Brooklyn-based Hayley Morris created this richly textured underwater fantasia for Hilary Hahn and Hauschka’s song “Bounce Bounce.” The evocative tide pool creatures were created with fabric, yarn, papier-mâché and driftwood, the latter used to make the wooden bird. The disparate materials that Hayley uses are united with an electric color palette and swaying shadows—all animated by hand under the camera. More details about the video and the musicians can be found in this IFC article.

LA-based animator Max Winston posted this animation test for The Woods!, a project that he developed over two years for Nickelodeon. He wrote last Friday on his blog that Nick “recently informed me that they don’t want to go through with making it into a show.” That’s probably a sign that he’s doing something right considering that this is the same network that turned down Adventure Time in favor of greenlighting Fanboy & Chum Chum. Max is currently shopping the idea around to other buyers.

UPDATE: Max has posted a bunch of development art from The Woods.

CREDITS
Created, Directed and Animated by: Max Winston
Director of Photography: Helder K Sun
Written by: Doug Langdale & Max Winston
Color concept & BG design: Romney Caswell
Voices: Zoë Moss, Jacob Strick, Max Winston
Compositing: Hlynur Magnusson
Fabrication Assistance: Brad Schaffer
Shot at Screen Novelties

Kangmin Kim impressed in 2010 with his student short Visit. He has continued to evolve his labor-intensive mixed-media approach with his thesis film, 38-39°C, and confirmed that he is a major talent to watch.

The father-son relationship that is at the center of the film doesn’t lend itself to easy explanations, but the idea is conveyed eloquently through layered imagery and sound that achieves a fever-dream intensity. There is fantastic attention to detail throughout, and seamless compositing of visual elements. The quirky animation of the hinged paper cut-out figures provides the welcome human touch that is absent from many slickly produced stop motion shorts nowadays. Watch the making of video for a literal behind-the-scenes look at Kim’s process.

Aardman’s latest feature The Pirates! Band of Misfits, directed by Peter Lord, debuted in second place in the US with $11.1 million. It’s Aardman’s weakest opening ever in the US. However, it was considered on a par with studio projections, and the film should end up with a respectable run, especially considering that no other animated films are set to be released in May.

For comparison, here’s how other Aardman features have opened in the US:

Chicken Run (2000): $17.5 million
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005): $16 million
Flushed Away (2006): $18.8 million
Arthur Christmas (2011): $12.1 million

In this LA Times story about the resurgence of stop motion animated features, Travis Knight, the producer of Laika’s ParaNorman and one of its lead animators, had this to say:

“Stop-motion is probably the worst, most painful way to make a film. It’s a completely awful process to engage in, an anachronism.”

The one thing stop motion has working in its favor? It’s not computer animation. Knight, who is also the president and CEO of Laika, added:

“But the stories have a warmth and a charm. You’re not looking at ones and zeros. You’re looking at the hands of the artists who made it.”

Photo of Travis Knight, with his father, Nike chairman and Laika owner Phil Knight. (Quote via Kirsten Lepore)

Adam Ciolfi has been essentially working alone on his stop-motion feature The Lady of Names for the last 15 years. He’s done almost everything himself, from designing the sets to photography and animation; he even constructed the orchestral score. Is it a masterpiece or a misguided mess? Either way, you have to admire Ciolfi’s obsession in finishing the picture. In L.A. the film will be screened this Sunday, April 29th at 2:45pm at the Newport Beach Film Festival.

Simian Mobile Disco by Cerulean

Jack Featherstone and Will Samuel designed, directed and animated this abstract video at London’s ISO studio. (Thanks to Felipe Robles for the link.)

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Cpt. Metal by Die Arzte

Vienna, Austria collective LWZ, comprised of Martin Lorenz, Stefan Salcher and Markus Wagner, created Cpt. Metal for German punk band Die Arzte.

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Te Koop / A Vendre by Pree

Maxwell Sorensen animated this piece over the last two months, during evenings and on weekends. Created entirely in Photoshop and After Effects after scanning “a big pile of real paper textures to keep it more organic”. Sorensen spends his days interning on stop-motion projects at Hornet Inc.

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The Rifle’s Spiral by The Shins

That’s Jamie Caliri’s new video for Portland-based indie rock band, The Shins. Caliri, best known for his Lemony Snicket end titles, created this surreal stop-motion animation inspired by Edward Gorey illustrations and Martin Scorsese’s Hugo. Go here to watch the making of video.

The weary residents of a large residential complex want to get away from it all, until a young man with a musical instrument moves into the building. Jonatan Schwenk’s Maison Sonore is an engimatic piece with a simple concept and loads of atmosphere. The stop motion puppets successfully blend realism and caricature, and the wide-angle compositions and eerie calm heighten the film’s tension. Schwenk created the diploma project at the Offenbach University of Art and Design in Germany.

Making-of video and credits after the jump.
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