Editing Stop motion (section)

== History ==
===1849 to 1895: Before film===
{{main|Early history of animation}}
Before the advent of [[chronophotography]] in 1878, a small number of picture sequences were photographed with subjects in separate poses. These can now be regarded as a form of stop-motion or pixilation, but very few results were meant to be animated. Until celluloid [[film base]] was established in 1888 and set the standard for the moving image, animation could only be presented via mechanisms such as the [[zoetrope]].

In 1849, [[Joseph Plateau]] published a note about improvements for his Fantascope (a.k.a. [[Phenakistiscope|phénakisticope]]). A new translucent variation had improved picture quality and could be viewed with both eyes, by several people at the same time. Plateau stated that the illusion could be advanced even further with an idea communicated to him by [[Charles Wheatstone]]: a combination of the fantascope and Wheatstone's [[stereoscope]]. Plateau thought the construction of a sequential set of stereoscopic image pairs would be the more difficult part of the plan than adapting two copies of his improved fantascope to be fitted with a stereoscope. Wheatstone had suggested using photographs on paper of a solid object, for instance a statuette. Plateau concluded that for this purpose 16 plaster models could be made with 16 regular modifications. He believed such a project would take much time and careful effort, but would be quite worth it because of the expected marvelous results.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9fZUAAAAcAAJ&q=%22persistance%20des%20impressions%20de%20la%20retine%E2%80%9D%20bulletin%20academie%20royale%22&pg=PA30|title=Bulletins de l'Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique|date=1849|publisher=Hayez|language=fr}}</ref> The plan was never executed, possibly because Plateau was almost completely blind by this time.

In 1852, [[Jules Duboscq]] patented a "Stéréoscope-fantascope ou Bïoscope" (or abbreviated as stéréofantascope) [[phenakistiscope|stroboscopic disc]]. The only known extant disc contains stereoscopic photograph pairs of different phases of the motion of a machine. Due to the long exposure times necessary to capture an image with the photographic emulsions of the period, the sequence could not be recorded live and must have been assembled from separate photographs of the various positions of the machinery.

In 1855, [[Johann Nepomuk Czermak]] published an article about his Stereophoroskop and other experiments aimed at stereoscopic moving images. He mentioned a method of sticking needles in a [[phenakistiscope|stroboscopic disc]] so that it looked like one needle was being pushed in and out of the cardboard when animated. He realized that this method provided basically endless possibilities to make different 3D animations. He then introduced two methods to animate stereoscopic pairs of images, one was basically a stereo viewer using two stroboscopic discs and the other was more or less similar to the later [[zoetrope]]. Czermak explained how suitable stereoscopic photographs could be made by recording a series of models, for instance to animate a growing pyramid.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://echo.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/ECHOdocuView?url=/permanent/vlp/lit15017/index.meta&viewMode=auto&pn=1|last=Czermak|title=Das Stereophoroskop|year=1855|language=de}}</ref>

On 27 February 1860, [[Peter Hubert Desvignes]] received British patent no. 537 for 28 monocular and stereoscopic variations of cylindrical stroboscopic devices (much like the later zoetrope).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UXTAAgAAQBAJ&q=peter+hubert+desvignes+patent&pg=PA31|title=Stereoscopic Cinema and the Origins of 3-D Film, 1838-1952|first=Ray|last=Zone|date=3 February 2014|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=9780813145891|via=Google Books}}</ref> Desvignes' ''Mimoscope'', received an Honourable Mention "for ingenuity of construction" at the [[1862 International Exhibition]] in London.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/medalsandhonour00goog|title=Medals and Honourable Mentions Awarded by the International Juries: With a ...|date=10 April 1862|publisher=Her Majesty's Commissioners|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> Desvignes "employed models, insects and other objects, instead of pictures, with perfect success".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5GFAAAAAYAAJ&q=mimoscope&pg=PA777|title=Chambers's Encyclopaedia: A Dictionary of Universal Knowledge for the People|date=10 April 1868|publisher=W. and R. Chambers|via=Google Books}}</ref>

In 1874, [[Jules Janssen]] made several practice discs for the recording of the passage of Venus with his series ''[[Passage de Vénus]]'' with his [[Janssen revolver|photographic revolver]]. He used a model of the planet and a light source standing in for the sun.<ref>{{cite AV media |date=2012-05-05 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LowU9vKZzJs |title=1874 Pierre Jules César Janssen - Passage artificiel de Venus sur le Soleil |publisher=magical media museum |via=[[YouTube]] |access-date=2021-08-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210717194344/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LowU9vKZzJs |archive-date=2021-07-17 |url-status=live}}</ref> While actual recordings of the passage of Venus have not been located, some practice discs survived and the images of one were turned into a short animated film decades after the development of [[cinematography]].

In 1887, [[Étienne-Jules Marey]] created a large zoetrope with a series of plaster models based on his [[chronophotography|chronophotographs]] of birds in flight.<ref name="Herbert2">Herbert, Stephen. (n.d.) {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20140527175613/http://www.stephenherbert.co.uk/wheelZOETROPEpart2.htm ''From Daedaleum to Zoetrope'', Part 2.]}} Retrieved 2014-05-31.</ref>

===1895–1928: The silent film era===
It is estimated that 80 to 90 percent of all [[silent film]]s are lost.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lost-films.eu/index/whylf|title=Lost Films|website=www.lost-films.eu|access-date=2020-01-31}}</ref> Extant contemporary movie catalogs, reviews and other documentation can provide some details on lost films, but this kind of written documentation is also incomplete and often insufficient to properly date all extant films or even identify them if original titles are missing. Possible stop-motion in lost films is even harder to trace. The principles of animation and other special effects were mostly kept a secret, not only to prevent use of such techniques by competitors, but also to keep audiences interested in the mystery of the magic tricks.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Carou|first=Alain|date=2007-12-01|title=Les inventions animées, Émile Cohl au prisme d'une histoire culturelle des techniques|url=http://journals.openedition.org/1895/2423|journal=1895. Mille Huit Cent Quatre-vingt-quinze|volume=53 |language=fr|issue=53|pages=140–153|doi=10.4000/1895.2423|issn=0769-0959|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Stop-motion is closely related to the [[stop trick]], in which the camera is temporarily stopped during the recording of a scene to create a change before filming is continued (or for which the cause of the change is edited out of the film). In the resulting film, the change will be sudden and a logical cause of the change will be mysteriously absent or replaced with a fake cause that is suggested in the scene. The oldest known example is used for the beheading in [[Edison Manufacturing Company]]'s 1895 film ''[[The Execution of Mary Stuart]]''. The technique of stop-motion can be interpreted as repeatedly applying the stop trick. In 1917, clay animation pioneer [[Helena Smith-Dayton]] referred to the principle behind her work as "stop action",<ref>{{Cite journal|date=2012-06-15|journal=Romeo and Juliet|doi=10.5040/9781580819015.01|title=Romeo and Juliet }}</ref> a synonym of "stop-motion".

French [[trick film]] pioneer [[Georges Méliès]] claimed to have invented the stop-trick and popularized it by using it in many of his short films. He reportedly used stop-motion animation in 1899 to produce moving letterforms.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JhOdBQAAQBAJ&q=M%C3%A9li%C3%A8s%20animated%20title&pg=PA4|title=Transforming Type: New Directions in Kinetic Typography|last=Brownie|first=Barbara|date=2014-12-18|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-0-85785-533-6|language=en}}</ref>

====Segundo de Chomón====
[[File:Julienne Mathieu having her hair brushed.gif|thumb|[[Julienne Mathieu]] in a stop-motion/pixilation scene from ''[[El hotel eléctrico|Hôtel électrique]]'' (1908)]]
Spanish filmmaker [[Segundo de Chomón]] (1871–1929) made many trick films in France for [[Pathé]]. He has often been compared to Georges Méliès as he also made many fantasy films with stop tricks and other illusions (helped by his wife, [[Julienne Mathieu]]). 

''Le théâtre de Bob'' (April 1906)<ref>{{Citation |title=Le Petit Bourguignon |date=1906-04-17 |url=https://www.retronews.fr/journal/le-petit-bourguignon/17-avril-1906/2203/3383517/3?from=/search#allTerms=%2522Le%2520th%25C3%25A9%25C3%25A2tre%2520de%2520Bob%2522&sort=date-asc&publishedBounds=from&indexedBounds=from&page=1&searchIn=all&total=235&index=15 |access-date=2025-02-15 |language=fr}}</ref> features stop-motion with dolls and objects to represent a fictional automated theatre owned by Bob, played by a live-action child actor. The film used to be credited to Chomón, but he didn't come to Paris (to work for [[Pathé]]) until later. Direction and special effects have been attributed to Gaston Velle.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le Théâtre de Bob (Gaston Velle, 1906) à voir en ligne sur HENRI, la plateforme des collections films de la Cinémathèque française |url=https://www.cinematheque.fr/henri/film/134620-le-theatre-de-bob-gaston-velle-1906/ |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=www.cinematheque.fr |language=fr}}</ref>

[[File:La Maison ensorcelée (1907).webm|thumb|''La Maison ensorcelée'' (1906 or 1907)]]
De Chomón's ''[[The House of Ghosts|La maison ensorcelée]]'' (December 1907,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Retronews |url=https://www.retronews.fr/reader/408a43c1-f5d5-49fc-a27b-684236897be8/3?search_text=%22ensorcel%C3%A9e%22 |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=www.retronews.fr}}</ref> or 1906<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449308/releaseinfo/#akas |title=The House of Ghosts (Short 1906) - Release info - IMDb |language=en-US |access-date=2025-02-23 |via=www.imdb.com}}</ref>) features stop-motion-animated cuttlery and food, among other special effects that depict paranormal activity.

[[File:The Sculptor's Nightmare (Wallace McCutcheon, 1908).webm|thumb|thumbtime=2|''The Sculptor's Nightmare'' (1908)]]
De Chomón's ''Sculpteur moderne'' was released on 31 January 1908<ref>{{Citation|title=Modern Sculptors (1908) - IMDb|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0140537/reference|access-date=2020-02-20}} {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref> and features heaps of clay molding itself into detailed sculptures that are capable of minor movements. The final sculpture depicts an old woman and walks around before it's picked up, squashed and molded back into a sitting old lady.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x55zbu|title=El escultor moderno - Vídeo Dailymotion|website=Dailymotion|date=22 April 2008 |language=en|access-date=2020-02-20}}</ref>

====Edwin S. Porter and Wallace McCutcheon Sr.====
American film pioneer [[Edwin S. Porter]] filmed a single-shot "lightning sculpting" film with a baker molding faces from a patch of dough in ''[[Fun in a Bakery Shop]]'' (1902), considered as foreshadowing of clay animation.

In 1905, Porter showed animated letters and very simple cutout animation of two hands in the [[intertitle]]s in ''[[How Jones Lost His Roll]]''.<ref>{{cite AV media |date=2010-09-17 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wt4V6j1EsI |title=HOW JONES LOST HIS ROLL (1905) |publisher=[[UCLA]] |via=[[YouTube]] |access-date=2021-08-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104045632/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wt4V6j1EsI&gl=US&hl=en |archive-date=2019-11-04 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Porter experimented with a small bit of crude stop-motion animation in his trick film ''[[Dream of a Rarebit Fiend (film)|Dream of a Rarebit Fiend]]'' (1906).

''[[The 'Teddy' Bears (1907 film)|The "Teddy" Bears]]'' (2 March 1907), made in collaboration with [[Wallace McCutcheon Sr.]],<ref>{{Citation|title=The 'Teddy' Bears (1907) - IMDb|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0140772/reference|access-date=2020-02-20}} {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref> mainly shows people in bear costumes, but the short film also features a short stop-motion segment with small teddy bears.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edwin-S-Porter|title=Edwin S. Porter {{!}} American director|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=2019-07-25}}</ref>

On 15 February 1908, Porter released the trick film ''A Sculptor's Welsh Rabbit Dream'' that featured clay molding itself into three complete busts.<ref>{{Citation|title=A Sculptor's Welsh Rabbit Dream (1908) - IMDb|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1864244/reference|access-date=2020-02-20}} {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref> No copy of the film has yet been located. It was soon followed by the similar extant film ''The Sculptor's Nightmare'' (6 May 1908) by Wallace McCutcheon Sr.<ref>{{Citation|title=The Sculptor's Nightmare (1908) - IMDb|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0000756/reference|access-date=2020-02-20}} {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref>

====J. Stuart Blackton====
[[J. Stuart Blackton]]'s ''[[The Haunted Hotel]]'' (23 February 1907)<ref>{{Citation|title=The Haunted Hotel (1907) - IMDb|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0000553/reference|access-date=2020-02-20}} {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref> featured a combination of live-action with practical [[special effect]]s and stop-motion animation of several objects, a puppet and a model of the haunted hotel. It was the first stop-motion film to receive wide scale appreciation. Especially a large close-up view of a table being set by itself baffled viewers; there were no visible wires or other noticeable well-known tricks.<ref>{{cite book|last=Crafton|first=Donald|title=Before Mickey: The Animated Film 1898–1928|page=11|year=1993|publisher=University of Chicago Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yaeJFVTedysC|isbn=9780226116679}}</ref> This inspired other filmmakers, including French animator [[Émile Cohl]]<ref name=Cohl>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GBUABAAAQBAJ&pg=PA128|title=Emile Cohl, Caricature, and Film|first=Donald|last=Crafton|date=July 14, 2014|publisher=Princeton University Press|via=Google Books|isbn=9781400860715}}</ref> and Segundo de Chomón. De Chomón would release the similar ''[[The House of Ghosts]]'' (''La maison ensorcelée'') and ''[[Hôtel électrique]]'' in 1908, with the latter also containing some very early pixelation.

''[[The Humpty Dumpty Circus]]'' (1908, considered lost) by Blackton and his British-American Vitagraph partner [[Albert E. Smith (producer)|Albert E. Smith]] showed an animated performance of figures from a popular wooden toy set.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hb0sep&view=1up&seq=185|title=The Moving picture world. v.3 (1908:July-Dec.).|website=HathiTrust}}</ref> Smith would later claim that this was "the first stop-motion picture in America". The inspiration would have come from seeing how puffs of smoke behaved in the interrupted recordings for a stop trick film they were making. Smith would have suggested to get a patent for the technique, but Blackton thought it wasn't that important.<ref>Albert E. SMith ''Two Reels and a Crank'' (1952)</ref> Smith's recollections are not considered to be very reliable.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D-2THyVl7ysC&q=%22two+reels+and+a+crank%22+smith&pg=PA22|title=Film Before Griffith|first=John L.|last=Fell|date=April 10, 1983|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=9780520047587|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bCYkCQAAQBAJ&q=%22two+reels+and+a+crank%22+smith+exaggeration&pg=PA208|title=The American Newsreel: A Complete History, 1911-1967, 2d ed.|first=Raymond|last=Fielding|date=May 7, 2015|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476607948|via=Google Books}}</ref>

====Émile Cohl====
[[File:Japon_de_fantaisie_(1909).webm|thumb|Émile Cohl's ''Japon de fantaisie'' (1907)]]
Blackton's ''[[The Haunted Hotel]]'' made a big impression in Paris, where it was released as ''L'hôtel hanté: fantasmagorie épouvantable''. When [[Gaumont Film Company|Gaumont]] bought a copy to further distribute the film, it was carefully studied by some of their filmmakers to find out how it was made. Reportedly it was newcomer [[Émile Cohl]] who unraveled the mystery.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Crafton|first=Donald|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GBUABAAAQBAJ&q=%22emile%20cohl%22&pg=PP1|title=Emile Cohl, Caricature, and Film|date=2014-07-14|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-1-4008-6071-5|language=en}}</ref> Not long after, Cohl released his first film, ''Japon de fantaisie'' (June 1907),<ref>{{Citation|title=Japanese Magic (1907) - IMDb|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1003468/reference|access-date=2020-02-20}} {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref> featuring his own imaginative use of the stop-motion technique.
It was followed by the revolutionary hand-drawn ''[[Fantasmagorie (film)|Fantasmagorie]]'' (17 August 1908) and many more animated films by Cohl.

Other notable stop-motion films by Cohl include ''Les allumettes animées (Animated Matches)'' (1908),<ref>{{Citation|title=Animated Matches (1908) - IMDb|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0139826/reference|access-date=2020-02-20}} {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref> and ''Mobilier fidèle'' (1910, in collaboration with [[Romeo Bosetti]]).<ref>{{Citation|title=The Automatic Moving Company (1910) - IMDb|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486978/reference|access-date=2020-02-21}} {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref> ''Mobilier fidèle'' is often confused with Bosetti's object animation tour de force ''Le garde-meubles automatique (The Automatic Moving Company)'' (1912).<ref>{{cite AV media |date=2010-09-27 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ndb1EgZzwc |title=THE REAL Emile Cohl's 'Le Mobilier Fidèle' |publisher=Alpha Crocy |via=[[YouTube]] |access-date=2021-08-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508145602/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ndb1EgZzwc |archive-date=2021-05-08 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |date=2013-09-25 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM8RjF5V-eU | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211102/KM8RjF5V-eU| archive-date=2021-11-02 | url-status=live|title=The Automatic Moving Company (Romeo Bossetti, 1912) |publisher=Sebastian Ortiz |via=[[YouTube]] |access-date=2021-08-10}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Both films feature furniture moving by itself.

====Arthur Melbourne-Cooper====
Of the more than 300 short films produced between 1896 and 1915 by British film pioneer [[Arthur Melbourne-Cooper]], an estimated 36 contained forms of animation. Based on later reports by Melbourne-Cooper and by his daughter Audrey Wadowska, some believe that Cooper's ''Matches: an Appeal'' was produced in 1899 and therefore the first stop-motion animation. The extant black-and-white film shows a [[matchstick]] figure writing an appeal to donate a [[Guinea (coin)|Guinea]] for which [[Bryant & May]] would supply soldiers with sufficient matches. No archival records are known that could proof that the film was indeed created in 1899 during the beginning of the [[Second Boer War]]. Others place it at 1914, during the beginning of [[World War I]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eafa.org.uk/catalogue/215258|title=East Anglian Film Archive: Matches Appeal, 1899|website=www.eafa.org.uk|access-date=2019-07-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6nWBD_raPKoC&pg=PA281|title="They Thought it was a Marvel": Arthur Melbourne-Cooper (1874-1961) : Pioneer of Puppet Animation|last1=Vries|first1=Tjitte de|last2=Mul|first2=Ati|date=2009|publisher=Amsterdam University Press|isbn=9789085550167|language=en}}</ref> Cooper created more ''Animated Matches'' scenes in the same setting. These are believed to also have been produced in 1899,<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://www.eafa.org.uk/catalogue/2088|title=East Anglian Film Archive: Animated Matches Playing Cricket, 1899|website=www.eafa.org.uk}}</ref> while a release date of 1908 has also been given.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1254199/reference|title=Animated Matches (1908) - IMDb|via=www.imdb.com}} {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref> The 1908 ''Animated Matches'' film by Émile Cohl may have caused more confusion about the release dates of Cooper's matchstick animations. It also raises the question whether Cohl may have been inspired by Melbourne-Cooper or vice versa.

Melbourne-Cooper's lost films ''[[Dolly’s Toys]]'' (1901) and ''[[The Enchanted Toymaker]]'' (1904) may have included stop-motion animation.<ref name=Cohl/> ''Dreams of Toyland'' (1908) features a scene with many animated toys that lasts approximately three and a half minutes.

====Alexander Shiryaev====
As a means to plan his performances, ballet dancer and choreographer [[Alexander Shiryaev]] started making approximately 20- to 25-centimeter-tall puppets out of [[papier-mâché]] on poseable wire frames. He then sketched all the sequential movements on paper. When he arranged these vertically on a long strip, it was possible to give a presentation of the complete dance with a home cinema projector. Later on, he bought a movie camera and between 1906 and 1909 he made many short films, including puppet animations. As a dancer and choreographer, Shiryaev had a special talent to create motion in his animated films. According to animator [[Peter Lord]] his work was decades ahead of its time. Part of Shiryaev's animation work is featured in Viktor Bocharov's documentary ''Alexander Shiryaev: A Belated Premiere'' (2003).<ref>{{Cite news|last=Lord|first=Peter|author-link=Peter Lord|date=2008-11-14|title=Peter Lord on Alexander Shiryaev, animation's great lost pioneer|url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/nov/14/animation-ballet|access-date=2020-07-26|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref>Viktor Bocharov, ''Alexander Shiryaev: Belated Premiere'' (2003) documentary</ref>

====Ladislas Starevich (Russian period)====
Polish-Russian [[Ladislas Starevich]] (1882–1965), started his film career around 1909 in [[Kaunas]] filming live insects. He wanted to document [[rut (mammalian reproduction)|rut]]ting [[stag beetle]]s, but the creatures wouldn't cooperate or would even die under the bright lamps needed for filming. He solved the problem by using wire for the limbs of dried beetles and then animating them in stop-motion. The resulting short film, presumably 1 minute long,<ref>{{Citation|title=Lucanus Cervus (1910) - IMDb|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0140341/reference|access-date=2020-01-22}} {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref> was probably titled by the Latin name for the species: ''[[Lucanus Cervus (film)|Lucanus Cervus]]'' (Жук-олень, 1910, considered lost). 
[[File:1912. Прекрасная Люканида, или война рогачей и усачей.webm|thumb|Starewicz' ''The Beautiful Leukanida'' (1912)]]
After moving to Moscow, Starevich continued animating dead insects, but now as characters in imaginative stories with much dramatic complexity. He garnered much attention and international acclaim with these short films, including the 10-minute ''[[The Beautiful Leukanida]]'' (Прекрасная Люканида, или Война усачей с рогачами) (March 1912), the two-minute ''Happy Scenes from Animal Life'' (Веселые сценки из жизни животных), the 12-minute ''[[The Cameraman's Revenge]]'' (Прекрасная Люканида, или Война усачей с рогачами, October 1912) and the 5-minute ''[[The Grasshopper and the Ant (1913 film)|The Grasshopper and the Ant]]'' (Стрекоза и муравей, 1913). Reportedly many viewers were impressed with how much could be achieved with trained insects, or at least wondered what tricks could have been used, since few people were familiar with the secrets of stop-motion animation. ''The Insects' Christmas'' (Рождество обитателей леса, 1913) featured other animated puppets, including Father Christmas and a frog. Starevich made several other stop-motion films in the next two years, but mainly went on to direct live-action short and feature films before he fled from Russia in 1918.

====Willis O'Brien's early films====
[[File:The Dinosaur and the Missing Link.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=3|''The Dinosaur and the Missing Link'' (1915)]] 
[[File:Agathaumas.ogv|thumb|Excerpt from ''The Lost World'' (1925); animation by Willis O'Brien]]
[[Willis O' Brien]]'s first stop-motion film was ''[[The Dinosaur and the Missing Link: A Prehistoric Tragedy]]'' (1915). Apart from the titular dinosaur and "[[missing link (human evolution)|missing link]]" ape, it featured several cavemen and an ostrich-like "desert quail", all relatively lifelike models made with clay.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/00694020/|title=The dinosaur and the missing link, a prehistoric tragedy|website=Library of Congress|access-date=2020-02-17}}</ref> This led to a series of short animated comedies with a prehistoric theme for Edison Company, including ''Prehistoric Poultry'' (1916), ''R.F.D. 10,000 B.C.'' (1917), ''The Birth of a Flivver'' (1917) and ''Curious Pets of Our Ancestors'' (1917). O'Brien was then hired by producer Herbert M. Dawley to direct, create effects, co-write and co-star with him for ''[[The Ghost of Slumber Mountain]]'' (1918). The collaborative film combined live-action with animated dinosaur models in a 45-minute film, but after the premiere it was cut down to approximately 12 minutes. Dawley did not give O'Brien credits for the visual effects, and instead claimed the animation process as his own invention and even applied for patents.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Webber|first=Roy P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=le9QoR0JyEYC&q=%22The%20Dinosaur%20and%20the%20Missing%20Link%22%20clay&pg=PA10|title=The Dinosaur Films of Ray Harryhausen: Features, Early 16mm Experiments and Unrealized Projects|date=2004|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-1666-0|language=en}}</ref> O'Brien's stop-motion work was recognized as a technique to create lifelike creatures for adventure films. O' Brien further pioneered the technique with animated dinosaur sequences for the live-action feature ''[[The Lost World (1925 film)|The Lost World]]'' (1925).

====Helena Smith Dayton====
[[File:Stills from Helena Smith-Dayton films (1917-02 Popular Science Monthly V 90 p. 257).jpg|thumb|[[Film still|Stills]] from ''Battle of the Suds'' and other Helena Smith-Dayton films (1917)]]
New York artist [[Helena Smith Dayton]], possibly the first female animator, had much success with her "Caricatypes" clay statuettes before she began experimenting with clay animation. Some of her first resulting short films were screened on 25 March 1917. She released an adaptation of [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' approximately half a year later. Although the films and her technique received much attention of the press, it seems she did not continue making films after she returned to New York from managing a YMCA in Paris around 1918. None of her films have yet surfaced, but the extant magazine articles have provided several stills and approximately 20 poorly printed frames from two film strips.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://journal.animationstudies.org/jason-douglass-artist-author-and-pioneering-motion-picture-animator-the-career-of-helena-smith-dayton-runner-up/|title=Jason Douglass – Artist, Author, and Pioneering Motion Picture Animator: The Career of Helena Smith Dayton (runner-up) – Animation Studies|date=29 December 0201 |language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-25}}</ref>

====Starewicz in Paris====
By 1920 Starewicz had settled in Paris, and started making new stop-motion films. ''Dans les Griffes de L'araignée'' (finished 1920, released 1924) featured detailed hand-made insect puppets that could convey facial expressions with moving lips and eyelids.

====Other silent stop-motion====

One of the earliest clay animation films was ''Modelling Extraordinary'', which impressed audiences in 1912.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}

The early Italian feature film ''[[Cabiria]]'' (1914) featured some stop-motion techniques.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}

===1930s and 1940s===
Starewicz finished the first feature stop-motion film ''[[The Tale of the Fox|Le Roman de Renard (The Tale of the Fox)]]'' in 1930, but problems with its soundtrack delayed its release. In 1937 it was released with a German soundtrack and in 1941 with its French soundtrack.

Hungarian-American filmmaker [[George Pal]] developed his own stop-motion technique of replacing wooden dolls (or parts of them) with similar figures displaying changed poses and/or expressions. He called it Pal-Doll and used it for his [[Puppetoons]] films since 1932. The particular replacement animation method itself also became better known as [[puppetoon]]. In Europe he mainly worked on promotional films for companies such as [[Philips]]. Later Pal gained much success in Hollywood with a string of [[Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film]]s, including ''Rhythm in the Ranks'' (1941), ''[[Tulips Shall Grow]]'' (1942), ''[[Jasper and the Haunted House]]'' (1942), the [[Dr. Seuss]] penned ''[[The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins]]'' (1943) and ''[[And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street]]'' (1944), ''Jasper and the Beanstalk'' (1945), ''[[John Henry and the Inky-Poo]]'' (1946), ''[[Jasper in a Jam]]'' (1946), and ''[[Tubby the Tuba (1947 film)|Tubby the Tuba]]'' (1947). Many of his puppetoon films were selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]].

Willis O' Brien's expressive and emotionally convincing animation of the big ape in ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'' (1933) is widely regarded as a milestone in stop-motion animation and a highlight of Hollywood cinema in general.

A 1940 promotional film for [[Autolite]], an automotive parts supplier, featured stop-motion animation of its products marching past Autolite factories to the tune of [[Franz Schubert]]'s ''[[Three Marches Militaires (Schubert)|Military March]]''. An abbreviated version of this sequence was later used in television ads for Autolite, especially those on the 1950s CBS program ''[[Suspense (U.S. TV series)|Suspense]]'', which Autolite sponsored.

The first British animated feature was the stop-motion instruction film ''[[Handling Ships]]'' (1945) by [[Halas and Batchelor]] for the [[British Admiralty]]. It was not meant for general cinemas, but did become part of the official selection of the 1946 [[Cannes Film Festival]].

The first Belgian animated feature was an [[The Crab with the Golden Claws (film)|adaptation of the Tintin comic ''The Crab with the Golden Claws'']] (1947) with animated puppets.

The first Czech animated feature was the package film ''[[The Czech Year]]'' (1947) with animated puppets by [[Jiří Trnka]]. The film won several awards at the [[Venice Film Festival]] and other international festivals. Trnka would make several more award-winning stop-motion features including ''[[The Emperor's Nightingale]]'' (1949), ''[[Prince Bayaya]]'' (1950), ''[[Old Czech Legends]]'' (1953), or ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream (1959 film)|A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' (1959). He also directed many short films and experimented with other forms of animation.

===1950s===
[[File:Gumbasia.ogv|thumb|right|''[[Gumbasia]]'' (1955) by [[Art Clokey]]]]
[[Ray Harryhausen]] learned under O'Brien on the film ''[[Mighty Joe Young (1949 film)|Mighty Joe Young]]'' (1949). Harryhausen would go on to create many memorable stop-motion effects for a string of successful fantasy films over the next three decades. These included ''[[The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms]]'' (1953), ''[[It Came from Beneath the Sea]]'' (1955), ''[[Jason and the Argonauts (1963 film)|Jason and the Argonauts]]'' (1963), ''[[The Golden Voyage of Sinbad]]'' (1973), and ''[[Clash of the Titans (1981 film)|Clash of the Titans]]'' (1981).

It wasn't until 1954 before a feature animated film with a technique other than cel animation was produced in the US. The first was the stop-motion adaptation of 19th century composer [[Engelbert Humperdinck (composer)|Engelbert Humperdinck]]'s opera ''[[Hansel and Gretel (opera)|Hänsel und Gretel]]'' as ''[[Hansel and Gretel: An Opera Fantasy]]''.

In 1955, [[Karel Zeman]] made his first feature film ''[[Journey to the Beginning of Time]]'' inspired by [[Jules Verne]], featuring stop-motion animation of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures.

[[Art Clokey]] started his adventures in clay with a freeform clay short film called ''Gumbasia'' (1955), which shortly thereafter propelled him into the production of his more structured TV series ''[[Gumby]]'' (1955–1989), with the iconic titular character. In partnership with the [[United Lutheran Church in America]], he also produced ''[[Davey and Goliath]]'' (1960–2004). The theatrical feature ''[[Gumby: The Movie]]'' (1992, released in 1995) was a [[box-office bomb]].

On 22 November 1959, the first episode of ''[[Sandmännchen|Unser Sandmänchen (Our Little Sandman)]]'' was broadcast on [[Deutscher Fernsehfunk|DFF (East German television)]]. The 10-minute daily bedtime show for young children features the title character as an animated puppet, and other puppets in different segments. A very similar ''Sandmänchen'' series, possibly conceived earlier, ran on West German television from 1 December 1959 until the [[German reunification]] in 1989. The East German show was continued on other German networks when DFF ended in 1991, and is one of the longest running animated series in the world.{{citation needed|date=March 2013}} The theatrical feature ''Das Sandmännchen – Abenteuer im Traumland'' (2010) was fully animated with stop-motion puppets.

===1960s and 1970s===
[[File:Pat Mat.jpg|thumb|[[Pat & Mat]], two inventive but clumsy neighbors, was introduced in 1976,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.extrastory.cz/pat-a-mat-spolu-kuti-uz-40-let-a-stale-se-nevzdavaji.html |title=Pat a Mat spolu kutí už 40 let a stále se nevzdávají. Za socialismu je chtěli zakázat, za kapitalismu málem zkrachovali |publisher=extrastory.cz |date= |access-date=2021-12-20 | language = cs}}</ref> while the first made-for-TV episode ''Tapety'' (translated ''Wallpaper'') was produced in 1979 for [[Jednotka|ČST Bratislava]].]]
Japanese puppet animator [[Tadahito Mochinaga]] started out as assistant animator in short anime (propaganda) films ''Arichan'' (1941) and ''[[Momotarō no Umiwashi]]'' (1943). He fled to [[Manchukuo]] during the war and stayed in China afterwards. Due to the scarcity of paint and film stock shortly after the war, Mochinaga decided to work with puppets and stop-motion. His work helped popularize puppet animation in China, before he returned to Japan around 1953 where he continued working as animation director. In the 1960s, Mochinaga supervised the "Animagic" puppet animation for productions by [[Arthur Rankin Jr.]] and [[Jules Bass]]' Videocraft International, Ltd. (later called [[Rankin/Bass Productions]], Inc.) and [[Dentsu]], starting with the syndicated television series ''[[The New Adventures of Pinocchio (TV series)|The New Adventures of Pinocchio]]'' (1960-1961). The Christmas TV special ''[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special)|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]]'' has been telecasted annually since 1964 and has become one of the most beloved holiday specials in the United States. They made three theatrical feature films ''[[Willy McBean and His Magic Machine]]'' (1965), ''[[The Daydreamer (film)|The Daydreamer]]'' (1966, stop-motion / live-action) and ''[[Mad Monster Party?]]'' (1966, released in 1967), and the television special ''Ballad of Smokey the Bear'' (1966) before the collaboration ended. Rankin/Bass worked with other animators for more TV specials, with titles such as ''[[The Little Drummer Boy (TV special)|The Little Drummer Boy]]'' (1968), ''[[Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (film)|Santa Claus is Comin' to Town]]'' (1970) and ''[[Here Comes Peter Cottontail]]'' (1971).

British television has shown many stop-motion series for young children since the 1960s. An early example is ''[[Snip and Snap]]'' (1960-1961) by [[John Halas]] in collaboration with Danish paper sculptor Thok Søndergaard (Thoki Yenn), featuring dog Snap, cut from a sheet of paper by pair of scissors Snip.

Apart from their cutout animation series, British studio [[Smallfilms]] ([[Peter Firmin]] and [[Oliver Postgate]]) produced several stop-motion series with puppets, beginning with ''[[Pingwings]]'' (1961-1965) featuring penguin-like birds knitted by Peter's wife Joan and filmed on their farm (where most of their productions were filmed in an unused barn). It was followed by ''[[Pogles' Wood]]'' (1965-1967), ''[[Clangers]]'' (1969-1972, 1974, revived in 2015), ''[[Bagpuss]]'' (1974) and ''[[Tottie: The Story of a Doll's House]]'' (1984).

Czech surrealist filmmaker [[Jan Švankmajer]]'s released his short artistic films since 1964, which usually contain much experimental stop-motion. He started to gain much international recognition in the 1980s. Since 1988 he has mostly been directing feature films which feature much more live action than stop-motion. These include ''[[Alice (1988 film)|Alice]]'', an adaptation of [[Lewis Carroll]]'s ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]'', and ''[[Faust (1994 film)|Faust]]'', a rendition of [[Faust|the legend of the German scholar]]. Švankmajer's work has been highly influential on other artists, such as [[Terry Gilliam]] and the Quay brothers (although the latter claim to have only discovered Švankmajer's films after having developed their own similar style).

French animator [[Serge Danot]] created ''[[The Magic Roundabout]]'' (1965) which played for many years on the [[BBC]].

Polish studio [[Se-ma-for]] produced popular TV series with animated puppets in adaptations of ''[[Colargol]]'' (''Barnaby the Bear'' in the UK, ''Jeremy'' in Canada) (1967-1974) and ''[[The Moomins (TV series)|The Moomins]]'' (1977-1982).

In the 1960s and 1970s, independent clay animator [[Eli Noyes|Eliot Noyes Jr.]] refined the technique of "free-form" clay animation with his Oscar-nominated 1965 film ''Clay (or the Origin of Species)''. Noyes also used stop-motion to animate sand lying on glass for his musical animated film ''Sandman'' (1975).

Italian director Francesco Misseri created the clay animation TV series ''[[Mio Mao]]'' (1970-1976, 2002–2007), ''[[The Red and the Blue (TV series)|The Red and the Blue]]'' (''Il Rosso e il Blu'', 1976), and a TV series with an animated [[origami]] duck ''[[Quaq Quao]]'' (1978-1979).

The British artists Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall ([[Cosgrove Hall Films]]) produced two stop-motion animated adaptions of [[Enid Blyton]]'s ''Noddy'' book series, including the original series of the same name (1975–1982) and ''[[Noddy's Toyland Adventures]]'' (1992–2001), a full-length film ''[[The Wind in the Willows (1983 film)|The Wind in the Willows]]'' (1983) and later a [[The Wind in the Willows (TV series)|multi-season TV series]], both based on [[Kenneth Grahame]]'s [[The Wind in the Willows|classic children's book]] of the same title. They also produced a documentary of their production techniques, ''Making Frog and Toad''.

In 1975, filmmaker and clay animation experimenter [[Will Vinton]] joined with sculptor [[Bob Gardiner (animator)|Bob Gardiner]] to create an experimental film called ''[[Closed Mondays]]'' which became the first stop-motion film to win an Oscar. Will Vinton followed with several other successful short film experiments including ''[[The Great Cognito]]'', ''The Creation'', and ''Rip Van Winkle'' which were each nominated for Academy Awards. In 1977, Vinton made a documentary about this process and his style of animation which he dubbed "claymation"; he titled the documentary ''Claymation''. Soon after this documentary, the term was trademarked by Vinton to differentiate his team's work from others who had been, or were beginning to do, "clay animation". While the word has stuck and is often used to describe clay animation and stop-motion, it remains a trademark owned currently by Laika Entertainment, Inc. Twenty clay-animation episodes featuring the clown [[Mr. Bill]] were a feature of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', starting from a first appearance in February 1976.

At very much the same time in the UK, [[Peter Lord]] and [[David Sproxton]] formed [[Aardman Animations]] that would produce many commercials, TV series, short films and eventually also feature films. In 1976 they created the character [[Morph (animation)|Morph]] who appeared as an animated side-kick to the TV presenter [[Tony Hart]] on his [[BBC TV]] programme [[Take Hart]]. The five-inch-high presenter was made from a traditional British modelling clay called [[Plasticine]]. In 1977 they started on a series of animated films, again using modelling clay, but this time made for a more adult audience. The soundtrack for ''[[Down and Out (film)|Down and Out]]'' was recorded in a Salvation Army Hostel and Plasticine puppets were animated to dramatise the dialogue. A second film, also for the BBC followed in 1978. A TV series [[The Amazing Adventures of Morph]] was aired in 1980.

Sand-coated puppet animation was used in the Oscar-winning 1977 film ''[[The Sand Castle (1977 film)|The Sand Castle]]'', produced by Dutch-Canadian animator [[Co Hoedeman]]. Hoedeman was one of dozens of animators sheltered by the [[National Film Board of Canada]], a Canadian government film arts agency that had supported animators for decades. A pioneer of refined multiple stop-motion films under the NFB banner was [[Norman McLaren]], who brought in many other animators to create their own creatively controlled films. Notable among these are the [[pinscreen animation]] films of Jacques Drouin, made with the original pinscreen donated by [[Alexandre Alexeieff and Claire Parker]].

Czech filmmakers [[Lubomír Beneš]] and [[Vladimír Jiránek]] debuted their animated puppet characters ''[[Pat & Mat]]'', two inventive but clumsy neighbors, in the 7-minute short ''Kuťáci'' in 1976. Since 1979, over 100 episodes have been broadcast irregularly.<ref>{{Citation|title=Pat & Mat (TV Series 1976–2018) - IMDb|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0841929/episodes|access-date=2020-01-23}} {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref> Since 2014, new episodes were presented in theatrically released package films. The series became very popular in several countries, especially in The Netherlands, the only country where the characters are voiced.

One of the main British animation teams, [[Bura and Hardwick|John Hardwick and Bob Bura]], were the main animators in many early British TV shows, and are famous for their work on the ''[[Trumptonshire]]'' trilogy (''[[Camberwick Green]]'', ''[[Trumpton]]'' and ''[[Chigley]]''). Their company was named Stop-Motion Limited,<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01018410
|title=Stop-Motion Limited overview - Companies House
|date=5 April 2022
|access-date=8 December 2024}}</ref> the term having been their trademark until it became [[Generic trademark|generic]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.t-web.co.uk/trump_bh.htm
|title=The Animators: Bura and Hardwick - Trumptonshire Web
|access-date=8 December 2024}}</ref>

Disney experimented with several stop-motion techniques by hiring independent animator-director [[Mike Jittlov]] to make the first stop-motion animation of [[Mickey Mouse]] toys ever produced, in a short sequence called ''Mouse Mania'', part of a TV special, ''Mickey's 50'', which commemorated Mickey's 50th anniversary in 1978. Jittlov again produced some impressive multi-technique stop-motion animation a year later for a 1979 Disney special promoting their release of the feature film ''[[The Black Hole (1979 film)|The Black Hole]]''. Titled ''Major Effects'', Jittlov's work stood out as the best part of the special. Jittlov released his footage the following year to 16mm film collectors as a short film titled ''[[The Wizard of Speed and Time]]'', along with four of his other short multi-technique animated films, most of which eventually evolved into his own feature-length film of the same title. Effectively demonstrating almost all animation techniques, as well as how he produced them, the film was released to theaters in 1987 and to video in 1989.

===1980s===

In the 1970s and 1980s, [[Industrial Light & Magic]] often used stop-motion model animation in such films as the [[Star Wars original trilogy|original ''Star Wars'' trilogy]]: the holochess sequence in ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'', the Tauntauns and AT-AT walkers in ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'', and the AT-ST walkers in ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'' were all filmed using stop-motion animation, with the latter two films utilising [[go motion]]: an invention from renowned visual effects veteran [[Phil Tippett]]. The many shots including the ghosts in ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'' , the Dragon in ''[[Dragonslayer (1981 film)|Dragonslayer]]'', and the first two feature films in the ''[[RoboCop]]'' series use Tippett's go motion.

In the UK, Aardman Animations continued to grow. [[Channel 4]] funded a new series of clay animated films, ''[[Conversation Pieces]]'', using recorded soundtracks of real people talking. A further series in 1986, called ''Lip Sync'', premiered the work of [[Richard Goleszowski]] (''Ident''), [[Barry Purves]] (''Next''), and [[Nick Park]] (''[[Creature Comforts]]''), as well as further films by Sproxton and Lord. ''Creature Comforts'' won the Oscar for Best Animated Short in 1990. In 1986, they also produced a notable [[Sledgehammer (Peter Gabriel song)#Music video|music video for "Sledgehammer"]], a song by [[Peter Gabriel]].

In 1980, Marc Paul Chinoy directed the 1st feature-length clay animated film, based on the famous ''[[Pogo (comics)|Pogo]]'' comic strip. Titled ''I go Pogo''. It was aired a few times on American cable channels but has yet to be commercially released. Primarily clay, some characters required armatures, and walk cycles used pre-sculpted hard bases legs.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Priebe|first=Ken A.|title=The Advanced Art of Stop-Motion Animation|url=https://archive.org/details/advancedartstopm00prie|url-access=limited|publisher=Course Technology|year=2011|isbn=978-1-4354-5613-6|location=Boston|pages=[https://archive.org/details/advancedartstopm00prie/page/n47 25]}}</ref>

Stop-motion was also used for some shots of the final sequence of the first ''[[The Terminator|Terminator]]'' movie, also for the scenes of the small alien ships in [[Steven Spielberg|Spielberg]]'s ''[[Batteries Not Included]]'' in 1987, animated by [[David W. Allen]]. Allen's stop-motion work can also be seen in such feature films as ''[[The Crater Lake Monster]]'' (1977), ''[[Q (1982 film)|Q - The Winged Serpent]]'' (1982), ''[[The Gate (1987 film)|The Gate]]'' (1987) and ''Freaked'' (1993). Allen's King Kong [[Volkswagen]] commercial from the 1970s is now legendary among model animation enthusiasts.

In 1985, [[Will Vinton]] and his team released an ambitious feature film in stop-motion called "[[The Adventures of Mark Twain (1985 film)|The Adventures Of Mark Twain]]" based on the life and works of the famous American author. While the film may have been a little sophisticated for young audiences at the time, it got rave reviews from critics and adults in general.{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} Vinton's team also created the Nomes and the Nome King for Disney's "[[Return to Oz]]" feature, for which they received an Academy Award Nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Special Visual Effects]]. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Will Vinton became very well known for his commercial work as well with stop-motion campaigns including [[The California Raisins]] and [[The Noid]].

[[Jiří Barta]] released his award-winning fantasy film [[The Pied Piper (1986 film)|The Pied Piper]] (1986).

From 1986 to 1991, [[Churchill Films]] produced ''[[The Mouse and the Motorcycle]]'', ''[[Runaway Ralph]]'', and ''[[Ralph S. Mouse]]'' for ABC television. The shows featured stop-motion characters combined with live action, based on the books of Beverly Cleary. John Clark Matthews was the animation director, with Justin Kohn, Joel Fletcher, and Gail Van Der Merwe providing character animation.<ref>https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0196767/, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094541/, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0196895/ {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref> The company also produced other films based on children's books.

From 1986 to 2000, [[List of Pingu episodes|over 150 five-minute episodes]] of ''[[Pingu]]'', a Swiss [[children's television series|children's]] [[animated comedy|comedy]], were produced by Trickfilmstudio.

Aardman Animations' [[Nick Park]] became very successful with his short claymation ''[[Creature Comforts]]'' in 1989, which had [[talking animals in fiction|talking animals]] voicing [[vox pop]] interviews. Park then used the same format to produce a series of commercials between 1990 and 1992. The commercials have been credited as having introduced a more "caring" way of advertising in the UK. [[Richard Goleszowski]] later directed two 13-episode ''Creature Comforts'' TV series (2003, 2005–2006) and a Christmas special (2005). 
Also in 1989, Park introduced his very popular clay characters [[Wallace and Gromit]] in ''[[A Grand Day Out]]''. Three more short films and one feature film and many TV adaptions and spin-offs would follow. Among many other awards, Park won the [[Academy Award for Best Animated Feature]] for the feature-length outing ''[[Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit]]''. Park also worked on the ''[[Chicken Run]]'' movie, which was another film from Aardman Animations.

===1990s===
In 1992, [[Trey Parker]] and [[Matt Stone]] made ''[[The Spirit of Christmas (short films)|The Spirit of Christmas]]'', a short cutout animated student film made with [[construction paper]]. In 1995 they made a second short with the same titled, commissioned as a Christmas greeting by [[Fox Broadcasting Company]] executive [[Brian Graden]]. The concepts and characters were further developed into the TV hit series ''[[South Park]]'' (since 1997). Except for the pilot, all animation has been created on computers in the same style.

''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]'' (1993), directed by [[Henry Selick]] and produced by [[Tim Burton]], was one of the more widely released stop-motion features and became the highest grossing stop-motion animated movie of its time, grossing over $50 million domestic. Henry Selick also went on to direct ''[[James and the Giant Peach (film)|James and the Giant Peach]]'' and ''[[Coraline (film)|Coraline]]'', and Tim Burton went on to direct ''[[Corpse Bride]]'' and ''[[Frankenweenie (2012 film)|Frankenweenie]]''.

The stop-motion feature ''[[The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb]]'' was released in 1993.

In November 1998, the first episode of [[Bob the Builder]] released on BBC. Bob the Builder was a popular British stop-motion television series created by Keith Chapman & produced and owned by [[HIT Entertainment]].

In 1999, Will Vinton launched the first US prime-time stop-motion television series called ''[[The PJs]]'', co-created by actor-comedian [[Eddie Murphy]]. The Emmy-winning sitcom aired on Fox for two seasons, then moved to the WB for an additional season. Vinton launched another series, ''[[Gary & Mike]]'', for UPN in 2001.

In 1999, [[Tsuneo Gōda]] directed 30-second sketches of the character [[Domo (NHK)|Domo]]. The shorts, animated by stop-motion studio Dwarf, are currently still produced in [[Japan]] and have received universal critical acclaim from fans and critics. Gōda also directed the stop-motion movie series ''Komaneko'' in 2004.

===21st century===
[[File:Cavetown - Green.webm|thumb|The music video to "Green" (2018) by [[Cavetown]], a modern example of stop-motion animation]]
The BBC commissioned thirteen episodes of stop frame animated ''[[Summerton Mill]]'' in 2004 as inserts into their flagship pre-school program, ''[[Tikkabilla]]''. Created and produced by Pete Bryden and Ed Cookson, the series was then given its own slot on BBC1 and BBC2 and has been broadcast extensively around the world.

Other notable stop-motion feature films released since 2000 include ''[[Fantastic Mr. Fox (film)|Fantastic Mr. Fox]]'' (2009), ''[[$9.99]]'' (2009), ''[[Anomalisa]]'' (2015), [[Henry Selick|Henry Selick's]] [[Wendell & Wild|Wendell and Wild]] (2022) and ''[[Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio]]'' (2022).

In 2003, the pilot film for the series ''[[Curucuru and Friends]]'', produced by Korean studio Ffango Entertoyment is greenlighted into a [[children's television program|children's]] animated series in 2004 after an approval with the Gyeonggi Digital Contents Agency. It was aired in [[KBS1]] on November 24, 2006, and won the 13th Korean Animation Awards in 2007 for Best Animation. Ffango Entertoyment also worked with [[Frontier Works]] in [[Japan]] to produce the 2010 film remake of ''[[Cheburashka]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hancinema.net/the-future-looks-bright-for-companies-that-moved-into-the-gyeonggi-digital-content-agency-9527.html|title=The future looks bright for companies that moved into the Gyeonggi Digital Content Agency|website=hancinema.net}}</ref>

Since 2005, ''[[Robot Chicken]]'' has mostly utilized stop-motion animation, using custom made [[action figure]]s and other toys as principal characters.

Since 2009, [[Laika, LLC|Laika]], the stop-motion successor to [[Will Vinton Studios]], has released five [[feature film]]s, which have collectively grossed over $400 million: ''[[Coraline (film)|Coraline]]'' (2009), ''[[ParaNorman]]'' (2012), ''[[The Boxtrolls]]'' (2014), ''[[Kubo and the Two Strings]]'' (2016) and ''[[Missing Link (2019 film)|Missing Link]]'' (2019).

Directors like [[Tim Burton]] and [[Wes Anderson]] are still using stop-motion animation in some of their live action films.<ref>[https://screenrant.com/beetlejuice-2-tim-burton-stop-motion-animation-trademark-revive/ Beetlejuice 2 Revives A 42-Year-Old Tim Burton Trademark Missing From His Last 3 Movies]</ref><ref>[https://theweek.com/articles/761474/how-wes-anderson-sneaks-stopmotion-animation-into-every-film-makes How Wes Anderson sneaks stop-motion animation into every film he makes]</ref>

In November 2024, [[Disney]] released ''Mickey & Minnie's Christmas Carols'', a series of five stop-motion shorts featuring Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto.