The British Film Institute has announced the details of Stop Motion: Hand-Crafted Animation on the Big Screen, supported by headline partner Laika, a major new season taking place from August 1 to October 9 with free film screenings for children under 16. Running in parallel, a free exhibition at BFI Southbank, Laika: Frame by Frame, will showcase the art, science, and innovative wizardry of the studio’s epic films.
Titles playing on the big screen throughout the season will include King Kong (1933), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), Chicken Run (2001), Corpse Bride (2005), Coraline (2009), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) and Anomalisa (2015), with special guests in venue set to include filmmakers Henry Selick (Coraline), Chris Butler and Sam Fell (Paranorman), Guillermo del Toro (Guillermo del Toro ‘s Pinocchio) Peter Lord (Chicken Run), The Brothers Quay (Street of Crocodiles), Suzie Templeton (Peter and the Wolf), Barry Purves (Achilles), Osbert Parker (Clothes) and further names to be announced.
Possessing a singular magic and effortless charm, stop motion is a technique that hides its extraordinary craftsmanship in the space between each meticulous frame. A time-consuming process that demands patience, painstaking attention-to-detail and boundless creativity, the flow of stop motion and its illusion of movement helps to draw in audiences with a tangible sense of human interaction – where literal fingerprints are sometimes even visible on screen.
A major tentpole of the program will be a 15th anniversary celebration of Coraline (2009), with writer/director Selick and cast members in attendance for a screening and Q&A on August 11 ahead of the beloved film’s international theatrical re-release. Selick will also be present for a special In Conversation event during the season, while Paranorman (2012) directors Chris Butler and Sam Fell will appear at BFI Southbank for a Q&A following a screening of the film.
Accompanying the season will be Laika: Frame by Frame, a free, unique exhibition showcasing the artistry of the nearly one million hand-crafted frames that make up Laika’s five films. Visitors at BFI Southbank will get an exclusive look at puppets, sets and artifacts – some never seen before – from the studio’s vast production archives, along with a sneak peek at Laika’s highly anticipated sixth feature Wildwood (2025).
A program of more recent British shorts will showcase work funded through the BFI Short Form Animation Fund and BFI Network.
David Burke, chief marketing & operations officer at Laika, said: “We're honored to support the BFI's stop motion season and offer visitors an insider's look into the pioneering world of Laika through this exhibition. Artists, scientists, and craftspeople at our Oregon studio pour their passion into telling these cinematic tales and fashioning immersive worlds. So, to create an experience that deepens the fans’ connection to Laika’s creative spirit is a great pleasure. We’re also thrilled that the BFI audience will be among the first to see the newly remastered 3D Coraline, which brings Neil Gaiman’s masterful storytelling into even deeper focus with stunning stereoscopic detail.”
BFI Southbank lead programmer and curator of the season, Justin Johnson, said, “It's impossible to overestimate the level of patience, vision and pure artistry that goes into making a great stop motion film. In this season, we present work by pioneers of the form throughout the years, in the company of some of the finest living stop motion auteurs who will share their knowledge in person on stage at BFI Southbank. With an incredible exhibition that unlocks the magic behind the films of Laika running in parallel, this is a unique opportunity for audiences to immerse themselves in every aspect of an art form that has thrilled people of all ages throughout the history of cinema.”