Stop motion animation has a history as long as cinema itself and a tremendous body of accomplished work by animators from throughout the world. While the bar has been set high, it hasn’t stopped Portland’s LAIKA—with four remarkable features completed—from raising that bar with each release. In conjunction with Animating Life: the Art, Science and Wonder of LAIKA, on view at the Portland Art Museum October 14–May 20, 2018, the Film Center will show their work and some of the classics of the genre on Sundays throughout the run. Along with the screenings, look for a range of family and adult production activities that will enhance appreciation of the magic of animation. The screenings are free with admission to the Museum.
Alice
Directed by Jan Svankmajer
Lewis Carroll’s “Alice” books have inspired generations of other writers and artists, but Švankmajer’s mix of live action and stop-motion …
Animated Worlds: Stop-Motion Shorts
Directed by Various
LAIKA’s Mark Shapiro travels the world of animation film festivals, sharing the studio’s work and viewing work by artists from …
Chicken Run
Directed by Nick Park, Peter Lord
The feature debut from the Academy Award-winning team behind the much-loved Wallace and Gromit shorts is a charming adventure set …
Coraline
Directed by Henry Selick
Based on Neil Gaiman’s international best-selling novel, Coraline’s heroine is an adventurous girl (Dakota Fanning) who discovers a doorway to …
Corpse Bride
Directed by Tim Burton, Mike Johnson
In Tim Burton’s Victorian-era fantasy, Victor Van Dort (Johnny Depp), the son of wealthy merchants, and Victoria Everglot (Emily Watson), …
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Directed by Wes Anderson
Anderson’s first animated film, adapted from a story by legendary children’s author Roald Dahl, is a stop-motion thrill ride through …
Indie Visions in Stop-Motion
Directed by Various
Portland visual artist and animator Rose Bond, a faculty member at the Pacific Northwest College of Art, has selected this …
James and the Giant Peach
Directed by Henry Selick
Based on Roald Dahl's delightfully dark children's story, Selick’s (Coraline) imaginative film tells the tale of an unhappy orphaned boy …
Jason and the Argonauts
Directed by Don Chaffey
Greek hero Jason (Todd Armstrong) and the crew of the Argo set out to recover the legendary Golden Fleece in …
King Kong
Directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack, Merian C. Cooper
At the time of its release, King Kong was the greatest spectacle the filmgoing public had ever seen. A classic …
Kubo and the Two Strings
Directed by Travis Knight
In LAIKA’s most recent film, a spectacular, epic adventure, kindhearted Kubo ekes out a humble living, telling stories to the …
Mary and Max
Directed by Adam Elliot
In this touching, clay-animated tale of profound intergenerational connection, Elliot spins the story of Mary, a lonely Australian girl from …
My Life as a Zucchini
Directed by Claude Barras
Barras’s funny and brightly colored stop-motion film tells the story of nine-year-old Icare, known to his friends as Courgette (Zucchini). …
Paranorman
Directed by Chris Butler, Sam Fell
Eleven-year-old Norman can see and speak with the dead, including his beloved grandmother. Most days, he prefers their company to …
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
Directed by Nathan Juran
While today’s digitally rendered animated films astound in looking virtually real, Ray Harryhausen’s timeless, hand-crafted wonderwork —his first film in …
The Adventures of Mark Twain
Directed by Will Vinton
Portlander Will Vinton’s film was the world's first Claymation feature and the first animated feature made in the Northwest. It …
The Adventures of Prince Achmed
Directed by Lotte Reiniger
The oldest existing animated feature, Prince Achmed was made by 23-year-old teacher Lotte Reiniger using the stop-motion and silhouette animation …
The Boxtrolls
Directed by Graham Annable
Based on the British children’s novel Here Be Monsters by Alan Snow, The Boxtrolls is a meticulously crafted, fast-paced adventure, …
The Fabulous World of Jules Verne
Directed by Karel Zeman
Originally released in the United States in 1961, Zeman’s classic film is based on Jules Verne’s nineteenth-century tale of a …
The Flying Sneaker
Directed by Bretislav Pojar
Alec is a lonely little boy who dreams a lot. One day, his father, a doctor who works on ships …
The Short Adventures of Wallace and Gromit
Directed by Nick Park
Established in 1972, Aardman Animation vaulted to international affection with the release of A Grand Day Out (1989), the first …
The Short Films of the Brothers Quay, 1984-2000
Directed by Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay
Two of the world’s most original filmmakers, identical twins Stephen and Timothy Quay have been making their unique blend of …
The Tale of the Fox
Directed by Ladislas Starevich, Irene Starevich
Russian film pioneer and innovator of stop-motion puppet animation Ladislas Starewitch (1882–1965) was a cinematic magician whose creativity and skills …
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Directed by Steve Box, Nick Park
Eccentric inventor Wallace and his cunning dog Gromit have launched a humane pest control business. When called upon by the …