four and a half years to
complete. [Furniss:A 2008:243,244]
Gertie the Dinosaur: Winsor McCay’s: 1914
Jeff Goldner talks about the most recognised piece of
equipment used to create 2D stop motion, on his blog he
states it is the rostrum camera. The camera is pointed
downward, parallel to a board (which is the stage for the
animation). Each frame is then shot while the objects
are manipulated under the camera. The same principle
applies when creating 3D stop motion, however the
camera is positioned to the side of the object to show the
depth of the scene. [Goldner. 2008]
With technologies improving fast there are now easier
ways of creating similar effects, using computers.
Digital stop motion has allowed the feel of stop motion
techniques to be completed with less effort and time.
It still looks like it has been created by hand, but does
knowing it hasn’t been hand crafted decrease the sense
of magic? Kit Laybourne, who is the Chief Creative Officer
for The Whistle (a cross platform media company focusing
on kids and sports), [Wikipedia. 2010] talks about how
digital animation uses exactly the same process as the
more traditional way but the tools are different. He also
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24
discusses how these tools make the entire procedure easier.
[Laybourne. 1998:65]
It is important to know, when creating the animation,
the speed that will be used, this is known as frames per
second. I wanted to know why it is more common to use 24
frames per second, when creating animation. John Wyver
discusses, in quite scientific terms, the reason for having 24
frames per second. He states that the reason is simply so
that our brains read the image’s continuously. He said:
‘Ever since (Isaac) Newton, (16421727) scientists had recognized
the common effects registered by
the eye which has been staring
at a light and then looks away.
The retina retains a bright afterimage, which quickly fades.
Usually known as ‘persistence of
vision’, this effect has been used
by numerous historians to explain
how the eye and brain connect the
string of static images projected
as a film, and mentally create the
impression of smooth movement..
This information about changes is
understood automatically, and in
an area of the brain separate from
the primary acts of perception. So
as long as images are exposed
at a speed below the perceptual
threshold (as with film’s 24 frames
per second) they will be read
continuous.’ [Wyver. 1989:10,11]
26
The idea of persistence of vision is explored on the Media
College website. They agree with Wyver’s [1989] comment,
but they say that these scientist’s ideas were accused of
being false in 1912, as there is no evidence to suggest that
this is the way our brains work. The website continues to
inform that ‘...it is thought that the illusion of continuous
motion is caused by unrelated phenomena such as beta
movement (the brain assuming movement between
two static images when shown in quick succession).’
[Wavelength Media. 2010]
Using 24 frames per second is also known as, ‘full
animation’, where by each frame is different and is normally
only used once, due to its accuracy. This is discussed by
Furniss in her book titled ‘Art in Motion Animation Aesthetics’.
She goes on to explore ‘limited animation’ in comparison.
Limited animation is different, as it uses less frames and
tends to involve a lot of camera adjustments to make up for
the loss of continuing movement in the animation. Furniss
explains that ‘Panning over artwork creates a sense of
motion while reducing the number of drawings needed.’
[Furniss:B. 2007:133,134] This would result in less production
time.
Furniss [2007] suggests comparing two different
animations to help explain the differences. Her
suggestions were to watch ‘Mickey Mouse Clock Cleaners’
(1937) and ‘The Birth of Astro Boy’ (1963). After watching
these two animations the differences are clear. I feel
as though I am missing the bits in between the frames
in the limited animation; however I still understood the
story. It seems as though everything is moving a lot faster
in the limited animation, it feels busy. Furniss (2007)
quotes Jules Engles, who is noted internationally for
his contributions to film and abstract animation, [Tobey
Cmoss. 2001] clearly disagrees with my statement. He
said that there is ‘no such thing as limited animation, only
limited talent… Each style of graphic and each kind of
gesture has its own requirements for motion’. [Furniss:B.
2007:136] However the fact is both of the animations have
a narrative and entertain the viewer.
27
Astro boy: Mushi Production: 1963
Case Study
of Adam
Elliot’s
‘Cousin’
30
In this section I will discuss a traditionally made stop
motion film called ‘Cousin’ by Adam Elliot. This section will
give a short introduction to the animator, express what the
film is about (the narrative) and explore the quality of the
film in relation to the techniques used, the visual quality
and the sound (do the characters have voices, or just a
noise?). I will also discuss the affect the film may have on
the viewer.
Adam Elliot is an independent Australian animator, who
before becoming an award winning animator wanted to
be a veterinarian. [Melodrama Pictures:B. 2010] He was
born on 2nd January 1972 [Melodrama Pictures:C. 2007]
and has always suffered with a physiological tremor. He
is now the official patron of ‘The Other Film Festival’. All
of the films that take part in this festival are written and
created and are about people with disabilities. [Melodrama
Pictures:B. 2010]
Elliot’s series of films, including ‘Cousin’ made in 1998,
are about people that he knows, and are about real life.
Cousin: Elliot, A: 1998
In the five minute animation of ‘Cousin’, Elliot touches
on subjects that some people may find taboo, but
these situations happen and it’s important that bad is
represented in life animation as well as good.
‘Cousin’ is a relative of Elliot who has Cerebral Palsy.
The story takes you through some of the fun times
that they shared together, like when they dressed up
as super heroes. The film takes a sudden horrific turn,
when Cousin’s parents are killed in a car accident and
he is forced to move away to a care home. Elliot explains
through the narration; how they tried to stay in contact
over the phone . However this soon faded and they didn’t
speak anymore. The story ends when Elliot is older, and
while shopping he thinks he sees Cousin working in a
super market, unfortunately, for some reason, he doesn’t
go to speak to him.
Viewers would be able to connect to this story as it’s so
true to life. The descriptions of the characters from the
narrator, (William McInnes) build a bond with the viewer,
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and they begin to feel as though they know them. The use
of humour in relation to the tragic events helps to prevent
a terribly sad affect on the viewer. However because you
automatically care about the characters, you are forced to
feel some sorrow. In a biography by Melodrama Pictures,
it is stated that, ‘Adam’s films have connected with
audiences through focusing on loneliness and difference
with compassion, humour and pathos.’ [Melodrama
Picture:A. 2007]
The characters in the film are made from clay and are
manipulated by hand, frame by frame. None of them
speak so the understanding of the story is solely relying
on the characters expressions and the narration from
William Mclnnes (who has been the ‘voice’ for this series
of films). I think that using a narrator was an excellent
decision, as this allows a mono tone to be present
throughout the entire animation, which helps to get across
the feeling of sadness.
The colours that have been used in this animation really
compliment the story, as the plot isn’t really a happy one.
The use of grey really helps to set the mood, and gives
the feeling of depression and unhappiness. Iain Scott
reviewed this film and agrees with my statement about
the colour and the narration; this was mentioned in the
previous paragraph. He explained how the colours used
in the animation are mostly greys and blacks with an
occasional show of muted colour. He goes on to explain
that this use of colour ‘perfectly matches the sad tales and
the beautiful melancholia of William McInnes’s outstanding
narration’. [Scott. 2008]
The film overall is really good quality and easy to watch
and I believe that it doesn’t suffer due to the technique
used. I believe that if it was done using CGI, for example,
it wouldn’t hold the same degree of humour and the magic
would be lost. I’m not sure that this animation would
be suitable for children because of the subject and the
mature humour.
35
Adam Elliot
Case Study
of Pixar’s
‘Monsters
Inc’
38
In this section I will discuss an animation created using
CGI technologies, this film is called ‘Monsters Inc’. This
section will give a short introduction to the animation
studio, Pixar, who created the film. It will also express
what the film is about (the narrative) and explore the
quality of the film in relation to the techniques used, the
visual quality and the sound (do the characters have
voices, or just a noise?). I will also discuss the affect the
film may have on the viewer.
Peter Weishar who is professor and Dean of the School
of Film and Digital Media, [Amazon. 2004] talks about the
history and successes of Pixar in his book titled ‘Moving
Pixels: blockbuster animation, digital art and 3D modelling
today’. He explains that Pixar animation studio first started
in 1986 and at the beginning of their career they created
television advertisements. Pixar constructed some of
the most sophisticated software in the CGI world, for
example CAPS and RenderMan. Pixar were responsible
for creating the first fully computer animated major feature
film in 1995 titled ‘Toy Story’. They have gone on to create
Monsters Inc: Pixar: 2001
many more computer generated animations including
‘Monsters Inc’ (2001). [Weisher. 2004:112]
‘Monsters Inc’ is based on a world full of monsters
that have been tricked into believing that children are
dangerous and that scaring them generates electricity
from their screams. The scream business is huge in
this make believe world, and the story follows the main
character Sullivan (Sully) and his one eyed side kick, Mick
as they accidently let a child into their town. When realised
that the child, known as Boo, is not dangerous they
soon fall in love with her and subsequently discover, that
children are not dangerous and that laughter generates
more electricity than screaming.
This film is made only by using CGI technologies. This
means that each of the characters look realistic and are
very detailed. I could see each hair on the characters and
as a viewer you can notice things like the light reflecting
in the characters eyes. Pixar said on their website,
that ‘There are 2,320,413 computer animated hairs on
41
Monsters Inc: Boo: Pixar: 2001
Sullivan, and Pixar’s technical team will tell you that
animating all that hair and making it look real was no
easy task’ . [Pixar. 2010]
The narration of the story is told through the characters
voices so there is no narrator needed, like in ‘Cousin’. I do
believe, however, that this was a good idea for this film
as I think this would make the story easier for children to
follow, as it is quite a fast paced movie. The colours that
have been used in Monsters Inc, are incredibly bright and
the shapes of the characters are very comical, therefore
giving an automatic happy feeling to the viewer. I think this
was a good choice in colour and shape for the characters
because if the monsters were ugly and dull there would
be a chance that the children watching the film could
be frightened of them. The design of the characters is
discussed by Justin Sluss on a review website. He says,
in agreement with me that there is ‘...a rather vibrant color
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palette; the abundant use of vivid and bold shades within
the fictional world of Monstropolis‘ characters and unique
setting are beautiful’ [Sluss. 2009]
I think that the primary target audience for the film is
children and that the film merely gives out a message
to say, don’t be scared of monsters, they are your friend.
A lot of children are scared about monsters being under
their bed or in their wardrobe so this film turns the child’s
thinking around by making them unafraid of monsters and
actually want them to be in their room because they are
fun. IMDb say on their review of the film that ‘Since the
very first bedtime, all around the world, children have
known that once their mothers and fathers tuck them in,
and shut off the light, that there are MONSTERS hiding in
their closets, waiting to emerge! What they don’t know is:
it’s nothing personal. It’s just their job’. [IMDb. 2010]
Case Study of
Aardman and
DreamWorks
‘Flushed Away’
46
In this section I will discuss an animation made using
CGI technologies but in a way that appears to have
been made from clay (stop motion). The animation in
question is called ‘Flushed Away’ created by Aardman and
DreamWorks. This section will give a short introduction to
the animation studios who created the film, express what
the film is about (the narrative) and explore the quality
of the film in relation to the techniques used, the visual
quality and the sound (do the characters have voices, or
just a noise?). I will also discuss the affect the film may
have on the viewer.
The Aardman studios are a film and television animation
studio founded by Nick Park and Peter Lord in 1972. They
are the creators of Morph and Wallace and Gromit and
have always been part of the clay stop motion animation
group of animators. For the film ‘Flushed Away’ they
partnered up with DreamWorks, which was their first CGI
film, which was released worldwide. [Aardman. 2010]
Flushed Away: Aardman: Dreamworks: 2006
Peter Weisher wrote about how DreamWorks found an
interest in PDI (Pacific Data Imaging) who are a leading
broadcast graphic production house, in the book called
‘Moving Pixels: blockbuster animation, digital art and 3D
modeling today’. He went on to explain how DreamWorks
paired up with PDI and became a major shareholder in
2000. However just before this, in 1998, DreamWorks,
created PDI’s first feature-length animated film, titled ‘Antz’.
They went on to create ‘Shrek’ (2001) and ‘Madagascar’
(2005). [Weisher. 2004:105]
‘Flushed Away’ is all about a world that lives under the city
of London. Roddy St. James, who is the leading character,
gets flushed down the toilet by an unwanted house guest.
Roddy is a house pet mouse who, when flushed into the
sewer, meets lots of new different creatures including,
frogs, toads and singing slugs. He meets a girl mouse
called Rita, who at the beginning doesn’t care for Roddy
very much, but eventually they become great friends,
while saving the world beneath London, from the evil toad.
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Roddy learns how important friends and family are and
ends up staying in this secret world instead of going back
to his rich, lonely life in a cage.
Using DreamWorks’ CGI software to create ‘Flushed Away’
was different compared to when they created ‘Shrek’
because they had the influence of the Aardman animators.
This addiction to the team meant that the characters were
based on clay models to resemble characters such as
Wallace and Gromit. Josh Tylor wrote a review on the film
and spoke about the techniques that Aardman usually
use, compared to what was used to create this film. He
said ‘Missing from the film are their usual characters
made of mud, but present is every bit of the creativity
and cuteness we’ve grown to expect from Aardman…
That doesn’t mean they’ve abandoned their trademark
Aardman look. Sure, the movie is computer animated, but
what DreamWorks has done for them is use computers
to create the animated equivalent of claymation figures.’
[Tylor. 2010]
In effect this film is a digital stop motion animation
which allowed less production time. Due to the film not
being made of clay you can notice subtle differences,
which could be seen as a good thing. For example, the
depth of the scene, the background seemed to have
more detail and therefore creating a more realistic
effect. DreamWorks, however, have really tried to mimic
Aardman’s style as you will notice that the mouths move in
a very similar way to how they would move on the Wallace
and Gromit films. I noticed in the films that there were
a few occasions where I thought that I saw finger prints
on the characters, as though they had inserted some
clay stop motion. I noticed it mostly on the singing slugs.
When reading the review by Tylor [2010] my suspicions
were confirmed. He said ‘If you watch closely, you might
even spot a simulated thumbprint or two in the carefully
rendered faux clay.’ [Tylor. 2010]
The colours that are used in ‘Flushed Away’ are not
extremely bright or dull. I believe that they have kept to
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using the same range of colours Aardman would normally
use in their animations. The sound that is used in the
film is very similar to that used in ‘Monsters Inc’. All the
characters have voices and therefore there is no need for
a narrator, just like in ‘Monsters Inc’. I believe that this was
a good choice for this type of film with its target audience.
I feel that the primary audience for this film is children.
However, just like ‘Monsters Inc’, it would be accepted by
adults as well, because there is humour throughout the
entire film that would appeal to everyone.
Wallace and Gromit: Aardman
Don’t judge
an animation
by it’s
technique!
56
A sad story for guilty
animators
My name is Pink, I am a little piece of plasticine, and I am
an actor. I used to have a really good job playing as Morph.
I turned up to work in a little plastic box, with fragile written
on it, and a little hole in the top so that I could breath. I got
pulled, stretched, squashed and poked. I loved being made
into something new. Peter Lord, my boss, used to spend
the whole day with me, twisting and bending me into shape.
He made me funny, he made me feel special. I liked being
Morph. Now I’m alone in my plastic box, in Peter’s bottom
drawer. He put me here one day and eventually he stopped
getting me out. Every now and then the broken drawer gets
jarred open, allowing me to see what is going on. Peter is
always at his desk on his computer these days. It’s funny
because the things I see on the screen are me, well Morph,
but I don’t remember acting in the scenes. It’s lonely in this
drawer. I wish I knew what I did wrong.
Ice Age: Blue Sky: 2002
It’s not Pink’s fault that he is being forgotten. So have
the viewers just lost interest in stop motion or have the
animators lost the enthusiasm to create it?
This section will be the main part of my investigation.
Here I will present the research I have found to determine
whether there is a future for stop motion animation. I will
give examples of the newer technologies that are being
used and question why they seem to be towering over
traditional stop motion, using the research I have gathered
as support. I will also discuss the differences between old
and new techniques in relation to the production of the
film (time, difficulty, software etc), the mood that can be
achieved, the reality of the characters and the relationship
with the viewer (I will use the film reviews from the
previous chapters as an example when needed). Using
information gathered by questionnaires I will discuss how
people see stop motion in general. Do they enjoy it? Do
they even know what it is? The result of these questions
will support whether new technologies have taken over.
57
I will go on to express why traditional stop motion is so
magical and makes people happy when they watch it,
and on the other hand why, as an animator it is also so
magical to create.
‘Monsters Inc’ (2001), ‘Ice Age’ (2002) and ‘Toy Story’
(1995) are just some of the most popular CGI animated
films, with some appearances in cinemas. I briefly
mentioned CGI technologies in the previous section
called ‘Case Study of Pixar’s ‘Monsters Inc’’, and as
one of the main threats to stop motion animation I think
it is important to understand the differences between
how exactly these new realistic characters are made,
compared to a stop motion character.
To create ‘Ice Age’, for example, Blue Sky Studio used
their personally developed software called ‘CGI Studio’. On
Blue Sky’s website it is explained how the software is able
to simulate and retract light in a way that it would react
on a real object. Their website also gives a step by step
guide into exactly how the animation is created. They state
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that the 2D drawings of the characters, once approved
are sent to the ‘Modellers’ who make them into 3D using
computers. After this the 3D characters are given to the
‘Riggers’ who add a skeleton to enable them to move.
They explain that ‘If Blue Sky were a puppet factory,
then the Rigging department would be responsible for
attaching the strings that the Animators would use to put
on the puppet-show.’ [Blue Sky Studios. 2010]
‘Flushed Away’ is an animated film created using digital
stop motion techniques, as discussed in the ‘Case study
of Aardman and DreamWorks’ ‘Flushed away’’, which
is another threat toward the extinction of stop motion
animation. I touched upon the idea of digital stop motion
in the previous sections titled ‘From pencil to mouse:
The journey’. From my understanding ‘Flushed Away’ is
made in a very similar way to Ice Age. The differences
being the animators have kept the same characteristics
that Aardman have used in their other creations, such
as ‘Chicken Run’ (2000) and ‘Wallace and Gromit’, thus
resulting in the illusion of stop motion animation. On the
Flushed Away website, it is explained how ‘Blending
Aardman’s trademark style and characterizations with
DreamWorks’ state-of-the-art computer animation, the film
marks a unique new look for the art form.’ [Dreamworks
and Aardman. 2006]
Is it time, effort, money or all of these elements that are
the reason as to why computer animations seem to be
taking over? Ben discussed stop motion animation on an
open opinion website. He states that a lot of ‘time and
effort goes into production of these (stop motion films)
only to turn out a film that isnt loved by the critics’. [Ben.
2010]
It’s a well known fact that stop motion animation takes a
lot more time to create than if you were to do it digitally, as
you don’t have to work in intricate spaces. There is less
physical effort needed to create digitally animated films
as you are sat at a computer. Not that Adam Elliot sees
this as a good thing as he said in an interview that ‘If I
was a computer animator, I think I would get frustrated
very quickly sitting in front of a computer every day,
61
drinking coca-cola. It’s great to get plasticine under your
fingernails.’ [Elliot. 2009]
62
Money is more of an issue now than it has ever been.
Stop motion animation can be very expensive. In a report
by David Mitchall, a student who studied an MA in History
of Film and Visual Media, explains how obviously the
success of 3D CGI will affect all the conventional forms
of animation but it will be stop motion that suffers the
most because the newer technologies can already create
something that convincingly looks like stop motion. He
goes on to say how CGI is becoming cheaper (I think
possibly due to its population increase which allows
prices to decrease) however stop motion will get more
expensive, [Mitchell. 2002] which I believe is due to
material prices increasing.
The main advantage to using CGI technologies is the
amount of realism that can be achieved in the characters
and the surrounding scenes. Therefore we are being
presented with creatures that look tremendously real
Jurassic Park: 1993
but can only exist in our imaginations. Paul Wells said,
in a book called ‘An Introduction to Film Studies’, that
animation is a form of resistance to realism as opposed
to a live action movie which offers the most accurate
representation of what is going on. He continues to say
‘Disney, however, still aspired to hyper-realism in his
films, by making his characters correspond as closely as
possible to the ‘real’ world in their movement and context
while allowing for fantasy element in character and
narrative.’ [Wells:B. 1996:197]
This level of realism would never appear in a stop motion
animation because the amount of accuracy needed is
near impossible or at least the precision needed would
take a ridiculous amount of time with the end result never
being as ‘crisp’ as a digital image. Could the amount of
realism that is missing from the stop motion films be a
reason to forget this form of animation? In an attempt
to answer this question I found a passage by Andrew
Paul who wrote about the realism that can be achieved
in computer animation with the example of Steven
65
66
Spielberg’s, ‘Jurassic Park.’ He said ‘by the early nineties
computers could generate near photographic realism.
By the time Steven Spielberg, initially an enthusiast for
go-motion, switched to computer animation for his feature
film Jurassic Park (1993), stop motion was beginning to
look like an extinct technology.’ [Paul. 2010]
As an animator your main priority would be to make
something enjoyable for the viewer to watch. I thought as
part of my investigation it was best to know what people
think of stop motion. I created two questionnaires to help
me analyze people’s views.
One of the answers that I was given by an anonymous
participant was very interesting indeed, as it seemed to
contradict what I had read from all of the other related
sources. The question that I asked was ‘What do you like
or dislike about stop motion animation?’ The participant
answered ‘I like stop motion because it looks more real
than computer generated effects.’ I think what this person
was trying to get across was that they like stop motion
because they know that the thing that is being animated
is a physical object and lives in the ‘real world’. This
shows that viewers have more of a bond with stop motion
animation because it feels more personal.
In another answer to the same question somebody said
‘I think it’s clever because it makes an object come to
life.’ This person not only shows an appreciation for the
technique but also shares a similar view to that of the
previous participant. They are attempting to discuss how
magical it is that you can make a real non-moving object
come to life.
Not one of the questionnaires demonstrated a dislike for
stop motion and they all spoke about it with positivity.
They also stated how they believe that there is a future
for this technique. However maybe it comes down to the
individual project and that sometimes stop motion isn’t
the best technique to use, and maybe the focus should
be on the animation that is being presented to you at
one time. Richard Taylor, in a way touched upon this in
67
68
a book called ‘Encyclopedia of animation techniques’
by discussing how the importance isn’t about what the
character or object looks like it about the way it moves,
he states ‘How it moves is more important than what
moves. Though what moves is important, in relative order
importance, it’s how it moves that’s the important thing…
What the animator does on each frame of film is not as
important as what he or she does in between.’ [Taylor.
1996]
Toy Story: Pixar: 2005
So has
this ship
sailed?
72
This section will piece together all the research I have
gathered to attempt to answer the question, ‘Is there a future
for stop motion animation?’ I will start off with a personal
thought then use the research I have found to support my
decision.
It might be seen as a biased opinion because I have always
had a strong liking for stop motion animation, nevertheless
I feel that stop motion as a technique hasn’t, and will never
die. The fact that you can make an inadequate object
move and allow this character to build a personality and
bond with the viewer without digital enhancement, is truly
magical. When asked about the advantages of stop motion
animation, Adam Elliot echoes my exact statement about
the magical feel of stop motion by stating that ‘…audiences
love seeing things on the big screen they know are not
computer generated. When they see the fingerprints on
the plasticine, they know that it hasn’t been generated by a
computer, and there’s something magical about that. That’s
why I think the art form is here to stay, and will never go
away!’ [Elliot. 2009]
With the research I have presented in this dissertation,
I think it is safe to say that technologies are moving on
extremely fast, which has affected animation in general. A
great example to demonstrate how animation is still in its
early stages and still has room to grow is ‘Toy Story’. As I
have mentioned before, this animation was made in 1995
which was only fifteen years ago. The question is what
could happen in the next fifteen years to come?
On reflection of the three case studies previously
discussed it is clear to see the evolution in animation.
However, the fact that we now have CGI technologies
available for creating these super realistic characters
should mean that the world forgets stop motion animation.
But this doesn’t seem to be the case. Strangely CGI
technologies are now trying to mimic stop motion
animations, like mentioned in the case study of ‘Flushed
Away’. DreamWorks actually simulated pretend figure
prints into the characters to represent handmade figures,
consisting of clay. Therefore, the case maybe those newer
technologies continue to try and be inspired by stop
73
74
motion, and that stop motion as a technique can only get
stronger and thrive with these new supporting technologies.
For those who are totally dedicated to the new digital
technologies, maybe instead of forgetting about stop motion
animation, there should be a compromise. What if there
were more stop motion animations that had a slight dust
of digital technologies sprinkled onto them? Surely this is
getting the best of both worlds.
A great example of a stop motion based animation that uses
digital technologies as a little complimentary, is a children’s
program called the ‘Ooglies’. Although this program is located
on a children’s channel there is no question that the humour
in the series would not entertain adults. I strongly believe
that this is because the main technique used is stop motion.
The digital enhancements, work excellently because they
do not take the ‘spot light’ and they just fit into the scene.
Lawrence reviewed the ‘Ooglies’ on a public review website
and agreed with my statement about the target audience
and the quality of the animation. They said that this
animation ‘… is one of those gems of an idea where the
animators are allowed to let their imagination run wild
and come up with characters that will surely become
cult viewing and household names, not just household
objects… At the moment this is one of those TV shows
that you have to discover by accident because you
happen to be in the same room as some children who are
watching it.’ [Lawrence. 2009]
Taking things one step further into the future, it is
discussed in David Mitchall’s [2002] report that what if stop
motion became more evolved and instead of using clay
to animate you could use a robot that looks exactly like
the desired character. He used the film ‘Stuart Little’ as an
example and said:
75
Ooglies: BBC: 2010
‘As more and more everyday objects
become computerized (the average
new car now contains at least a
dozen tiny computers) it becomes
both possible and cheap to make
fully computerized, miniature
models. We might expect to see a
revival of stop-motion as the process
of animating such models become
simpler and more intuitive. As an
example of what I mean, consider
Stuart Little. Currently animators
have to choose between a virtual,
CGI-generated Stuart on the one
hand, or a stop-motion model Stuart
on the other. In the future one can
imagine a real, robotic, model - an
intelligent puppet - that exhibited
the same range of expression and
movement and did so in a semiautonomous fashion. Where today,
reshooting stop-motion scenes is a
labour-intensive, completely manual
process, such devices would make it
possible to design and record such
motions and then repeat them, with
variations, at will. Stop-motion would
effectively be transformed into liveaction’ [Mitchell. 2002]
78
So in essence, there is no way that this ship has sailed. It’s
just a case of adapting to the surrounding technologies,
and maybe allowing digital technologies to have their
appearances in the animations. However I think that Richard
Taylor once made a very good point in a book called
‘Encyclopaedia of animation techniques’ by saying that ‘it is
important to emphasize that the quality of the sequence is
more important than the quality of the images. It is possible
to make a bad film with beautiful drawings or models – the
art of animated film is in the action.’ [Taylor. 1996]
Therefore there may be times when stop motion has to give
into newer technologies because the outcome just wouldn’t
be as good for the viewer’s experience, and vice versa. And
as an animator what you want to achieve is an enjoyable
sequence that tells narrative and forms a relationship with
the viewer.
Concl
usion
80
In this section I will reflect on my research and express
whether my opinion has changed from the start of my
investigation.
It seems that I have come out of the other end of the
tunnel with near enough the same view that I held at
the beginning, but perhaps with more knowledge to
understand why I like stop motion animation so much. I
said in my synopsis at the early stages of my investigation
that, ‘I believe that there is a future for stop motion
animation however it may be more affective now in
areas not including movies’. This would be the only view
that I have changed. I don’t see any reason why stop
motion cannot appear in feature films. From what I have
understood in my research I think that viewers are more
likely to appreciate films made in this way as they would
know how much time and effort had gone into making
it. My investigation has aided my realisation that I was
naive to the fact that CGI isn’t the only threat towards stop
motion; however digital stop motion is also a culprit.
Stuart Little:1999
An important part of animation was brought to my attention
when constructing this dissertation. The relationship
between the animator and the animation is so much
stronger when creating a stop motion animation, as the
animator is in the same space as the scene. This results in
a much more personal outcome and although the results will
never be as defined as a digital image I have found that a
lot of animators just like the connection that they can have
with the material that forms the characters and this shines
through in the animation, and makes it even more enjoyable
to watch.
Doing this research has confirmed for me that there is
definitely a future for stop motion animation. In fact I now
feel even more passionate about this form of animation than
when I first started my investigation. Whether this increase in
passion is a result of what I have read about how animators
feel when they are creating stop motion animated films,
or if it is from hearing and reading what people say about
the films, my research has confirmed how magical this
technique is and therefore why it is here to stay!
81
annotation of what I used the information for and what the information was about.
Books
Furniss, M:A (2008). Animation Bible. London: Laurence King.
This book takes the reader through each of the different techniques that can be used to
create stop motion animation (2D and 3D) and digital animation. The book also gives
some good examples of each technique that when you watch on the internet helps give a
better impression on each technique.
Furniss, M:B (2007). Art in Motion Animation Aesthetics. Malaysia: John
Libbey & Company Limited.
This book really helped me to get an understanding of what limited stop motion animation
is, and the differences between that and full animation. It also gave examples of
animations to compare so that I could understand fully what the differences are.
Laybourne, Kit (1998). The animation book : a complete guide to
animated filmmaking : from flip-books to sound cartoons to 3-D
animation. New York: Three Rivers Press.
The section of this book that I found helpful describes the techniques of cut out animation
and computer techniques. It tells how cutout animation is made and about the rostrum
camera. It then talks about how computer techniques makes stop motion easier to work
with and makes the process quicker, it also gives a brief statement about the software that
is needed.
Bibliography
This section will hold all of the references I have mentioned in my dissertation, with a brief
Taylor, R. (1996). Encyclopaedia of animation techniques. Oxford: Focal Press.
I got two quotes from the ‘Introduction’ (page 7) of this book. The first quote explains that the quality
of the story is more relevant than the quality of the execution.
The second quote is about how the parts between each frame is more important than the actual
frame. This quote although taken from ‘Encyclopaedia of animation techniques’ was said by
Norman McLeren in his book called ‘On the Creative Process’.
Weisher, P (2004). Moving Pixels: blockbuster animation, digital art and 3D
modeling today. London: Thames & Hudson.
This is one of my favorite books. It helped me by providing me with information about different
animation studios, practically Pixar as I have included some information about them in my work.
Wells, P:A (2004). The Fundamental of Animation. Crans-près-Céligny: AVA
Publishing SA.
This book talks about the history of the main types of animations which include stop motion and
digital techniques. This book was useful to gather some of the key facts that I needed for the
history part of my dissertation such as when some of the first pieces of equipment were invented.
Wells, P:B (1996). An Introduction to Film Studies. Canada: Routledge .
This book was helpful to explain how realism appears and works in animation, CGI and stop
motion.
Wyver, J (1989). The Moving Image An International History of Film, Television
and Video. Oxford: Basil Blackwell Ltd.
I only used a paragraph of this book but the information I got from it was about how the eye
receives images and why we use 24 frames per second.
Websites
Aardman. (2010). History. Available: http://www.aardman.com/about-us/history/.
Last accessed 14th Nov 2010.
This website helped me gain some information on the animation studio, Aardman including when
they were founded and some information on ‘Flushed Away’.
Amazon. (2004). CGI: The Art of the 3d Computer-Generated Image:About the
Author. Available: http://www.amazon.com/CGI-Art-3d-Computer-GeneratedImage/dp/0810949679. Last accessed 16th Nov 2010.
This website gave me information about Peter Weishar, one of the authors that I mentioned in my
dissertation.
Ask. (2010). Maureen Furniss. Available: http://uk.ask.com/wiki/Maureen_
Furniss. Last accessed 16th Nov 2010.
This website gave me information on Maureen Furniss, one of the authors I have mentioned in the
dissertation.
Ben. (2010). Stop Motion Animation Sucks. Available: http://webcache.
googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:z3wa9z1iO5kJ:media.gunaxin.com/
stop-motion-animation-sucks/65361+time+and+effort+stop+motion&cd=6&hl=
en&ct=clnk&gl=uk. Last accessed 20th Nov 2010.
This website helped to back up my statement about the amount of time that goes into making a
stop motion film.
Blue Sky Studios. (2010). How do we work? Available: http://www.
blueskystudios.com/content/process.php. Last accessed 13th Nov 2010.
This website gave me a great insight into the production of creating CGI animated characters to
prepare them for the animating stage. This not only was helpful in my research but also good for
me to know as I may go into animation when I have finished my degree.
Cmoss ,T. (2001). Jules Engels Anything but Still!. Available: http://www.
tobeycmossgallery.com/still.html. Last accessed 16th Nov 2010.
This website gave me information on Jules Engels who I quote in this dissertation.
Dreamworks and Aardman. (2006). About the Production. Available: http://
www.flushedaway.com/flash/fa_home.html. Last accessed 14th Nov 2010.
This website informed me of the coordination between Dreamworks and Aardman to create
Flushed Away the movie.
Eaton, V. (2010). A BRIEF HISTORY OF GERTIE THE DINOSAUR. Available: http://www.
vegalleries.com/gerthistory.html. Last accessed 20th Nov 2010
This website gave me information about Windsor McCay and his animation ‘Gertie the Dinosaur’.
Elliot, A. (2009). Interview with Adam Elliot – Oscar winning Director/ Clay
Animator. Available: http://cutprintreview.com/interviews/adam-elliotinterview/. Last accessed 13th Nov 2010.
This website holds an interview with Adam Elliot. The questions that he was asked really helped
me with answer the question of stop motions future.
Goldner, J. (2008). The Rostrum Camera. Available: http://www.animationpost.
co.uk/doping/4-rostrum.htm. Last accessed 10th Sept 2010
This website helped me to understand the use of a rostrum camera.
IMDb. (2010). Taglines for Monsters Inc. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/
tt0198781/taglines. Last accessed 26th Oct 2010.
This website helped me to back up my opinion about the effect Monsters Inc has on children.
Lawrence. (2009). Reviews for Ooglies. Available: http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/tvprograms/ooglies/1369546/. Last accessed 13th Nov 2010.
This website allowed me to consider other people’s views on the ‘Ooglies’. It helped to back up my
personal views on how good the ‘Ooglies’ is as an animation that includes stop motion and digital
techniques.
Loughborough University School of Art and Design. (2010). Research Professor Paul Wells . Available: http://www.lut.ac.uk/departments/ac/
mainpages/Research/staffpages/paulwells/paulwells.htm. Last accessed
16th Nov 2010.
This website gave me information on Paul Wells, one of the authors I have mentioned in the
dissertation.
Melodrama Pictures:A. (2007). Adam Elliot Brief Biography. Available: http://
www.neilstoolbox.com/bibliography-creator/reference-website.htm. Last
accessed 20th Oct 2010.
This website gave me a quote to express the effect Adam Elliot’s films have on the viewer.
Melodrama Pictures:B. (2010). About Adam. Available: http://www.adamelliot.
com.au/About_Us.html. Last accessed 20st Oct 2010.
This website helped me gain information on the history of Adam Elliot.
Melodrama Pictures:C. (2007). Adam Elliot Expanded Biography. Available:
http://www.harviekrumpet.com/aboutadam2007.pdf. Last accessed 20th Oct
2010.
This website gave me key information about when Adam was born.
Mitchell, D . (2002). The Future of the Cartoon Feature Film . Available: http://
www.zenoshrdlu.com/zenocgi.htm#stop. Last accessed 14th Nov 2010.
This website holds a report made by a previous student who studied an MA in History of Film and
Visual Media. This was a very useful document to read as it gave me some quotes to include in my
work as well as information that was helpful to back up my opinions.
Mosley, J. (2010). Compiled History of Animation. Available: http://
joshuamosley.com/UPenn/courses/Ani/AnimationHistory.html. Last accessed
20th Nov 2010
This website gave me information about James Stuart Blackton and his animation called
‘Humorous Phases of Funny Faces’.
Paul, A. (2010). Stop Motion Animation. Available: http://webcache.
googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:3clp5cfZfzUJ:www.cinemasonline.co.uk/website/soapbox.phtml%3Flocalpage%3Dfeatures/stopmotion/
index+realism+stop+motion+animation&cd=5&hl=en&ct=cln. Last accessed
15th Nov 2010.
This website gave me information on the realism of stop motion and CGI. I used a quote from the
information to back up what I was saying.
Pictureshowman. (2004). The Earliest Surviving American Animated Film.
Available: http://www.pictureshowman.com/movies_featuredmovie4.cfm. Last
accessed 20th Nov 2010.
This website gave information about Joseph Plateau, one of the animators I have mentioned in my
work.
Pixar. (2010). Behind the scenes. Available: http://www.pixar.com/featurefilms/
inc/behind.html. Last accessed 26th Oct 2010.
This website gave me some information about how the films are made and I took a quote from it
describing the amount of hairs there is one of the characters, and how difficult it is to animated
each one.
Sanders, A. (2010). Phenakistoscope. Available: http://animation.about.com/od/
glossaryofterms/g/phenakistoscope.htm. Last accessed 20th Nov 2010.
This website gave information about the Phenakistoscope and how it works to create animated
moving images.
Scott, I. (2008). Adam Elliot’s Family Trilogy (1996-1999). Available: http://
ezinearticles.com/?Adam-Elliots-Family-Trilogy-(1996-1999)&id=1331880. Last
accessed 28th Oct 2010.
This website has a review of all the Adam Elliot films, and I used a quote about the colours that
were used in ‘Cousin’.
Sluss, J. (2009). Monsters, Inc.– Blu-ray Disc Review. Available: http://
webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:6rjxS8SQ5wQJ:www.
highdefdiscnews.com/%3Fp%3D29452+use+of+colour+in+monsters+inc&cd=3
&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk. Last accessed 20th Nov 2010.
This website holds a review on the film ‘Monsters Inc’ which talks about the use of colour within the
film.
Tyler, J. Flushed Away . Available: http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/
Flushed-Away-1890.html. Last accessed 14th Nov 2010.
This website has a film review of ‘Flushed Away’ and helped me to explain the techniques that were
used to create the film and how it was different for Aardman to create an animation this way.
Wavelength Media. (2010). Persistence of Vision. Available: http://www.
mediacollege.com/glossary/p/persistence-of-vision.html. Last accessed
20th Nov 2010.
This website gave another side to the argument of the persistence of vision.
Wikipedia. (2010). Kit Laybourne. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kit_
Laybourne. Last accessed 16th Nov 2010.
This website gave me information on Kit Laybourne, one of the authors that I have mentioned in
this dissertation.
Illustrations
Shaun The Sheep: Aardman: 2010
http://files.shaunthesheep.com/2009/flock_1280x800.jpg
Slodge’s Last Word: Kirby, J: 2009
Phenakistoscope: Muybridge, E: 1893
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Phenakistoscope_3g07692u.jpg
Gertie the Dinosaur: Winsor McCay’s: 1914
http://www.gertie.org/
Astro boy: Mushi Production: 1963
http://livelikedirt.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html
Cousin: Elliot, A: 1998
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6njuCt5-U4
Monsters Inc: Pixar: 2001
http://www.fwallpapers.net/pics/cartoons/monsters-inc/monsters-inc_10.jpg
Flushed Away: Aardman: Dreamworks: 2006
http://images.allmoviephoto.com/2006_Flushed_Away/2006_flushed_away_008.jpg
Wallace and Gromit: Aardman
http://monstervine.com/2009/03/wallace-gromit-grand-adventures-fright-of-the-bumblebees-review/
Ice Age: Blue Sky: 2002
http://www.dan-dare.org/FreeFun/Images/CartoonsMoviesTV/IceAge2Wallpaper800.jpg
Jurassic Park: 1993
http://photos.bravenet.com/272/478/925/3/93FE3893C9.jpg
Toy Story: Pixar: 2005
http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Toy-Story-2--pixar-67401_1024_768.jpg
Ooglies: BBC: 2010
ttp://downloads.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/grab/wallpapers/ooglies/1280_ooglies_wp_doughnutbuilders.jpg
Adam Elliot
http://media.kika-dresden.de/kinos/23/adamelliot.jpg
Monsters Inc: Boo: Pixar: 2001
http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Boo-pixar-596136_500_607.jpg
Stuart Little:1999
http://hwcdn.themoviedb.org/backdrops/cb6/4bc92c1f017a3c57fe011cb6/stuart-little-original.jpg