The film ‘Stopmotion’ is set for nationwide release in Japan on Friday, January 17, 2025.
This psychological horror story follows Ella, the devoted daughter of a legendary stop-motion animator whose illness has left her final work unfinished. Determined to complete the project, Ella enlists the mysterious power of a young girl she encounters by chance. But as she presses on, the line between reality and illusion begins to blur, pushing her to the edge of sanity. The film’s thrilling blend of stop-motion animation and live-action has generated significant buzz, and, in February, despite a limited release in just 384 theaters in the U.S., it reached the Top 20 box office hits.
The role of Ella is played by Aisling Franciosi, known for her performances in ‘The Nightingale’ and the TV series ‘Game of Thrones.’ Directed by Robert Morgan, whose short stop-motion film ‘Bobby Yeah’ was nominated for Best British Short Animation at the BAFTAs, ‘Stopmotion’ motion marks Morgan’s feature film debut.
The newly released visual shows a doll peering out from behind a torn face, capturing an ominous world where reality is overtaken by stop-motion animation. The accompanying trailer reveals Ella’s struggles with her creative vision and the unsettling encounter with a mysterious girl that draws her into a world of madness, teeming with monstrous figures in motion.
Horror manga artist Junji Ito, who previewed the film, shared this recommendation:
In stop-motion animation, each frame breathes life into puppets, but the puppets in this film are disturbingly unsettling—from their materials to their eerie forms, they seem like they were never meant to have a soul. And yet, much to my delight, they have been given life!
–Junji Ito (Horror Manga Artist)
Stopmotion
Director/Writer: Robert Morgan
Cast: Aisling Franciosi, Thom Yorke, Kailyn Springall, Selica Wilson Reed, and Stella Gonet
2023 / UK / English / 93 mins / 16:9 / 5.1ch / Color / Original Title: Stopmotion / PG-12
Distributor: Starcat
Promotion: AMG Entertainment
© Bluelight Stopmotion Limited / The British Film Institute 2023
Releases nationwide from January 17, 2025, starting at Shinjuku Cinema Qualite.
STORY
Ella Blake, daughter of the renowned stop-motion animator Suzanne Blake, is determined to complete her mother’s unfinished work, left in limbo due to her illness. Struggling on her own, she enlists the help of a mysterious girl she encounters by chance, but as she delves deeper into the project, the boundaries between reality and illusion begin to blur, pushing her to the edge of sanity…
