The release of Wendell and Wild on Netflix is another triumph for Jordan Peele, who co-wrote the screenplay. It is also a testament to the enduring popularity of stop motion as a form of animation.
There's something uniquely pleasurable about this form of filmmaking. Perhaps it's the uncanny nature of the process itself, which so eerily imitates real life while being separate from it. Whatever the case, the users of Reddit have helpfully identified a number of great stop-motion movies that are must-watches for fans of the form.
Mary And Max (2009)
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One of the most remarkable things about stop-motion movies is the extent to which they often explore themes and issues that are eschewed or avoided by traditional animation. For example, Mary and Max deals with, among other things, autism, friendship and mental illness.
Small wonder, then, that it is one of those movies which has earned the love of various Redditors. Xfritz5375 writes, “Mary and Max is the best film about autism I’ve ever seen.” However, the movie also doesn’t lose sight of the human magic that is at the heart of its story, which is precisely what makes it so enduringly enchanting.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Stream On Hulu
Of all of the great Wes Anderson movies, Fantastic Mr. Fox ranks right there at the top. In part, this is because of the snappy writing present in the movie, but its appeal also stems from the animation itself and the dynamism of its voice cast.
Phanton_Absolute identifies it as one of their favorite stop-motion movies. Like the best of animated movies, it manages to be both emotionally resonant and even a little frightening at times. This no doubt helps to explain why it remains so enchanting for both adults and children, who can all find something to enjoy in it.
Isle Of Dogs (2018)
Stream On Disney+
Having proven what he could do with Fantastic Mr. Fox, Anderson returned to animation again with Isle of Dogs. The movie focuses on a boy who journeys to an island to try to recover his missing dog.
The movie has proven very appealing to many Redditors. Sokandueler95 writes, “Isle of Dogs is one of my favs. My friend and I watched it for a film class in college. 'Biscito…biscito…biscito' (you’ll get it if you watch) became an inside joke between us for the rest of the year.” The movie does, indeed, possess a charm that is impossible to deny.
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit (2005)
Stream On Prime Video
Wallace and Gromit are, of course, two of the most beloved animated characters. Each iteration of the franchise has proven enduringly popular, both because the animation is so unique and because the voice cast is so talented.
The Curse of the Were-Rabbit has proven to be particularly popular among users of Reddit. However, as oscawilder commented, “All the Wallace and Gromit shorts are stop-motion comedy gold.” There is an eccentric magic to these characters and their adventures that helps to explain why they have proven to be so remarkably beloved and why they manage to pass the test of time.
James And The Giant Peach (1996)
Stream On Disney+
James and the Giant Peach is rightly regarded as one of the best animated movies of the 1990s. An adaptation of the beloved Roald Dahl novel of the same name, it manages to capture the strangeness of the book while also possessing a magic all of its own.
Augustanite says simply, “ It's so good!” There is, indeed, something particularly remarkable about the movie’s visual style. It sometimes floats into the realm of the uncanny (a common feature of stop motion) but given that this was in fact part of Dahl’s general aesthetic, it seems fitting that a film adaptation would do so as well.
Kubo And The Two Strings (2016)
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Kubo and the Two Strings is an extraordinary fantasy movie. This stems not only from the story–which focuses on the adventures of its main character–but also because of its visual style. There is a grace and a fluidity to its stop motion that sets it apart from almost all other iterations of this particular form.
Orangeziggle praises Kubo, writing that it is “really beautifully done" and "surprisingly emotional." In fact, the movie is, at times, deeply melancholy in its storytelling, but this is precisely what makes it such a brilliant example of what animation can achieve when it sets out to work outside of convention.
Chicken Run (2000)
Stream On Netflix
The power of animation lies in its ability to envision different types of worlds. One can see this at work in Chicken Run, which focuses on a group of chickens who yearn to escape from the farm, an understandable impulse, since they are fated for slaughter.
Skipper1010 identifies this as one of the movies that people should definitely watch. Like the best animation, it has the perfect combination of action, slapstick comedy, and voice performance. And, of course, it also has characters that it is very easy for the audience to fall in love with and cheer for.
The Boxtrolls (2014)
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Though stop motion can at times be darker in visual tone, that is not the case with The Boxtrolls. In fact, the movie is a riot of color, and it has a rather off-beat sense of humor which manages to be both enchanting and strange at the same time.
Reddit user SunScorched identifies it as one of their favorite examples of the stop-motion form. What is most remarkable about Boxtrolls is the extent to which it creates an entire fictional universe, one that it invites the audience to inhabit for a brief time.
Anomalisa (2015)
Stream On Prime Video
Anomalisa is one of those animated movies which delights in crossing boundaries. It straddles the line between comedy and drama, and even between live-action and animation, as its style is so eerily evocative of real-life. It has a unique visual style that is in keeping with its deeply unsettling story.
It is perhaps for this reason that oscawilder identifies it as a stop-motion movie for those looking for some surrealism. It is, indeed, the type of introspective movie that asks the viewer to think differently about themselves and their place in the world.
The Pied Piper (1986)
Not Available To Stream
The Pied Piper, like so many other fairy tales, uses its seemingly simple story to speak to broader social anxieties. This is also true of this stop-motion adaptation of the story, which is gritty and dark in all of the ways that one would expect.
Redditor Oscawilder calls it “creepy and gothic.” As with so many other excellent animated movies, it doesn’t necessarily aim to recreate the real world. Instead, it invites viewers to inhabit one that is wholly strange, and this is what explains its own unique power.