The world of animation is vast. From the fairytale lands of Disney’s Renaissance 2D pieces to the whims of early Pixar’s 3D hits, and to the mixing of animation and live-action and, more recently, the blend of 2D and 3D animation — the limits are endless when it comes to animation, essentially proving that this genre has the ability to attract audiences and creatives alike from every part of the globe.
Another popular subgenre of animation is stop-motion animation, where the sets and characters are very real, tangible things, and maneuvered and photographed frame by frame in order create the illusion of movement. In fact, some of the most notable stop-motion animation movies are included in the niche category of claymation. In claymation films, everything is sculpted from clay and created from scratch. Because of the immense time and effort it takes to produce these films, they aren’t frequently in production. They are nonetheless some of the most unique and fun films to create and watch. As such, here’s a list of the best claymation movies of all time, ranked.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
8 The Boxtrolls
Focus Features
Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Film, The Boxtrolls follows a young human boy named Eggs, who is raised by the city’s population of trash trolls. Created by the well-loved studio, Laika, this claymation film marked Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi’s directorial debut. With a $60 million-budget, it earned that and more at the box office upon its release, raking it $108 million.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 Frankenweenie
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The first black and white epic to be released in 3D is Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie. A modern twist on the classic, Frankenstein, the film follows Victor and his quest to resurrect his dead dog. A darker kids comedy with the classic Burton dead eyes and dark aura, it became a true Halloween classic and was a fun homage to the classic Mary Shelley story.
6 Corpse Bride
Warner Bros.
Mike Johnson and Tim Burton’s fantastical Corpse Bride delves into the world of ghosts and all things spooky and, most importantly, dead. The film follows Victor, a young man on the verge of a planned marriage, who accidentally proposes to a corpse that, in turn, falls in love with him. With stunning visuals and a heart-wrenching story, it took 52 weeks to shoot, which is just about a year and quite good timing for a stop-motion film.
5 Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Aardman Animation
The characters of Wallace and Gromit are claymation icons. Launching off countless adventures shared between the dog-and-human pair, the 2005 DreamWorks feature Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit was released and put them on the worldwide map. It was the last-ever solo DreamWorks film before it paired with Universal Pictures, and was directed by Nick Park and Steve Box, marking the latter’s directorial debut.
4 The Nightmare Before Christmas
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Often confused with the dark animated world Tim Burton has created, The Nightmare Before Christmas was actually created by Henry Selick in his directorial debut. It is the perfect in-between film branching Halloween and Christmas, with songs that became instant Disney classics. The film follows Jack Skellington, the King of Halloweentown, and his accidental discovery of Christmas Town. In a fish out of water situation, Jack grows to learn and love Christmas, and plots to overthrow the holiday. Production started in 1991, and the film had its release in 1993. It was originally going to be released under Touchstone Productions, claiming to be too scary for children, but was eventually released under Disney’s label when the movie was received well.
3 Coraline
The film that was the source of all little kids nightmares. Based on the novel of the same name, Coraline follows a young girl moving to a new house and her quest for the fantastical. In her search, she discovers a world that is seemingly perfect, but things start to get scary when the world becomes different from what she imagined, and more of a dark trap. Being Laika Studios’ first feature film, Selick directed this stop-motion claymation movie. It also gained attention in the animation community for being the first stop-motion feature to 3D print their characters faces (via The Hollywood Reporter). An all around stunning feature, and a Halloween classic.
2 ParaNorman
An underrated addition to the claymation world, ParaNorman follows a young Norman who can talk to ghosts, and has to stop an ancient curse on the town he lives in, while battling his family’s disbelief in him and his ability. Directed by Sam Fell and Christ Butler, this film is endearing, hilarious, and visually stunning, deserving its nomination for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
1 The Fantastic Mr. Fox
20th Century Studios
A classic in the world of stop-motion claymation, Wes Anderson’s The Fantastic Mr. Fox is about the titular Mr. Fox and his quest to provide for his family and community, while being hunted down by three farmers for taking their crop. While being a PG-rated animated film, this movie is especially geared towards adults, being a witty comedy, while also providing a commentary about life and growing up, and destroying expectations or living up to them. A beautiful classic animated film, this claymation flick tops our list.
