Stop Motion Animated Feature Oscar Nominees Ranked
14. Frankenweenie (2012)
Classic Tim Burton, Frankenweenie encompasses all of the auteur’s usual tropes of dark humour, oddball outcasts, and unconventional love, but it pales in comparison to his more famous stop-motion works.
Young Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) is devastated when his beloved dog, Sparky, suddenly passes away. But when a science demonstration at school shows the effect of electricity on a dead frog, he decides to use a lightning bolt to bring his best friend back to life. His experiment spirals out of control, though, when his classmates ask him to reanimate other pets and animals, unintentionally creating monsters. The story is acutely clever for its references to the canon of classical horror like Frankenstein, Dracula, Bride of Frankenstein, and Nosferatu.
The film received largely positive reviews and features an all-star voice cast including Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, and Winona Ryder. Burton’s characteristic debt to German Expressionism is everywhere, from his use of intense low-key lighting to extreme camera angles. The black-and-white palette makes even the sunniest day in this unnerving suburbia appear bleak. However, it lacks the gothic creativity and distinct originality of his other stop-motion films. Furthermore, so many of the characters outside of the Frankenstein family and their canine friend are so creepy (even for Burton) that they distract from the tender story at the centre.
13. Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015)
In Shaun the Sheep’s silver screen debut, Aardman expands upon the television programme’s usual hijinks to deliver a series of ridiculous gags that are guaranteed to produce a few chuckles.
Bored of his monotonous life on the Mossy Bottom Farm, Shaun (Justin Fletcher) and his gang trick the Farmer (John Sparkes) into falling asleep in an old trailer and run off to the big city. When the trailer is involved in a motor accident and the Farmer gets amnesia, the sheep and the Farmer’s dog, Bitzer (also Sparkes), must bring back his memory and return to Mossy Bottom. It’s a simple story with high stakes as our heroes dodge a sadistic animal catcher (Omid Djalili) and stage a jailbreak from the pound.
Shaun the Sheep Movie is Shaun at his best. We sympathize with his quest for adventure, we laugh as the sheep disguise themselves in thrift shop clothes to evade their hunter, and we cheer as the clever protagonist devises a plan to save the day. The film’s absurdist humour is playful and funny, and the claymation design free from computer intervention is a breath of fresh air. As Lou Lumenick writes for the New York Post, ‘It’s not often you see a cartoon that references both “Night of the Hunter” and “Silence of the Lambs.”’
Recommended for you: Aardman Animation Movies Ranked
12. The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (2012)
Another hit Aardman picture, this swashbuckling adventure is full of surprises as hilarious antics transform into a heartwarming tale of love, loyalty, and fighting for good.
The Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) has a luxurious beard and a devoted crew, but he is passed over for the Pirate of the Year award again and again. He believes he has finally found his ticket to the coveted prize when he meets Charles Darwin (David Tennant), who takes a keen interest in the pirates’ pet dodo, Polly. In the end, the Pirate Captain is forced to choose between fame and fortune and his feathery friend. With lovable pirates, a geeky Darwin and his trained monkey butler, Mr. Bobo, and a sword fight with Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) herself, this caper is sure to keep you on your toes.
The Pirates includes a stellar voice cast with Grant, Tennant, and Staunton supported by Martin Freeman, Jeremy Piven, Salma Hayek, and Lenny Henry. The dialogue is funny and clever with a surprising amount of warmth and heart. The Pirate Captain in particular shows incredible character growth from a selfish, flawed scoundrel to a sympathetic hero and a worthy leader. The reimagining of historical figures like Darwin and Queen Victoria is also wonderfully refreshing against a jukebox soundtrack featuring The Pogues, The Clash, and Flight of the Conchords.
11. ParaNorman (2012)
Following in the footsteps of a long line of horror-comedy stop-motion films, this delightful zombie flick shares its beautiful animation, likeable protagonist, and powerful message with audiences of all ages.
Norman Babcock (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is just a regular boy living in the spooky town of Blithe Hollow, except he knows how to speak to ghosts. This gift gets him into trouble when his eccentric uncle (John Goodman) tasks him with lifting the curse of a witch (Jodelle Ferland) who was executed 300 years ago. With the help of his easy-going friend Neil (Tucker Albrizzi), his sassy sister Courtney (Anna Kendrick), and Neil’s buff brother Mitch (Casey Affleck), Norman must save the town from the witch’s curse and a horde of zombies risen from the dead.
In a busy year for stop motion in the Best Animated Feature category (ParaNorman was nominated alongside Frankenweenie and The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!), Laika’s well-crafted entry stands out from the pack. In an interview with Ryan Lambie at Den of Geek, directors Sam Fell and Christ Butler revealed how influences from John Carpenter and John Hughes combined with classic zombie movie tropes to examine the challenges of growing up. It’s a heartfelt film that teaches each of us to embrace who we are, even if others don’t understand, with stunning visuals to boot.
