How Stop-Motion Movies Are Animated At The Studio Behind 'Missing Link' | Movies Insider

“Missing Link” is the latest feature from Laika Studios, which makes some of today’s biggest stop motion animated movies. Their latest stars Hugh Jackman, Zach Galifianakis, and Zoe Saldana. Director Chris Butler talked to us about all the work that went into bringing this movie to life. It involved years of work and over 100 handcrafted sets.
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How Stop-Motion Movies Are Animated At The Studio Behind 'Missing Link' | Movies Insider

[@Insider]

What behind-the-scenes element do you want to learn more about? Let us know in the comments below!

[@sisterspill]

INSIDER maybe something about sets like houses or something ?

[@denius.online]

Making anime

[@arsylfpv2848]

How to make a game

[@DiamondsAreForeverLOLcheeseBUR]

None

[@arsylfpv2848]

Sean The Animator why none?

[@krynetik]

America needs to protect Laika Studios as a national treasure.

[@360.Tapestry]

i repeat memes in lieu of having a personality

[@Khultan]

Krynetik Nonsense.

[@troglodyte6139]

laika is basically my childhood.

[@jacobstaten2366]

If they could only design characters that look less putrid.

[@pewpew8837]

you protect it by watching thier movies

[@gr9032]

It always blows me away when I actually watch the movies and think that they are made like this... slowly by hand.

[@valenxia9517]

Gena Razie ...For real, but It’s worth it.

[@jamiemorgan3649]

You cant even tell when you watch the movie, it just looks computer generated.

[@francisruizyamba6149]

Jamie Morgan but stop motion looks more realistic

[@monmayor1467]

with the rise of cgi and 3d animation, i hope stop motion never goes away.

[@Aroncare]

@@jamiemorgan3649 thats what im saying, it looks computer, si why bither making a 1600,000 faces, what a waste

[@shinjiikari6894]

The fact that they're only oscar nominees, every movie they made deserves an oscar, you can tell they poured their soul into their films

[@excuseme5086]

Yo, I watched all the movies mentioned and those are such wonderful movies, they are top on my animation movie lists. Damn, they deserve more especially because it required so much effort to be precise and smooth.

[@weaponizedassaultpenguins3837]

@@excuseme5086hey I want to watch more stop motion movies, can u recommend any?

[@excuseme5086]

@@weaponizedassaultpenguins3837 I can't think of much on top of my head but I really liked Kubo and the Two Strings, and The Isle of Dogs. Tim Burton movies are also there, but I'm sure you have watched those already.

[@bruhinthebruhwiththebruh1370]

Coraline and Kubo seriously amaze me And coraline is an ICONIC film and definitely deserves an oscar

[@gonk_ch]

get in the effing robot Shinji!

[@user-up2qj9hw6j]

Everyone’s talking about their patience but imagine the artists who make the sculptures 😳

[@lordkenkaih]

αηιуαlαтιση ღ omg imagine how much work he had to make xd

[@nightshade1712]

They make alot of faces for one character so imagine they need to have a very careful hand...

[@michlok1358]

that sculpture artist have big patience too🤭

[@God-hr9tm]

*Just Imagine The Patience They Have.*

[@Joe-rq5cv]

BuzzLight Year ohh hell naww

[@chickennuggets3219]

lmao i'd be sooo pissed off about everything

[@HUUSTISHIA]

Imagine anime artists....

[@javirios3107]

@@HUUSTISHIA you're kidding? Compared to this??

[@javirios3107]

@@daviahenningham What that mean?

[@miguelangelrodriguez4066]

Laika is slowly becoming the *Pixar* of Stop Motion Animation

[@thenikhilray99]

It already is.

[@vicentemaldonadoiii3771]

OG's know it's Aardman studios

[@animationnerd7579]

Why did you make *Pixar* bold.

[@Aeolous1]

more like Aardman

[@CVerse]

@@vicentemaldonadoiii3771 I mean yeah Aardman gotta get credit for pushing the medium into major films from the beginning, but you gotta give credit to Laika for also pushing the boundaries of the medium, with 3D printing, CGI, and set design especially

[@forgedude]

_"Its real lights on real objects... and there is something about the imperfection of reality that is magical "_ . Wonderfully said.

[@ManuelMotion]

Laika talking about "imperfection"? Their films are the most perfect animated works even made. Almost CGI...

[@childcrone]

Yes! That caught me, too.

[@ratedjosh]

@@ManuelMotion Right. Real lights? C'mon they are using a hundred of fake lights / shadows just in this video 😏

[@basedbattledroid3507]

Give Laika an oscar already guys, they deserve it, the work they put into every film should be recognized by the academy. I couldn't even tell they were stop-motion they're so flawless.

[@alexdrakeus1772]

Coraline deserved one. That's their masterpiece.

[@limerobloxgaming8567]

i thought Coraline already had an Oscar, who did it lose to?

[@aasiyakhan9258]

@@limerobloxgaming8567 up I think.

[@Cynocide]

And this is why we should appreciate Play-Doh and Clay 😂

[@mondaee2380]

Yep

[@e.sstudios1015]

Don't forget the camera and computer who helped make them moved!

[@Cynocide]

Animator Explosive yeah

[@Cynocide]

Nocturnal Entertainment What I was trying to say is that Play-Doh and Clay inspired many people and we should appreciate that. Sorry if I wasn’t specific

[@crystalsarehorrendous540]

Its not play doh .-.

[@PhatKochi]

I love how the 'behind the scenes' just look like the normal scene playing in a normal speed while the animators are working on them extremely fast

[@skatepark02]

That’s how it actually happened

[@danielsplace8198]

Woah really 😳😱😨😲🤭🙀

[@yorgr1465]

🤯

[@random_gxcha3943]

Yh lol

[@besttimesoflife]

This is like an extraordinary integration of Arts, Engineering, Hardwork and a whole lot of Passion!

[@SuperRamtin]

I'm a stop motion animator myself and I was (and still am) interested in seeing Studios where they make animations. I can't imagine the pain they had to go through And when I try to think about it, I realize there's no way for me to get to their level of hard work 😩 makes me respect them even more! 💯

[@oakmin9047]

I got so much respect for these guys. I can't even get myself to animate frame by frame in Maya, even with keyframes, tween , blendshapes, hair and cloth simulations etc sometimes even 10 to 15 seconds would take a whole day or more and you only have to focus on one or 2 things at a time and not the entire movement as a whole. The level of dedication and patience they have is insane.

[@lilfiddlesticks8804]

S Senpai 3 seconds actually average about a week or two, this movie is almost 2 hours long!

[@justdancefitted2023]

I'm currently making an animation and it takes about an hour just to make a 1:00 animation

[@kaijufan313]

Is Maya free on the Macbook Air? Just curious.

[@Faceglitch]

@@kaijufan313 you can get a free student version, for both mac and pc :)

[@garagefirestudios9802]

@@lilfiddlesticks8804 3 seconds does not take 2 weeks. 3 seconds takes about 30-45 minutes.

[@H0TWHEELS]

After 30 minutes in I would be throwing the figures😆

[@realityisoftendisappointin5411]

I'd be cursing over and over at the figure I threw

[@zphillyyy]

Next Level Toys same I do stop motion but I have friends that help me so I don’t throw my figures

[@malikes4591]

I’d have someone there just to hold me back

[@jcsmovies8589]

Especially when you don't use green screen it makes me rage posing my figures 😤 lol

[@Ejaz100]

I usually spent an hour or 2, but my video is like 30secs. That happens because I get pissed I throw my stuff, and then I have to put them like how they were and continue. It's pain

[@ly7678]

The amount of patients in this kills me already

[@basedbattledroid3507]

Like all other Laika films; Missing Link is an underrated masterpiece, I seriously hope they win an academy award one day because they deserve it more than anyone. Also hope Wes Anderson wins one, he's also long overdue.

[@khadijah6141]

Kubo is definitley a gem!!!

[@coryo617]

cant imagine how long it takes for them to change out the mouth for each character when the actors speak ...lol damn..

[@alexsparks-bakota3099]

I cant imagine each syllable being more than a few shots

[@ALXGARCIA-ti5pv]

Cant imagen why they're not using cgi when they are talking its kind of stupid.

[@newslenderarts]

@@ALXGARCIA-ti5pv how

[@ALXGARCIA-ti5pv]

@@newslenderarts if they use CGI for the mouth movement, it would be so much easier than be changing mouths, also they would save money and time.

[@newslenderarts]

@@ALXGARCIA-ti5pv whatever you say friend

[@re_animatedabby6791]

I just saw this film yesterday and it was incredible!!!

[@static6927]

Same

[@georginaioannou7678]

WAIT WHAT!? ITS ALREADY OUT!? OH DAMN! I MISSED IT :(

[@re_animatedabby6791]

@@georginaioannou7678 Yeah it came out 2 months ago. Might be on DVD now. Sorry:(

[@LastBastian]

@@re_animatedabby6791 Damn, never even heard of it until just now.

[@re_animatedabby6791]

@@LastBastian Super good check it out

[@alienpotato3671]

i REALLY respect those who make the stop motion animation ;w;

[@SuperRamtin]

Thank you

[@Alex-ng6hc]

This film was so incredible and yet so criminally underrated. Laika needs to keep bringing stop motion animation into the 21st century

[@riotbreaker3506]

Saw the movie opening day, keep Laika alive you fools!

[@chris71388]

Riot Breaker we can thank Nike for keeping it alive so far. Will they get Daddy’s money now that Knight has moved on?

[@benjaminestlin2158]

Missing link sucks

[@ryou0842]

@@benjaminestlin2158Can you make a better one?

[@bennyboo107]

@@ryou0842 its not about that, the storyline is actually trash and boring but it looks fantastic. And wtf how could i make that but i could make the dtoryline better

[@finngeometry7570]

Benny Boo I’m sure. You went to writers school, got a PhD in creative writing and of course wrote a Oscar nominated film. Oh wait...

[@ItsMeTheSteph]

Laika isn’t even in Hollywood! They’re located in Hillsboro, Oregon. Just sayin!

[@lvs8768]

So? It's not like every movie that isn't made/filmed in hollywood is bad lol

[@ItsMeTheSteph]

lvs it wasn’t regarding taste it was regarding information.

[@TrustyJustin]

I was going to say the same thing. The video inaccurately calls it a "Hollywood studio"

[@Z3N1TY0]

Not all stars are in Hollywood. Just like you. You are a star that doesn’t live in Hollywood.

[@jubileeYAVEL]

REALLY! !!!!!!!

[@madeforaproject]

This is probably one of the most underrated films of the last decade. This movie deserves much more than it got.

[@smith599]

That is so amazing. The patience they have is insane. They do it so well I thought it was all 3D animated. Bravo 👏

[@alinajaramillo2600]

Is it just me or is the character that Hugh Jackman plays looks like him

[@chaddoesthings6298]

it is

[@grittykitty50]

No, it's just you.

[@jubileeYAVEL]

oh it definitely does, it was the first thing I thought when I saw the movie

[@ChimeraLotietheBunny]

Yeah

[@randomlorenzo1266]

My whole life was expecting that animation is all made by drawing

[@artlyndonbazar601]

they draw the models before crafting it

[@yamanwibisono8888]

me too

[@FireCat_P]

Traditional animation is done by drawing frames on paper

[@DayDesiree]

One movie takes years to make and it’s shortened into an hour movie 🤦🏽‍♀️amazing

[@ChimeraLotietheBunny]

Love how they still do these love this studio and their dedication

[@exploringwithjustice2559]

Coraline was my FAVOURITE!!!

[@ChopiCapi]

Same

[@tanyafullerton8168]

Same

[@nolem5417]

Same

[@thephilosopher5799]

that's low-key everyones favorite

[@mylovelysakura7808]

I wish this kind of craft will not be extinct :'( Kudos to these amazing people!

[@HollywoodColt]

It will be if it's left up to these useless millennials

[@yennxo]

@@HollywoodColt Idk about you guys, but I'm currently studying VFX and film so this will definitely not die in our hearts.

[@angelrose8340]

@@HollywoodColt im a young (gen Z) artist, amateur sculptor/potter, and animator and it wont die. Too many people have a passion and a demand for stop motion and animation as a whole. As long as people will watch it, animation will continue probably for at least the next 100 years.

[@snarkado]

​@@HollywoodColt Such a foolish comment. There are likely a lot of millennials working at this stop motion animation studio.

[@HollywoodColt]

@@snarkado How do you figure? These kids today are lazy and don't want to work. There's no way in hell they would sit with all that patience to do this!

[@Sean_makes_stuffs]

I absolutely love the behind the scenes stuff for stop motion, I do my own LEGO stop motions but I would love to work on a bigger project like this one day, so cool. Awesome video thanks for sharing!🙂

[@sonu1609]

Oh my... My admiration for the Laika studio and all the stop motion animators in general, has gone million folds up. This is hands down painstaking and unique art work and we need to support them.

[@coolbeans5911]

I'd love Laika to make The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman)

[@CristianMartinez-hg6xu]

Would Henry Selick return to direct it?

[@coolbeans5911]

@@CristianMartinez-hg6xu i would die from happiness if he would

[@coolbeans5911]

@Brendan Milburn dammit disney. Stop owning stuff

[@themagicarcadetma1406]

Disney is gonna make a movie

[@cenoier]

omg yes. isnt neil gaiman the author for coraline too?

[@alexsparks-bakota3099]

But when you see the end product it's so hard to believe that this is made with real clay sculptures.

[@jubileeYAVEL]

Alex Sparks-Bakota, Well it isn't all claymation, for instance the faces are 3-D printed and all the clothes are hand sewn. it's soo cool

[@vlady8142]

The little details in this kind of stop motion film or animation (like clothes, grass, fire movement etc.) Is so cool and fluid. But everytime i see those little details I'm imagining how much time that they put on making those little details. They are so talented (sorry if my grammar is bad)

[@360.Tapestry]

story-wise, coraline is still my favorite

[@Havibox21]

I appreciate these movies because of the patience, art-style, and dedication of the people behined it. And even more things i bet that i have no words for.

[@toocoolpineda]

I can't fathom the amount of patience needed for this.

[@automaticchic]

I've always known how they are made but actually seeing it...damn...these people don't get enough credit

[@foxx.on.saturn5143]

The animation was so BEAUTIFUL film and amazing scenery and characters Its such a shame no one gives this genre of film the credit it deserves I sound hella cliche wow but hey It’s insane how much work is put in and how underestimated it is

[@javonwells1354]

The director is like "so... when we first began working on this film, I had just graduated from junior high school..."

[@jamesregorfernandez8985]

"there is something about the imperfection of reality that is magical"

[@qamarpasha2818]

*Stop motion Animation requires more effort than an CGI* , *the artist deserve more currently what they are given* the kubo and the two strings is the best , based on story and many more...

[@richarddeese1991]

Thanks! I think it's no accident that stop-motion animation was one of the earliest forms of film making, and that it's still around today. I also don't think that nostalgia alone has allowed it to survive. it has a definite appeal to both children and adults. As Mr. Butler points out, it closely resembles the natural play of children, when they 'animate' toys and dolls, and that's something we all relate to and remember fondly. In this burgeoning age of computer animation, it's nice to see there are still some studios around that use this pain-staking technique. It's always beautiful to watch! Thanks again. 𝓡𝓲𝓴𝓴𝓲 𝓣𝓲𝓴𝓴𝓲.

[@the_matchless]

This is insane, these people are crazy awesome. I feel sad though for how people can very conveniently dispose off such a great effort just because they didn't like some small thing in it. Well that's how cinema goes I guess. Can't wait to experience the next one 👍🏽

[@Abolas452]

Wow the sheer imagination and man hours it takes to produce something like this is incredible. Definitely gonna see this with a new appreciation

[@c17bykenshi67]

Imagine Them pulling a Toy Story 2 and scraping 90% of the movie whilst having 8 months left and no way of delaying the movie, that’d be pure horror for every single employee

[@Polska_Edits]

Yea but they still had the 90% on a animator's computwr

[@cocoplayz7887]

Speeding up the changing characters position looks so awesome because it looks like it’s in a movie

[@kushalm.d.2788]

Movies like this are made of sweat, and patience but most of all love and their beautiful

[@alexisperez6675]

I love these kind of movies. It takes dedication and in all honesty Claymation is an art.

[@PlanetYokoshima]

'He's basically a big cuddly lump-' I NEED IT

[@AriesExtras]

I always have the most respect for the people who do work for stop-motion movies.

[@yvngxroyzz]

The dedication they put into this is unreal

[@brickmotionz]

How much money will these animators be getting? More than me!

[@CVerse]

The average wage is around 60k, which isn't too bad. But money doesn't matter first if you're not working your passion

[@Tinykittens1]

Well it depends on what ur doing in the field like colorist only get 30k to 40k a year a rough animatior gets about 60k to 80k If you got anymore questions ask them :)

[@france7460]

I’m an animation student who’s worked in the animation industry and they don’t actually get paid that much unfortunately when they say it takes about a year to make a film the actual animators are only hired for a portion of that time like 6-7 months (it varies) so they don’t actually make the full amount of an annual salary and if you’re new to the business you’re making the same amount as someone else working minimum wage unfortunately but it’s definitely worth it if you love it

[@StrawberryNinjaNibbles]

But who isn’t? Lol

[@greenwren5072]

@@CVerseI guess we should tell all people that, especially actors, sport's players and bankers (to name a few). I really hate this "if you do what you are passionate about, you don't actually need money to live - bullshit"

[@zevuse_440]

This types of movies give me a weird creepie vibe i cannot be the only one 🤣🤣

[@whatyouwerethinking998]

Because you see physical (actual real world) characters moving. Thats what makes it special

[@iioii9007]

I shiver when I watch this. Sometimes, I thought I already put so much efforts on what I've been doing but nothing came out of it, but then I realize, I had not. I never tried hard enough that I stopped half way. If you want the best outcome, then give your best efforts.

[@itsonlymyopinionok8115]

Amazing artistry, and the PATIENCE it takes to do this.. outstanding

[@jerrybade465]

I deeply respect stop-motion animators. That kind of patience...

[@TheOopsEdaisy]

😂😂 Thought that was "Cantinflas" for a second there @ 1:19 😂😂

[@Oflickupyhea]

He is Cantinflas, he participated in that movie.

[@thrillhous6407]

I just have to say, thank you so much for taking so much of your time to make these amazing films they are INSANE we love them so much!

[@beyondrealm38]

The amount of work that goes into this type of craft. Is absolutely daunting for me to conceptualize in my mind. Its so cool!!!

[@amymclean7842]

Something about the imperfection of reality that is magical - wow

[@moralitos3008]

Congratulations for that GOLDEN Globe Award!

[@leftymadrid]

This craft, art, amazing way of filming "Stop motion" is totally unique and very special!! Absolutely my favorite ❤️

[@DeadCardinal]

I saw that The Missing Link was available on a streaming service but didn’t think too much about it but after seeing this and if “Around The World in 80 Days” is an inspiration I gotta go see it right away.

[@justicewarrior9187]

This is so freaking cool!!! I've always wondered how it's done!!

[@nitinregmi3447]

i did not knew about but after this i have a huge amount of respect for them hats off to your work

[@thegamingcashew4304]

My cousin made the design for all the characters faces and clothes for the movie lol

[@shubhampatil1265]

i love it when it goes into timelapse and it seems like the characters are actually moving at normal speed and everything around them is going so much faster

[@teddyekoprabowo3374]

Love this studio. The consistency, their patience is gems

[@urmom340]

RESPECT but I still hate y’all for giving me horrifying coralline nightmares

[@jiselle5222]

Ur Mom coralline is my FAVORITE movie!!

[@urmom340]

I’m guessing you think the exorcist was a comedy too 😅 jk

[@Zenigotcha]

@@urmom340 The Exorcist is my favourite comedy of all time.... though I'm the only one laughing through it. Hehe....

[@luqmanf.r.9134]

Yes i think stop motion is creepy

[@urmom340]

Prehistoric Terminator My cousins made me watch horrors like the exorcist, scream and other horrors. This made me develop a phobia of anything scary. I run out the room if I see a horror movie trailer

[@ptavangar7326]

You really have to be patient to do this wonderful art . I Love these animations

[@haa1774]

Stop motion movies have such beauty! One of my favorites is Fantastic Mr. Fox.

[@user-zn8fm8kw5v]

I love time laps of this

[@alexdxm1]

Something I would totally do!!! 😍🙌🏻

[@ihuman0id]

Laika Studios is so damn underrated.

[@MrHeraldx]

salute to the people who still make this work of an art movie..

[@nadiaelamri9434]

I watched the movie twice so far and I loved it. I am impressed now even more after watching how they made it. Amazing work!

[@DestakCursosONLINE]

"there is something about the imperfection of reality that is magical"...

[@ashley-jy4xo]

just watched it and I loved it, props to everyone who does stop motion

[@manchak855]

Omg so much hardwork. I hope this process of making movie never stops.

[@PlanetYokoshima]

Your channel is amusing, I'm a new sub.

[@bruceburns1672]

Unbelievable , I always thought it was done in no time with computers .

[@UltimateTS64]

Kind of same.

[@FireCat_P]

@@UltimateTS64 they're not the same lmao

[@UltimateTS64]

@@FireCat_P No I meant I kinda thought the same thing, sorry that wasn't very clear

[@FireCat_P]

@@UltimateTS64 my bad, lol

[@UltimateTS64]

@@FireCat_P nah you good

[@An0nim0u5]

Man you guys are awesome with all the intricate yet tedious job you have to put in to get something so different... Bravo!!! And I was much in doubt about the opening scene as a complete stop-motion... Glad you guys came clean about it...

[@cat52]

Wow...never realized how much work went into these.

[@prettywolvesaj9892]

I watched the missing link and I have o say it's beautiful. ✨

[@thegamingcashew4304]

PrettyWolves AJ oh nice my cousin helped make all the clay characters for the movie. She did all the design for faces and clothes of the characters

[@emersondracuria6077]

Trabalho tão lindo,tão caprichado rico em detalher os filmes em CGI numca vão ter charme e beleza e emoção quanto o Stop Motion

[@cresselia1]

So many hours n hardwork!!! Respect!!!

[@bhdrersy3918]

Look at that amazing works... Simply awasome...

[@oilyrussianpipecleaner]

1:37 Narrator: Frame by frame Gromit: Eyebrows rise

[@melonspud492]

the part that he said: it doesn't help that he is shaped like an avocado got me laughing so hard XD

[@brunorodriguez0511]

I was reading your comment when that part of the video came up 😅

[@karadlamini]

This is jus simply amazing!! The sets to the characters

[@heartSLB]

I love CGI and Keyframe animation but I gotta say Stop Motion holds a special place in my heart. You have to have alot of skills AND patience, respect! Btw Kubo is my favourite movies by these guys yet

[@Luna-ft8yh]

"something about the imperfection of reality that is magical" This alone is outstanding Wise words

[@sheebaharry2416]

Unbelievable this is the toughest job on earth

[@shexahmad4713]

I really enjoy watching those animation movies , I have seen every one of them several times . Thank U for giving us such an amazing experience ❤

[@justfloof7656]

Days or years of hard works turns to minutes or hours.... I really appreciate their hard work

[@reiwuzhere8158]

Coraline is still my favorite film and I watch a lot of movies lol ♡

[@blueberryshake333]

This guy's voice reminds me of the Top15s guy. "Number 15: Burger King Foot Lettuce..."

[@danthemovieman153]

Amazing, just amazing. The work you guys have put out has been nothing short of spectacular! The patience and pain staking work it takes drive some people crazy but you guys keep topping yourself! Keep up the great work!

[@Aathi_aathi2006]

They work hard to make children's feel Happy 😃 Hats off