Chapter 1
The anatomy of a clay character
Chapter 2
The global pioneers of clay
Chapter 3
The physics of the frame
Chapter 4
The modern hybrid revolution
YOUR GOAL
Master of The secret life of claymation
Ch 4 · The modern hybrid revolution
007skaty Claymation Fingerprints
See that little thumbprint in the clay (yeah, it's here to stay!) / That's the human touch that makes it real (that's the way we feel!)
007skaty Designing expressions digitally and printing them in resin allows stop-motion artists to snap faces onto puppets for unprecedented emotional range.
007skaty Laika uses microscopic 3D pixels called voxels to color puppet faces from within.
BETA
007skaty Blend digital skies with physical miniature worlds to discover how claymation backgrounds are made.
Fun Fact
Epic scale: For the movie Kubo and the Two Strings, Laika built a giant skeleton puppet that stood 16 feet tall, making it the largest stop-motion puppet ever built.
Glossary
3d printing (noun)
A process of creating three-dimensional solid objects from a digital model by depositing successive layers of material. Laika Studios first utilized this technology in 2009 to create thousands of puppet faces for Coraline.
A process of creating three-dimensional solid objects from a digital model by depositing successive layers of material. Laika Studios first utilized this technology in 2009 to create thousands of puppet faces for Coraline.
Quiz
Which 2009 stop-motion film was the first to integrate 3D-printing technology for replacement facial animation?
Quiz
Approximately how many unique facial combinations did Laika create for the main character in Coraline?
Quiz
How do modern stop-motion studios create massive, sweeping backgrounds that cannot fit on a physical stage?
Quiz
What is the primary benefit of mixing CGI backgrounds with physical stop-motion puppets?
Quiz
What unique visual artifact can sometimes be seen on clay puppets, proving their handmade nature?