Stopmotion (2024) is a Dazzling and Creative Venture into Psychological Horror

Title: Stopmotion

First Non-Festival Release: February 22, 2024 (Theatrical Release)

Director: Robert Morgan

Writer: Robin King, Robert Morgan

Runtime: 93 Minutes

Starring: Aisling Franciosi, Stella Gonet, Tom York, Caoilinn Springall

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

The art of making stop motion animation is a craft that deserves far more attention than it receives. Stop motion animators must create their world from scratch through scaled designs. Then, they must tirelessly manipulate its landscape and characters millimeter by millimeter, snapping pictures in the hopes of playing them together to create one seamless scene. It requires tremendous skill and patience that very few possess.

This is something that Ella (Aisling Franciosi) is reminded of frequently by her mother, Suzanne (Stella Gonet), a revered stop motion animator that is battling arthritis. Using her hands to create for her, Ella is in the process of helping her mother finish her last film when Suzanne has an unexpected stroke. With Suzanne left in a vegetative state, Ella finally has the freedom to pursue her own vision for a film, one that doesn’t rely on the input of others. An exception can be made, however, for a peculiar Little Girl (Caoilinn Springall) who lives down the hall in her new apartment complex that offers some interesting ideas on where to take Ella’s story.

Phantasmagorical psychological horror Stopmotion blends animation and live action nightmares to create a slow burn descent into madness.

It’s no accident that Stopmotion depicts a mental breakdown by using a medium notorious for attention to detail and precise actions to frame its story. The discipline necessary to undergo this venture requires someone to have both a clear vision for what they hope to accomplish and the drive necessary to push through the more punishing aspects of the work. Creativity isn’t easy, and that drive to create can lead to obsession if not checked in healthy ways. Ella is a recipe for chaos in this situation given that her life has been, until recently, determined largely by her mother’s wishes.

Mild-mannered and passive, Ella maneuvers through her world hesitant to take any opportunity to truly stand up for herself. This new film project injects life into her day-to-day while draining her at night. Sure, she works to shape the film into her own, but Stopmotion makes the audience question what her influences are and what is she influenced by. Ella can’t answer this question because she is caught between the desire to create unfettered by other’s opinions while subconsciously mourning the death of her mother and the years she lost because of her. Ella’s inability to control her inner demons leads to her spiraling further and harming those closest to her.

[SPOILERS]

Through the lens of a creative block, Stopmotion depicts how a toxic parental influence can leave a child broken well into adulthood. While initially upsetting, Suzanne’s unexpected stroke gives Ella a glimpse into what life could be like making her own choices. Described as a puppet by her mother, Ella yearns for control of her life despite not having the tools to successfully navigate her talent and creativity. And the sickening joke to it all is that Suzanne set Ella up for failure by never allowing her to make decisions or provide creative input. Even her attempts at placating Ella only serve as further means of control.

This is why Ella initially struggles with finishing her mother’s story and starting her own. Thus, the Little Girl is created to help Ella with her story. Quickly the audience understands that the Little Girl is not just a random neighbor but an extension of Ella’s inner self, yearning to break free and create. It’s because of this long-term neglect, that this element of her imagination cannot stop itself from expressing its morbid fascination with bringing life to dead things. This coupled with her mother caught between life and death, causes Ella to take the measures she takes.

Despite clearly loving it, Ella’s own relationship with art is twisted. She is jealous of others’ ability to see through their visions, frustrated by her lack of clear direction in making her own, and deals with the looming specter of her mother criticizing her work even when she cannot communicate. It then makes sense why Ella’s art takes on its horrifying shape, attacking her life both during and outside of the artistic process. She can’t cope with this new power and struggles to make firm boundaries for her sake and others. The real horror is that Ella has everything she needs except her own belief in herself and the desperate need for therapy to untangle herself from the brutal expectations set before her.

[/SPOILERS]

Perhaps the most underrated aspect of Stopmotion is its strong understanding of and approach to sensory horror. Using real stop motion animation to blend into the live action scenes, Stopmotion blurs the lines between reality and fiction making for some truly nightmarish sequences. The visions of Ella’s creations, both taunting and encouraging her forward, have a deliciously sinister appearance. Dripped in blood, rot, and viscera, their ability to occupy their dream world and real life make for some truly horrifying moments of body horror when they finally engage with Ella. Certainly, Director Robert Morgan ensures that the nightmare unfolding onscreen melds the bizarre and the beautiful, but there is more to Stopmotion than its captivating visuals. Immersive sound design allows the film to feel more lived in and tactile. Every squelch, scratch, and thud comes to life in memorable and haunting ways.

Wonderfully weird and thoroughly affecting, Stopmotion has all the elements of a future cult classic. Combining the best of uncanny stop motion animation with the dark elements of artistic obsession makes Stopmotion a compelling and unnerving watch. Aisling Franciosi’s hypnotic and brave performance highlights the tragedy of Ella’s character arc while bringing humanity to her darker moments. It’s hard to get the sights and sounds out of your head after watching, but Stopmotion should be applauded for getting under the skin of audiences and daring to do something different.

Overall Score? 8/10