Best stop-motion movies which will tug at your heartstrings

Making art through cinema is best portrayed in stop-motion movies, a medium that has impressed audiences for decades. This form of filmmaking can be traced to the outset of filmmaking itself. With CGI coming to prominence, this form is almost forgotten but the recent release of Netflix’s Wendell and Wild gave some hope to animated movie lovers. So for today’s List hai toh hit hai podcast, we look at some of the best stop-motion movies of all time.

Corpse Bride (Google Play, Youtube)

This stop-motion classic is the perfect example of Tim Burton’s excellence. Based on a 19th-century Russian folktale, the film presented an unfeigned story of a young man mistakenly marrying a corpse on the eve of his wedding day. He is whisked away by Emily, the corpse bride to the land of the dead while his real bride-to-be awaits his return. The dark and gloomy atmosphere of Burton’s movies is prominent throughout the film owing to the lead actors Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Emily Watson.

Shaun the Sheep Movie (Amazon Prime Video)

The continuation of the 2007 British television series Shaun the Sheep, is in this 2015 animated feature. The Aardman Animations gem follows Shaun and his flock travelling to the big city. They have to save their farmer who is stricken with amnesia due to their mischief, and they must also save themselves from an animal hunter.

Wendell and Wild (Netflix)

Henry Selick, one of the pioneers of stop-motion movies has directed this 2022 Netflix horror comedy. The film features Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele as the voices for the titular characters, the two demon brothers Wendell and Wild. They try to make a deal with a rock music-loving 13-year-old Kat Elliot to bring them back to the Land of the Living. The film also features Lyric Ross, Angela Bassett, and James Hong in prominent roles.

Kubo and the Two Strings (Google Play, Youtube)

The critically acclaimed film follows Kubo, a boy with one eye who wields the magical Japanese instrument called shamisen. He accidentally summons a spirit out of revenge and is therefore forced to embark on a quest with his snow monkey and beetle to defeat his mother’s twin sister and tyrannical grandfather. With a stellar cast of Charlize Theron as the voice of Kubo’s monkey and Matthew McConaughey as Kubo’s beetle, the film also stars Ralph Fiennes, and George Takei, with Art Parkinson essaying the titular role of Kubo.

Fantastic Mr Fox (Google Play, Youtube, Apple TV)

Wes Anderson’s first take at stop-motion was a huge success. Adapted from one Roald Dahl’s stories, the riveting tale of Fantastic Mr Fox has George Clooney in the lead as the cunning Mr Fox and Meryl Streep as his wife. The plot revolves around Mr Fox promising his wife to never go back to his thieving ways which leads to them being hunted down by three farmers known as Boggis. The film received Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score that year.

Frankenweenie (Disney+ Hotstar)

Another classic from Tim Burton is the 3D stop-motion comedy-horror film, Frankenweenie. Inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the film follows a young scientist who attempts to bring back his beloved bull terrier to life through a science experiment. Although the experiment is successful, the return of his dog Sparky wreaks havoc in their neighborhood. Based on the 1984 screenplay by Lenny Ripps, the film stars Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau and Winona Ryder in prominent roles.

Well thats the OTTplay List hai toh hit hai for today, until the next time its your host Nikhil signing out.

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Written by Sneha Singh