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Stop Motion
Reality and fantasy collide to extraordinary effect when you bring the inanimate to life, one frame at a time.
Since the earliest days of cinema, the trick of “stop motion” – manipulating static objects in front of the camera between filmed frames to create artificial movement – has evolved from a novelty gimmick to a unique and magical form of storytelling. Whether made with toys, household items, plasticine, or purpose-built puppets of increasing complexity, the art of stop motion is a gateway to unique characters and unexpected narratives that emerge from the cracks between our everyday world and our wildest dreams.
Damaged GoodsDamaged Goods
Animation & Artists Moving Image20089 mins
A tragic story is played out by porcelain figurines residing in a bric-a-brac shop.
ErsatzErsatz
Animation & Artists Moving Image197814 minsSilent
An affectionate stop-motion tribute to Hollywood and cinema going, by an animator at Cosgrove-Hall Productions
SupertedSuperted
Animation & Artists Moving Image19759 mins
Don’t tell the Spotty man but Superted has a new friend. A stop motion predecessor of the superhero teddy idea
Animated PuttyAnimated Putty
Animation & Artists Moving Image19114 minsSilent
Long, long before Wallace met Gromit filmmakers performed malleable magic to bring clay to life
Short Tribute From Blues To YouShort Tribute From Blues To You
Amateur film19892 minsSilent Location: Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Model music men - an unusual appreciation of some legendary figures of rock.
South Sea SweetheartsSouth Sea Sweethearts
Advert19386 mins
Say aloha to a Technicolor cinema ad for Horlicks from the master of the Puppetoon, George Pal
Dinosaurs and ThingsDinosaurs and Things
Amateur film198113 minsSilent
Those “things” being spiders, serpents, pre-historic monsters and God. Stop-motion clay animation inspired by the work of Ray Harryhausen.
Bee BoyBee Boy
Animation & Artists Moving Image20056 mins
Bee Boy is destined to spend eternity trapped inside a hive on top of a hill.
Bride and GroomBride and Groom
Amateur film19557 mins
Newlyweds meet a nuisance in an enjoyable mix of cartoon comedy and real-life actors, including Roobarb legend Bob Godfrey.
UkiUki
Animation & Artists Moving Image20186 mins
A short stop-frame animation following a lonely Inuit who struggles to survive after an oil tanker leaks oil off the coast of Alaska, killing all the wildlife in the area.
Vote for FrogletVote for Froglet
Animation & Artists Moving Image19747 mins
As the general election is held in the UK, it's polling day for the Clangers on a small blue planet far away.
Experimental Animation 1933Experimental Animation 1933
Animation & Artists Moving Image19332 mins
Long before MTV, Len Lye crafted this antecedent of the music video with a cheeky monkey singing and dancing to Cuban hit 'Peanut Vendor'
The Feline FunThe Feline Fun
Amateur film198613 minsSilent
The shenanigans of Cuthbert-Tiggy, the mischievous kitty who enjoys a tipple. An intriguing combo of stop-motion animation and live action.
O, Hunter HeartO, Hunter Heart
Animation & Artists Moving Image20187 mins
Nature and domesticity collide in this dark love story featuring stop-motion puppets.
What-ho-she-bumpsWhat-ho-she-bumps
Advert19377 mins
Puppet pirates pray on the sleeping Navy: the crew of HMS Hopeless pay the price of night starvation in this 1930s Horlicks ad.
Love on the RangeLove on the Range
Advert19396 mins
An animated Western mock-opera about Horlicks? Bring it on!
Molar MischiefMolar Mischief
Advert19462 mins
Look out, germs at work! These loveable molar mischief making puppets really dig tooth decay.
To Demonstrate How Spiders FlyTo Demonstrate How Spiders Fly
Animation & Artists Moving Image19091 minsSilent
Charming animated illustration of one of nature's wonders from Britain's most inventive pioneer of wildlife filmmaking.
The Fabulumperous CarThe Fabulumperous Car
Animation & Artists Moving Image197212 mins
Top Gear meets Trumpton, as Wilf Weasel pimps Bungle Bunny’s ride
The Story of TimeThe Story of Time
Animation & Artists Moving Image195010 mins
… as brought to you by Rolex, with the help of incredible model animation.
Change for the BetterChange for the Better
Advert19492 mins
An ageing bobby learns about the Co-op divvy in this gorgeous puppet animation narrated by Stanley Holloway.
A Mug's Game, Or, How to Squash a Lemon HeadA Mug's Game, Or, How to Squash a Lemon Head
Animation & Artists Moving Image19674 mins
Yo-yo, Pogo and Splat (guess which one's the lemon head?) feature in this innovative stop-motion railway safety film
Animated Doll and Toy Town CircusAnimated Doll and Toy Town Circus
Animation & Artists Moving Image19123 mins
Roll up, roll up! Come witness staggering feats in what might be the earliest surviving animated film made in colour.
The Red Box FantasyThe Red Box Fantasy
Advert19353 mins
A colourful cavalcade of cancer sticks, in this 1930s cinema ad
Tufty - Safe Places to CrossTufty - Safe Places to Cross
Animation & Artists Moving Image19731 minsSilent
Road safety guidance for kids from Tufty the squirrel and friends
Tufty - ShoppingTufty - Shopping
Animation & Artists Moving Image19731 minsSilent
The lure of a toy shop proves almost too much for Tufty the squirrel
Tufty - Playing Near the RoadTufty - Playing Near the Road
Animation & Artists Moving Image19731 minsSilent
Tufty and friends - a road safety classic remastered!
BureaucatsBureaucats
Amateur film19786 mins
Behind closed drawers what other worlds lie? A bureau with tenants from the pleistocene (or plasticine) era offers ‘documentary’ potential.
Animated Doll and Toy Town CircusAnimated Doll and Toy Town Circus
Animation & Artists Moving Image19123 mins
Roll up, roll up! Come witness staggering feats in what might be the earliest surviving animated film made in colour.
Goodwill To All DogsGoodwill To All Dogs
Animation & Artists Moving Image19606 mins
An animated xmas with paper dog Snap
Ladder to YouLadder to You
Animation & Artists Moving Image20184 mins
Eric misses his Elsie, but in his darkest moment she shows him that true love never dies.
LFF Trailer 1995LFF Trailer 1995
Animation & Artists Moving Image19951 mins
Aardman turn the cinema screen into a mirror and offer this delightful portrait of the typical film festival audience
Dreams of ToylandDreams of Toyland
Animation & Artists Moving Image19087 minsSilent
Decades before Toy Story, a young boy’s toys come to life through animation
Trouble in ToytownTrouble in Toytown
Animation & Artists Moving Image194614 mins Location: Poole
An immensely charming toy story in which a distracted pupil becomes an attentive teacher and explains road safety to dolls
Little Red Riding HoodLittle Red Riding Hood
Animation & Artists Moving Image19808 mins Location: Wolverhampton
A big, bad, but very stylish, wolf meets his match in this model animation of a traditional fairy tale.
Matches AppealMatches Appeal
Animation & Artists Moving Image19141 mins
An innovative animated appeal film for donations to send matches to troops in the First World War
Fun on the FarmFun on the Farm
Advert19355 minsSilent
What seems a charming stop-motion rhapsody for Bourn-vita chocolate reveals some unpleasant racial insensitivity.
Silver LiningSilver Lining
Animation & Artists Moving Image19471 mins
Bread today and jam tomorrow? Cheerful puppet cartoon with a catchy song sweetens the pill of post-war austerity.
Jealous Doll, Or, The Frustrated Elopement Jealous Doll, Or, The Frustrated Elopement
Animation & Artists Moving Image19094 mins
Toy Story meets Fatal Attraction in this tale of an Edwardian childhood romance scuppered by poor finances and a stalking dolly
Mousewife's ChoiceMousewife's Choice
Advert19482 mins
An animated ‘mousewife’ finding a way to ease her washing day woes may not be very progressive, but it's delightfully sweet.
Wooden AthletesWooden Athletes
Animation & Artists Moving Image19125 minsSilent
Stripped-back wooden dolls put on the greatest show on Earth via the marvel of stop motion
Kitchen KaperKitchen Kaper
Amateur film19635 mins Location: Wakefield
The clinking of the milkman doing his daily rounds turns into a moving tale of romance between the contrasting beverages of day and night.
QuarantineQuarantine
Animation & Artists Moving Image201813 mins
A post-Brexit pagan dance fantasy about a troupe of Morris-dancing badgers forced to confront the animals quarantined in a facility built above their burrow.
Stop-motion animation season supported by Laika
We’re also celebrating hand-crafted animation on the big screen, alongside a major exhibition showcasing the wizardry of Laika, at BFI Southbank from 1 August to 9 October.