Stop-motion animation is one of the most time-honored mediums of film. For decades, storytelling through this method has become beloved by audiences because it exemplifies such a unique creative perspective. According to an article from Focus Features detailing the history of stop-motion: "Single frame by single frame (and there are 24 frames per second in a motion picture), animators subtly and painstakingly manipulate tangible objects (characters, props, sets, etc.) on a working stage... It is movie magic crafted by hand." After the frames are put together in quick succession, viewers are left to watch the story unfold naturally, as if the inanimate subjects are truly coming to life.
Many stop-motion pictures utilize claymation – clay objects captured in stop-motion style – to portray their colorful characters. While not all stop-motion films do this, many are known for including this technique because of its flexibility. Through the years, this vein of the film industry has continued to refine itself, telling the tales of fantastical beasts and fearsome antagonists. Let's take a look at the best stop-motion animated creatures, ranked.
7 Jack Skellington - The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of the most cherished stop-motion movies ever made, regardless of whether it's currently the holiday season. This masterpiece directed by Henry Selick follows a cast of creepy creatures from Halloween Town, happy with their year-round festivities until their Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington, suggests that they start celebrating Christmas. Jack has long been an iconic addition to pop culture, solidified by his recognizable spindly design and out-there striped outfit. Fans of this film have begged for a sequel for years, and with good reason.
6 The Other Mother - Coraline (2009)
Coraline is another, more modern example of the excellence that stop-motion animation can accomplish. After she moves into her new home, a young girl finds a mysterious door that leads to a mirrored version of her own life, with some positive differences that seem too good to be true. After Coraline discovers the darkness behind her new reality, she's trapped by the Other Mother – once a sickly-sweet version of her real mom, whose skin stretches in a horrifying sequence to reveal her true spidery self. The transformation just goes to show the imaginative power of this unique form of animation. Coraline has understandably been called one of the best animated horror movies.
5 Cyclops - The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
Animator Ray Harryhausen is known as the trailblazer of stop-motion animation, and he went on to originate dynamation as well – positioning stop-motion animated subjects into sequences of live action. The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad is an excellent example of this, following the adventures of the titular hero's rescue of a princess in Harryhausen's first full-color film. The Cyclops stands out as this film's most memorable baddie, a one-horned wonder with a knobby brown body who lumbers up to Sinbad and his fellow sailors on the beach. Its towering form next to the smaller human actors was a remarkable sight for the time period in which the film was released.
4 The Skeletons - Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
This '60s adaptation of the classic Greek myth is one of Harryhausen's most memorable works. In Jason and the Argonauts, Jason leads a mission to find the elusive Golden Fleece. Along the way, he encounters all kinds of obstacles – most importantly, an army of seven creepy skeletons wielding weapons. During the final few scenes of the film, Aeëtes sprinkles the teeth of the Hydra on the ground, calling up the "children of the Hydra's teeth." The skeletons rise up one by one from the dirt, already armed! Watching in horror, Jason is assailed on all sides in one of the best stop-motion fight scenes in history.
3 Gwangi - The Valley of Gwangi (1969)
The Valley of Gwangi is one of the best classic dinosaur movies from the golden age of stop-motion animation. Another work of Harryhausen's, of course, the film is a classic Western with a big-toothed twist. Venturing deep into the Forbidden Valley, cowboys look for prehistoric horses to use in a stunt show when they instead find a legion of dinosaurs. The most fearsome of these is the eponymous Gwangi, a ferocious Allosaurus with a shiny ripple of purple scales. His eventual captors get a run for their money as they try to break the will of this wild and ancient animal.
2 King Kong - King Kong (1933)
The original King Kong is a landmark in cinema for many reasons, including being named one of the best movies ever made. The tension built throughout the story takes this classic story from the jungles of Skull Island all the way to the skyscrapers of New York City, as Kong breaks his chains to pursue the woman originally intended to be a sacrifice to him. This film proved that claymation creatures don't always have to be fabled, multi-headed beasts – gigantic apes will scare audiences just fine. In fact, seeing King Kong inspired Ray Harryhausen to pursue animation and become one of the most well-known proponents of the medium.
1 Medusa - Clash of the Titans (1981)
The reveal of Medusa in the original Clash of the Titans most likely lives on in the nightmares of '80s kids. Harryhausen's last stop-motion work is a beautiful piece of cinema, capturing his imagination for the final time with incredible results. The film follows the journey of Perseus through his ancient mythical tale, and things really kick into high gear when he discovers that the secret to killing the Kraken lies in the power of Medusa's eyes. His crew reaches the island of the Gorgons in a quest to cut off her head and take it with them, but not before a creepy visual sequence ensues. Under the threat of turning her viewers to stone, the tangle of snakes circling Medusa's coveted head is enough to make anyone squint.