Top 20 Stop Motion Animated Movies

Never stop stop-motion! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best and most influential animated movies made with stop-motion. Our countdown includes movies “Frankenweenie”, “James and the Giant Peach”, “Chicken Run” and more! Did we forget any stop-motion classics? Let us know in the comments below!
Check out these other "animated" videos:
Top 23 Worst Animated Movies of Each Year (2000 - 2022): • Top 23 Worst Animated ...
Top 10 Best Cartoon Revivals: • Top 10 Best Cartoon Re...
Top 20 Best DC Animated Movies: • Top 20 Best DC Animate...
Become a channel member to get access to special perks:
/ @watchmojo
Don't forget to play our Live Trivia games at 3pm EST for a chance to win cash! The faster you answer, the more points you get!: www.watchmojo.com/play
Have your idea become a video!
wmojo.com/suggest
Subscribe for more great content!
wmojo.com/watchmojo-subscribe
Visit our shop for awesome merch!
shop.watchmojo.com/
Your trusted authority for Top 10 lists, reviews, tips and tricks, biographies, origins, and entertainment news
#stopmotion #animated #movies #coraline #timburton #neilgaiman

[@WatchMojo]

Did we forget any stop-motion classics? Let us know in the comments below! For more content like this, click here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/np2Zp42glJqqd5Y Don't forget to play our Live Trivia (www.watchmojo.com/play) games at 3pm EST for a chance to win cash! The faster you answer, the more points you get!

[@connorbrennan4233]

I couldn't help but notice there's no King Kong (1933) and not one Harryhausen film.

[@RitselMedinaAbuan]

Box Trolls

[@RedKingdom03]

Hell&Back should have easily made this list.

[@shikiriki_the_death_tree]

Mad god

[@sailoranime289]

The House should have been an honorable mention.

[@JordanCesaroni93]

The Nightmare Before Christmas will always be a treasure because that’s what got me into stop motion movies

[@kristopherkranock4201]

Fun Fact: they had to go over 400 head designs for Jack Skeleton

[@mojo3318]

@@kristopherkranock4201 Oh

[@mojo3318]

@@kristopherkranock4201 Oh.

[@dqreps]

Don't know what it is but fantastic Mr Fox has always stuck with me. Ever since I watched it with my son when it first came out. Maybe it's the father-son dynamic or being a husband and a protector and often screwing up no matter how hard you try to do it right. My son passed more than two years ago now. I usually watch this movie at least once a year. Good memories

[@mojo3318]

Oh, I apologize for your loss.

[@Shebeast3]

it's just so good

[@Shebeast3]

so sorry for your loss❤

[@micahcaraballo5917]

The Boxtrolls is an underrated Laika movie! 👍

[@meganbruce2844]

I agree. How is it not on this list?

[@micahcaraballo5917]

@@meganbruce2844 beats me! 🤷‍♂️ All I know is it’s in my top list of favorite stop-motion animated movies 👍

[@emmapadgett1181]

I can't believe it didn't make the list either, was sure it would be there.

[@SPAnComCat]

And a Childhood Film of mine!

[@Thehimsubpls]

I’m sad it wasn’t on the list and neither was flushed away

[@trinaq]

Nick Park is my favourite animator, I always adored his works, especially Wallace and Gromit, and Chicken Run.

[@mojo3318]

These are both of the films I've seen part of. I want to see the full movies!

[@pepito2847]

I just love how despite being all spooky monsters Everyone in Nightmare Before Christmas (except for Boogie) is a good hearted person It seems like a really neat world to be apart of

[@ZombiesateMissSJ]

I'm honestly shocked that Kubo isn't top 5. It's beyond beautiful.

[@mojo3318]

I may have seen a trailer for it.

[@marrianeramos9617]

I remembered watching these movies like Wallace and Gromit, Frankenweenie, and four of the Laika films which are Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, and Kubo and the Two Strings (even though I always get too shy on rewatching the last).

[@mojo3318]

I've seen part of "Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were rabbit". I want to see the full movie! I 'be also seen trailers of "Coraline" and maybe "Kudo and the Two Strings".

[@marrianeramos9617]

@@mojo3318 I always get too shy rewatching Kubo and the Two Strings the first time I saw it before but it is still an underrated gem. Also, I first mistook the title character as female before realizing that he is male.

[@mojo3318]

@@marrianeramos9617 Oh.

[@marrianeramos9617]

The last time I watched the movie was on April 2019.

[@mojo3318]

Also, when my sibling was in high school, he and his band class dressed up as circus freaks and a girl was holding a doll, like in the movie. The show took place on a football field.

[@joshuamohlman]

I commend the animators who worked countless hours to make these films possible

[@guntermangelinckx5433]

Mary & Max is an underrated gem.

[@jennieorlando790]

I love Del Toro's Pinocchio and Kubo and the Two Strings! The artistry is so rich with equally beautiful stories in both films. ❤❤❤

[@heymistercarter.]

One film worth mentioning is the Chilean film The Wolf House. I’ve never seen a film tell its story in the way that it does, not just in terms of the set design and how the stop motion effects work, but in so many creative and unique ways in general.

[@TeamRemForever]

The Nightmare Before Christmas and Gullmero Del Toro's Pinocchio are two of my all time favorite movies! The Nightmare Before Christmas is the movie that got my love with Tim Burton's movies started!

[@chelseacanales8763]

The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride are both a treasure ❤❤❤❤❤

[@mojo3318]

I've seen part of "Nightmare Before Christmas". I want to see the full movie!

[@ManderzArl]

Both are my favorites!

[@GamerFunOriginallyAarush]

Stop Motion is crazy!

[@dreamguardian8320]

It's as cool and magical as 2D hand-drawn animation. If we had both of them back in our lives, the world could be a better place.

[@missmanxee]

My favorite stop motion films are Nightmare Before Christmas, Fantastic Mr Fox, Kubo and the two strings, Chicken Run, Flushed Away, Wallace and Grommet and Shaun the sheep👍❤️

[@mojo3318]

I've seen part of "Nightmare Before Christmas", "Wallace and Grommet: The Curse of the Were Rabbit", and "Flushed Away". I want to see the full movies! I've also seen a trailer for "Shaun The Sheep: The Movie".

[@klydejohnson7520]

Fantastic Mr fox is so good

[@olvialee7221]

I was six years old when I saw The Corpse Bride in theaters. Can’t believe it’s been that long. I was scared at first but I find it mysterious, charming and a unique movie musical

[@Disneygirlie]

The Pirates! Band of Misfits, also known as The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! will always be my favourite. Stellar voice cast and I've watched it since I was eight! I mean, come on! It's got David Tennant voicing Charles Darwin ❤

[@TheCommenterDragon]

Even though films like Coraline, ParaNorman and Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio are 3 of my all time favorite movies, I'm not really that big a fan of Stop Motion stuff. I mean I don't hate it but I can certainly appreciate it because like all animation Stop Motion is a form of art.

[@reenarae3083]

Corpse Bride, Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit are so nostalgic ✨ I love them all!

[@mojo3318]

I've seen part of "Chicken Run" and "Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit". I want to see the full movies!

[@diegopansini3152]

Masterpiece movies like Corpse Bride almost feel like a dead genre. When was the last time we got a spooky movie with endearing undertones? Not horror, spooky. There’s a difference. I guess Tim Burton does that mostly these days, but still

[@olleselin]

Guilmero del Toro's Pinocchio is ubdoubtebly the best stop motion film of all time!

[@sailoranime289]

The House should have been an honorable mention.

[@SithBunny1]

Stop motion only added to the creepy terror of that one. A+

[@olvialee7221]

When LAIKA came to the table in 2009, they showed a whole new world. Coraline took us to a world of magic, ParaNorman took us to the dead, The Boxtrolls took us underground of the city, Kubo & The Two Strings took us on a adventure and Missing Link took us on the footsteps of a journey

[@victorhernandez8723]

The Pirates: Band of Misfits movie is sorely underrated! It doesn’t get as much love and attention as Aardman Studios more famous works.

[@olvialee7221]

I find it amazing that this list has great directors, Tim Burton, Guillermo Del Toro and Wes Andersen

[@allaboutanimatedfilms]

I think "Nightmare Before Christmas" is the best

[@mojo3318]

I've seen part of "Nightmare Before Christmas". I want to see the full movie!

[@olvialee7221]

I think Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio is a beautiful movie. I may not know much about the director but the way how he made this movie is stunning

[@olvialee7221]

What I like about LAIKA is that they think out of the box. Even though only making five movies from 2009 to 2019. The way how they bring the stories to life is outstanding. I can tell it took a lot of hard work and it paid off

[@bennywark3103]

There's also Wendell and Wild. I know the story is pretty messy but the style, character designs and animation are amazing

[@marleecorrell1486]

I love that movie.

[@tylergoodman3560]

My cousin loves The nightmare before Christmas. 🎉

[@mojo3318]

I've seen part of "Nightmare Before Christmas". I want to see the full movie!

[@Animeguy300]

The Nightmare Before Christmas is outstanding

[@mojo3318]

I've seen part of "Nightmare Before Christmas". I want to see the full movie!

[@richardbaines5740]

Why are all stop motion movies brilliant but there are still hardly any of them.

[@shareefhaddad2377]

They are more expensive and take more time to develop.

[@nikobrien88]

Kubo and The 2 Strings is a absolute Masterpiece in my opinion. Great Visuals, amazing music, amazing action, Great characters, and just overall Amazing story. Love that Film.

[@isabellaprusse]

You know number 20 is my all-time favorite number 20 on this list as you may already know because I’ve mentioned it in the comment on your list of scenes from Charlie and the chocolate factory, which is also one of my favorite movies. I am blind and have autism therefore I don’t really care about visuals. All I care about is audio and this movie that number 20 on this list has very good audio I think, it’s like a mix of ET and Indiana Jones and I just really love human and creature friendship stories. I’ve watched this movie in Swedish at least eight times already. It’s on one of my streaming services. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of a streaming service called Viaplay. Unfortunately since I live in Denmark, the only languages available are danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and English. The reason why that is unfortunate is because I really want to listen to it in Italian. I don’t understand Italian, but I love the sound of it and I love listening to Italian kids radio, TuneIn Radio for some weird reason TuneIn Radio is my Internet radio streaming service. It works really good with screen readers, which is good because I need a screen reader one thing else that I really wish that my movie streaming service Viaplay had is audio description because since number 20 on this movie list is one of my favorites. I want to watch it with audio description, I’ve watched ET with audio description when it was on Netflix I miss being able to do that. Also, one of the things I really love about this movie is that it came out in 2019 just like one of my other favorites unbearable and it has a very similar plot to unbearable, which you guys have featured on, several of your movie lists that’s my favorite DreamWorks movie it reminds me of ET. I know I’m not pronouncing the title correctly and the reason why I say that is because this comment might look weird. It’s because I use speech to text. I can’t use manual typing both because voice does not support quick typing. That’s my screen reader and second of all, even if it did, I would have trouble with it because I have mild coordination difficulties mobile issues coordination issues. It’s annoying sometimes. Also, do you know of anywhere I would be able to watch this with audio description? Please let me know.

[@olvialee7221]

When I was a little girl, I grew up watching Christmas movies that had stop motion animation until I moved to DreamWorks animated movies

[@C3T1C]

20:27 Owen Wilson’s role is very good in this, it proves you don’t have to be a race car for a great role!

[@olvialee7221]

Tim Burton strikes on this list. He is known for dark, mysterious and love in his work. I find this ironic cause BeetleJuice 2 is coming out this year in October (when you say his name three times)

[@aubrey8673]

The nightmare before Christmas terrified me as a kid. I could never get through the first 30 minutes without shutting it off. I only watched all the way through in my late teen years

[@Alex-ng6hc]

One of my favourite stop motion animated films is 1983's The Wind in the Willows. Not only do the visuals still hold well to this day, but it's one of the best adaptations of Kenneth Grahame's novel. The voice performances were spectacular, the score was beautiful, the songs were some of the most memorable, and its humour is still charming to this day

[@olvialee7221]

My favorite stop motion is Wallace and Gromit. It was my childhood. The one about the robot creeped me out at first but I’m over my fear. I find Wallace and Gromit very charming and I enjoyed the DreamWorks movie of it

[@CaptainMcTubeSnoot]

Junk Head is a good stop motion hidden gem

[@blakeinstudios]

I’ve seen most of these movies and putting Fantastic Mr. Fox for number 2 was genius

[@cheripiez67]

def going to check out Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. I've seen most of these movies already

[@Jeremiah_Rivers76]

While the stop-motion that made _The Nightmare Before Christmas_ popular is remarkable, “This Is Halloween” is the best part of the film, and it’s only the opening sequence. I haven’t seen any version of _Pinocchio_ in full, but Guillermo del Toro’s version may be the one to view.

[@mojo3318]

I've seen part of "Nightmare Before Christmas". I want to see the full movie!

[@jamesmendonca2900]

Hooray for Stop Motion films!!!

[@mcuunofficial7499]

Nightmare before Christmas is the best Stop-Motion movie ever made

[@mojo3318]

I've seen part of "Nightmare Before Christmas". I want to see the full movie!

[@heatherpayne1995]

I love Kubo and the two strings so much.

[@olvialee7221]

Forgot to mention that Missing Link won an award for Best Animated Feature making it LAIKA’s first win

[@lillykennedy2135]

People can argue about which holiday movie Nightmare Before Christmas is all they want, but there’s one thing we can all agree on: it’s a year-round movie. You never feel obligated to only watch it on Halloween or Christmas like you do with other holiday movies. You could watch during the Fourth of July and no one would question it.

[@littleraven89]

Fantastic Mr Fox lives rent free in my head. I love that movie so much

[@olvialee7221]

I find Fantastic Mr. Fox a great work of stop motion. The cast is beyond amazing and the settings in the movie is very well done

[@olvialee7221]

James & The Giant Peach and The Nightmare Before Christmas freaks my dad out

[@randomreviews4278]

9:41 plus it was also the first R Rated animated movie to be nominated at the oscars

[@angelh6345]

Stop motion has heen my fwv since the Rudolph and California raisins days. My fandom over it and artistry admiration increases

[@jensmartinaarseth]

What about Pinchcliffe Grand Prix? An oldie but definitely worth a watch.

[@XMachinaRewrittenArchives]

the fact Buddy Thunderstruck didn't make it as a honorable mention makes me sad

[@Optimusprime809]

Fantastic Mr Fox is one of my absolute favourite films, so good!

[@adiveler]

Eh, I've never watched The Nightmare Before Christmas when I was a kid. But watching it as an adult, didn't impress me at all, unlike many other movies on this list! So yeah, I would claim that the reason it's so high in many people's list, is because of pure nostalgia!

[@Strongbad700]

#20: Missing Link (2019) #19: The Little Prince (2015) #18: Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015) #17: My Life as a Zucchini (2016) #16: Isle of Dogs (2018) #15: The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012) #14: ParaNorman (2012) #13: Mary and Max (2009) #12: Anomalisa (2015) #11: Frankenweenie (2012) #10: Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) #9: Corpse Bride (2005) #8: James and the Giant Peach (1996) #7: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021) #6: Chicken Run (2000) #5: Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) #4: Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022) #3: Coraline (2009) #2: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) #1: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

[@maxmeidl4909]

Fun fact: I saw Kubo and the Two Strings on opening day, and a Japanese family just so happened to be sitting next to me.

[@SithBunny1]

Did they enjoy the movie?

[@maxmeidl4909]

@@SithBunny1 They sure did. And so did my family.

[@PixarShark]

THANK YOU FOR NOT FORGETTING JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH. Disney and most people sure have. 😭😭

[@onestopviewfiles]

4:49 good soundtrack

[@joshuariddensdale2126]

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, definitely. The stop-motion is so smooth it almost looks animated. Yes, The Nightmare Before Christmas revitalized stop-motion, but it hasn't aged well.

[@sunnygirl523]

love these stop motion movies ❤

[@juanantoniopr8170]

You got number one right and so it was the rest of the list: absolutely brilliant movies

[@divyenjoshi1168]

This is a wonderful list but My Life as a Courgette (My Life as a Zucchini in the US) deserves to be much higher. I know it's not as well known or as culturally impactful as many films in this list, but it's a borderline masterpiece that needs to be seen by all.

[@danseracboz]

I see fantastic mr fox, and i click

[@WellMyNameIsRoxanne]

Absolutely love the fanatic Mr. Fox. It’s so “different” 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@KOHMisterBrown]

I love Stop motion movies. Almost have all of them in my collection. I highly recommend 'Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires' Wendell & wild was Nice too

[@cartooncentral5531]

Coraline: "We loved it, Mr. B." Mr. B.: "Mmm Thank you, Wesley."

[@_Exlipse_Officialx]

Both Chicken Run movies are two of the best stop-motion films I've ever seen, especially the music for the first movie. Same with Coraline, Fantastic Mr Fox and Isle Of Dogs

[@Rako_the_Awesome]

Frankenweenie is based off of a short Disney film from the early 90’s. Which is in turn based off of Frankenstein. It was live action, also in black and white.

[@anthonymerchant2597]

So you mentioned everything but the animated series when it came to The Little Prince? I have personally had a big interest in stop motion animation since a child of the 80s with Will Vinton and Ray Harryhausen big two big personal inspirations for me. Nightmare Before Christmas has been one of my and my older brothers favorite films since we saw it in the theatre in the early 90s. I own a copy of that one on 3D Blu-ray, and yes I do own a 3D TV.

[@haydendegrow945]

Fantastic Mr. Fox was the PERFECT role for George Clooney. He's fresh off his Ocean's Trilogy, and it's like Danny Ocean has just been animated... They did BRILLIANTLY at that movie!

[@Dark_Mishra]

Kind of funny how the earliest stop motion movies are still ranked as some of the best. My top 3 would definitely be Corpse Bride, Coraline with its amazing 3D version, and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

[@onestopviewfiles]

2:47 legend!

[@keynanmartinez]

Stop Motion will never get old.

[@hsuldrador8744]

The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix deserves a spot on that list

[@jesseburkett3421]

Probably not the vibe you're going for, but Mad God is absolutely incredible stop motion

[@The_Raven_Lord]

Kubo included Laika's smallest and largest figure. The smallest being the paper samurai at less than an inch tall and the largest the red skeleton at over 10ft. I got to see both at Seattle MOPOP

[@zakirstocks9514]

*Disney's The Nightmare Before Christmas, Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride, Missing Link, The Little Prince, Isle of Dogs, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Paranorman, Anomalisa, Disney's Frankenweenie, Kubo and the Two Strings, James and the Giant Peach, Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, Chicken Run, Chicken Run 2: Dawn of the Nugget, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Coraline and Fantastic Mr. Fox* are all THE Best Amazing and Stunning Stop Motion Animated Movies I've ever seen with my Family and Friends throughout the years! They're all Super Incredible, Remarkable, Spectacular, Spectacular, Splendorous and Fantabulous!

[@mojo3318]

I've seen part of "Chicken Run", "Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit", and "Nightmare Before Christmas". I want to see the full movies! I have also seen the full movie of "James and the Giant Peach", and trailers for "Coraline" and "Missing Link". Also, when my sibling was in high school, he and his band class dressed up as circus freaks and a girl was holding a doll, like in the movie. The show took place on a football field.

[@rustygribbler1380]

Kubo and the 2 strings I love it

[@jaywittman192]

i liked chicken run but as soon as mel gibson's character pops in it gets too comical, i liked the head copping scene i had hoped it would stay the same grey depressing sorta theme but no...

[@randomreviews4278]

9:16 if only I can find this

[@user-lv5zz7wv6l]

I love Coraline and fantastic mr fox they’re both great films a visually appealing

[@mojo3318]

Also, when my sibling was in high school, he and his band class dressed up as circus freaks and a girl was holding a doll, like in the movie. The show took place on a football field.

[@klandgraf6956]

I feel like if Laika and Del Toro teamed up the world wouldn’t be ready

[@user-hz4bk3ii2w]

No we didn't forget any stop-motion classics on TV or on Hulu or on the DVDs or on Disney Plus like Missing Link and Shaun The Sheep The Movie and Isle of Dogs and The Pirates of Band Misfits and Paranorman and Frankenweenie and Kubo and the Two Strings and Marcel the Shell with shoes on and

[@DarkFr3ak101]

I would include the movie 9 which had an incredible cast and I would also say a special shout out to Wendyl and Wild by Jordan Peele and Henry Selick

[@thenerdynetwork1]

Just to put this out there, it would be cool if Guillermo Del Toro and Neil Gaiman collaborated on a new live action or animated supernatural story, whether it's a full-length film or a short story.

[@yoshistar0708]

Corpse Bride is still one of my favourite movies to date I even dressed up as her for Halloween one year

[@stone1andonly]

Not a single mention of Ray Harryhausen. That is positively criminal to neglect the early master of stop motion animation, who was advised by Willis O'Brien (one of the original crew that created King Kong.)

[@pinkspot1998]

Will always be Chicken Run for me. No matter how many times I rewatch it, it never gets old. So funny, a classic. Babs is and will forever be iconic

[@JackB18903]

Wow, I know 10 movies from this list. pirates band of misfits, paranorman, frankenweenie, corpse bride, james and the giant peach, chicken run, wallace and gromit: curse of the were-rabbit, coraline, fantastic mr fox and the nightmare before christmas

[@onestopviewfiles]

15:47 highest growsing film

[@olvialee7221]

One out of five for LAIKA on this list. (Forgot The Boxtrolls)

[@user-hz4bk3ii2w]

Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit and Coraline and Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Nightmare Before Christmas

[@Turquoiselot]

Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox and Chicken Run is my Top 3 Stop Motion Animated favorite movies.

[@Fluffyudders]

Kubo and the Two Strings is massively underrated. While Nightmare Before Christmas is deserving of the #1 slot, I would be hard pushed to finish the top 3 out of Chicken Run, Kubo, and the Wererabbit.

[@mojo3318]

I've seen part of "Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit", "The Nightmare Before Christmas", and "Chicken Run". I want to see the full movies! I may have seen a trailer for "Kubo and the Two Strings", too.