Review: Stopmotion

One would think working in the arts is all fun and games, but I can tell you from experience, showbiz types are among the most miserable people I’ve ever met. ESPECIALLY animation producers. In an era where there is constant worry about web3 technologies stealing jobs, the biggest threat to most producers is their own minds. Anxiety, depression, and even suicidal tendencies, it’s all over the place in show business, most notably Hollywood, California.

It doesn’t surprise me that someone would eventually make a horror movie about working in the animation industry. We’ve seen some series like Kirby Buckets and Hulu’s Woke show the light-hearted takes on animation producers and their everyday lives. Stopmotion talks about the psychological toll of completing a film…worst yet…a fucking stop motion animated film. In Stopmotion, a talented stop-motion animator becomes consumed by the grotesque world of her horrifying creations — with deadly results. Director and animator Robert Morgan goes back to his roots in the animation world showcasing a true live-action/animated hybrid film with macabre cinematography that fans of The Shivering Truth and The Wolf House should surely get a kick out of. 

As the film continues, we meet Ella (Aisling Franciosi)  is a stop-motion animator who, while putting the finishing touches on her film, suddenly finds her life spiraling out of control when her neighbor (Caoilinn Springall) suggests adding a monster to her movie called the Ashman. In terms of star power, Stopmotion is structured like a classic horror film. A largely freshman cast with hopes that a couple of the names will break out in the way other horror vets have done in the past like Johnny Depp, Jenna Ortega, etc., and there are definitely a couple of actors to keep in eye on in future projects. For my money, Caoilinn Springall has all the makings of Ireland’s answer to Jenna Ortega, showcasing an incredible depth to her character not unlike Brad Pitt’s take as Tyler Durden. Aisling Franciosi is another one to keep an eye on, especially in the animation world given she’s done substantial voice work on Prime Video’s The Legend of Vox Machina. 

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a decent live-action/animated hybrid made for adults, moreover, the stop motion animated sequences are so well done, I would put it up against a lot of the stop motion only adult animated films that have released in the last couple of years. Robert Morgan delivers perhaps his finest achievement with Stopmotion, his fingerprints crudely encrusted with DNA coming by the likes of David Lynch, Tim Burton, and David Fincher. Stopmotion is an early favorite for best film of the year.