Over the years, stop-motion has become associated with two things: spooky stories and Christmas specials. However, stop-motion has a long history when it comes to animated films. In fact, many of the earliest animated feature-length films ever made were stop-motion, with traditional animation becoming king after the release of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Many prominent animators think stop-motion is just the right medium to tell the story they want to tell. There are also quite a few films that combine live-action actors with stop-motion content, sometimes sharing the screen in the same scene. While some of these films might not be as well-remembered as others, a few were quite acclaimed in their time. Some are fan-favorites of animation historians. Finally, some have simply become cult classics in their own right over the years.
10 Twice Upon a Time (1983)
Twice Upon a Time revolves around the lands of Frivoli and Din, where dreams are made and delivered, respectively. A shapeshifting animal, Ralph, and a mime named Mumford get caught up in a plot to replace dreams with nightmares. They have to work with an inept superhero and a deadpan fairy godmother to save the day.
Three Films Out of One
The film was made using improvised dialogue, which led to it having three alternate versions. Thanks to this, some cuts are less family-friendly than others. On the visual side, it combined live-action, traditional animation, and cutout animation, made by moving around plastic pieces on a light table. John Korty developed the process, known as the "Lumage" process, and used it before for The Electric Company and Sesame Street. Twice Upon a Time also has the distinction of being the first animated film produced by George Lucas.
9 Hansel and Gretel: An Opera Fantasy (1954)
Introducing opera to kids might seem daunting, but it helps that there are already plenty of classic shows based on stories children already know and love. After all, Engelbert Humperdinck adapted the classic story of Hansel and Gretel to opera in 1893. It was adapted into a 1954 stop-motion film, Hansel and Gretel: An Opera Fantasy, which makes it the first American feature-length animated film not using traditional animation.
The Film Later Became a Christmas Special
As in the original story, a brother and sister become lost in the woods and soon find themselves at the mercy of a witch. The witch intends to eat the poor children, but she is the one who ends up in her own oven.
Initially released without a distributor, the film garnered enough interest to be acquired by RKO Radio Pictures for the Christmas stations. In later years, television stations often aired it as a Christmas special. This is somewhat fitting, as the original opera is often performed around Christmas.
8 Mad Monster Party? (1967)
Rankin-Bass is best known for their animated Christmas specials, but the production company knew there was a time and place to get spooky, too. Mad Monster Party? is a stop-motion homage to classic monster movies that starts up when Baron Boris von Frankenstein announces his retirement as head of the Worldwide Organization of Monsters, complete with a party on the Isle of Evil.
"Welcome to a Creepy Creature Convention!"
Soon, Count Dracula, the Invisible Man, Mr. Hyde, and others are competing to be his successor, along with his assistant Francesca. However, the baron has already chosen his good-natured nephew, Felix Flanken.
While often thought of as a Rankin-Bass Halloween special, the film originally came out in March. The film notably had a traditionally animated follow-up in Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters. Over the years, the film has been seen as a predecessor to later stop-motion horror films. It has also drawn comparisons with the Hotel Transylvania films.
7 Tom Thumb (1958)
Tom Thumb, also stylized as tom thumb, is a musical fantasy film. While mostly live-action, with Russ Tamblyn in the title role, the film was directed and produced by prolific animator George Pal, with the film incorporating stop-motion characters as well.
Heroes Come in All Shapes & Sizes
A woodcutter earns three wishes from the mysterious Forest Queen. After accidentally wasting them, they sadly hope their true wish will come true: a child, even if he were no bigger than a thumb. Their wish is granted, to the letter, with Tom Thumb arriving at their doorstep. Of course, this is the start of Tom's adventures, as he soon finds himself having to outwit a pair of thieves.
Stop-motion is heavily used to animate Tom's toys, who are about his size, and come to life to play with him. While Pal would continue into live-action films, many of them would use stop-motion for special effects, such as in The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm.
6 Alice in Wonderland (1949)
Alice in Wonderland is a French film that sees Carol Marsh as the title heroine. While Alice herself appears in live-action, the Wonderland characters are created through the use of stop-motion.
Down the Rabbit Hole
A few of the actors who provide voices for the stop-motion characters also appear as characters in live-action segments set in England. Notably, Stephen Murray plays Lewis Carroll himself in addition to voicing the Knave of Hearts. This, for some, brings to mind MGM's The Wizard of Oz, with the characters Alice meeting having analogs in the real world.
Infamously, the film received competition with Disney, who was releasing a traditionally animated version of the story around the same time. The film also sparked alleged controversy in Britain due to the film portraying the Queen of Hearts as a caricature of Queen Victoria.
5 The Daydreamer (1966)
A live-action/stop-motion hybrid, The Daydreamer is a theatrical release from Rankin/Bass. A teenaged Hans Christian Andersen, known as "Chris," finds himself daydreaming about all of his future stories, which are acted out with stop-motion puppets. Between meeting the Little Mermaid and Thumbelina, and other fantastic adventures, Chris hopes to find the elusive "Garden of Paradise." In the end, however, he'll find immortality in the stories he'll one day write.
"Does Anybody Have Some Luck to Sell?"
The Wizard of Oz was clearly in mind when working on the film, as Ray Bolger and Margaret Hamilton both appear in the film. The film was a star-studded event, featuring Hayley Mills, Boris Karloff, Tallulah Bankhead, Patty Duke, Ed Wynn, and Sessue Hayakawa.
4 The Tale of the Fox (1937)
The Tale of the Fox, also known as Van den vos Reynaerde, is based on the stories of Renard the Fox. Notably, the film came out eight months before Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, making it one of the oldest surviving animated films. Interestingly, the film's animation was finished by 1930, but the film was delayed due to troubles adding a soundtrack.
Reynard's Not Your Average Animated Hero
Reynard the Fox is a legendary trickster. However, his actions eventually earn the wrath of King Lion. However, the crafty fox will prove to be a challenge, even for the king's forces. In the end, the king realizes it's safer to keep Reynard as an ally than an enemy.
Animation pioneer Ladislas Starevich notably served as the film's director. For years, it was believed that the puppets used for the film were life-size, thanks to images of Starevich surrounded by them. In reality, while differently sized puppets were used for the film, the images had simply been a photomontage.
3 Nutcracker Fantasy (1979)
Nutcracker Fantasy loosely adapts the E. T. A. Hoffmann story of The Nutcracker and its ballet adaptation. After receiving a nutcracker doll from her Uncle Drosselmeyer, a young girl named Clara finds herself in a fantasy world. Contending with a rat queen and a vain princess, Clara must find a way to save her enchanted nutcracker.
"Now That the Dance of the Dolls Has Begun…"
The animation is reminiscent of the Rankin-Bass holiday specials. Combined with The Nutcracker's association with Christmas, the film has often been mistaken for a Rankin-Bass production. The film actually comes from Sanrio. This is a bit more obvious in the uncut Japanese version of the film, as Hello Kitty toys make an appearance during a dream sequence. A remastered version of the film was also released by Sanrio in 2014, complete with new voice actors.
2 The Pied Piper (1986)
The Pied Piper, also known as Krysař, meaning "The Rat Catcher," adapts the title story. The town of Hamelin is overrun with rats. A mysterious piper appears to be the only one who can save the town, using his magic to lure the rats away. However, the town doesn't want to pay him the promised price.
Don't Forget to Pay the Piper
Things take an even darker turn when the piper is unable to save a woman he had befriended from a grisly fate. Set to punish the crime, he transforms the townspeople into rats and lures them to their death like the last batch. In the end, only an old fisherman and a baby are spared, who soon leave the town. The dark film, which proved to be an ambitious project, notably derived influence from German Expressionism and medieval German art.
1 The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926)
The Adventures of Prince Achmed is a German-animated film made by famed animator Lotte Reiniger. Drawing from the stories from One Thousand and One Nights, the titular prince contends with a scheming sorcerer who wants to marry his sister. Along the way, he falls in love and even meets up with Aladdin.
The Oldest Known Surviving Feature-Length Animated Film
As with most of Reiniger's work, the film is made with animated shadow puppets, also known as silhouette animation. It notably has the distinction of being one of the oldest surviving feature-length animated films ever made. The film also notably featured a variety of avant-garde filmmakers of the time, such as Walter Ruttmann, Berthold Bartosch, and Carl Koch.
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