#stop motion setting

[etincelleart]

Not long ago I drew concepts for stop motion settings, and I made them ! 🐚🌲

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

The Subtle British Pop Culture/Timeline In CHICKEN RUN

On occasion, I've pointed out when the original CHICKEN RUN is set.

It's often been written that CHICKEN RUN was "set in the '50s", a sort of vague descriptor of its rather dreary post-war England setting. One could assume that from the technology present in the movie, and the homages to 1950s prisoner-of-war films. The obvious ones being STALAG 17 (the number 17 is on the main hut that the chickens all plot in) and THE GREAT ESCAPE. The character Fowler was of the mascot division of the Royal Air Force during World War II. All that talk about his medals. Chocks away!

The easiest way to pinpoint when CHICKEN RUN is set, at the earliest, is knowing what the songs are.

The chickens, in a hut, dance to a cover of Joe Turner's 'Flip, Flop and Fly', Turner's original was released in 1955, an early example of a rock n' roll song. Britain certainly had rock n' roll in a pre-Beatles era, but it doesn't seem as well-known to the average American as American rockers - you know, Elvis, Little Richard, etc. - are to Brits.

Later in the film, Rocky the rooster is jamming out to 'The Wanderer' by Dion.

The song first appeared in North America in November of 1961 - both as a single and as an album track on RUNAROUND SUE (the title track another big hit for him), and if you look in the opening credits sequence, Mrs. Tweedy works with a calendar that says "November"... However, 'The Wanderer' was first released in the UK in January of 1962. And it doesn't seem like much time has passed since the opening credits and the end of the movie...

'The Wanderer' reached #10 in the UK, which was great for an American rock/pop song over there... If anything, the movie is likely set in November/December 1962, so that was plenty of time for 'The Wanderer' to climb the charts, and then be played on the radio every once in a while. Things took a little while in a pre-streaming age, ya know? *waves cane* *I'm actually not that old, nowhere near lol I just love this kinda pop culture history*

So CHICKEN RUN is still kind of a post-war/pre-Beatles England, and it's set in a secluded location inhabited by a middle-aged couple who likely wouldn't have had any idea what was going in the teen beat scene. The Beatles' 'Love Me Do', the single that really put them on the map in the UK, was released in early October of 1962. Being their first true single (not the 'My Bonnie' recording they did in Germany with Tony Sheridan), it charted at a great #17 in the UK... Which of course was nothing compared to what was to come, the strings of #1s, or at least close to that. 'Please Please Me' was the second single, released in January 1963, it hit #2 in the UK. Beatlemania pretty much becomes a thing in the UK by the middle of 1963... It would take a little while for us yanks to catch the fever...

Anyways, CHICKEN RUN is set in November/December 1962. Or maybe it's 1963, who knows, but I think it's pre-Beatlemania rural England. Yorkshire to be exact.

It's kinda funny how the Disney animated ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS shares some similarities in this regard. That film was released in January 1961, and is set in both London and rural England. Its second half during the late fall/early winter no less. The puppies arrive in October, as stated in the film, and the film ends during Christmastime. Snow everywhere, dreary atmosphere, etc.... And then you have the Tweedys in CHICKEN RUN. Mrs. Tweedy is kind of a combination of Cruella de Vil *and* Jasper. She's got the contempt for animals like Cruella, and is taller and the brains like Jasper. Horace, the shorter, pudgier one in the equation - who is onto what the animals are doing but isn't believed, is totally Mr. Tweedy.

That brings us to the recently-released CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGET... The sequel swaps prisoner-of-war movies and World War II imagery for James Bond and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE. Spy movies in general.

One look at Mrs. Tweedy's high-tech new factory shows that in *spades*. But the folks at Aardman Animations did their homework, a lot of the details and background design and such, it legitimately looks like the lair of a supervillain in a '60s spy movie. Much like how Nomanisan Island does in THE INCREDIBLES, another very midcentury modern-inspired movie and franchise. There's also that charming UPA-esque cartoon on how the chickens are processed into nuggets, great stuff there. I also kind of get a bit of a Gerry Anderson vibe here, too. He was known for marionette shows - done in a process called "Supermarionation" - like THUNDERBIRDS and CAPTAIN SCARLET AND THE MYSTERONS. I assume most of the crew behind these movies grew up watching those shows.

And of course, a big indicator... Towards the end of the film, all the chickens - brainwashed by mind-control collars that make them all happy-go-lucky - are being forced up an escalator to a popcorn chicken death. In this pretty creepy sequence, they're all doing this while Cliff Richard's 'Summer Holiday' plays in the background. The bright, pastel-colored set adorned with simplistic countryside-looking hills that these chickens are brainwashed in before they are to be ground into fast food is reminiscent of vintage British and European children's programs. I was thinking of stuff like THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT and such, which was also a stop-motion production.

Oh yeah, 'Summer Holiday'. That song came out in January 1963, it was the title song for a movie that was *huge* in England when it first came out. Cliff Richard is the prime example of a pre-Beatles British pop/rock star, I feel he's almost synonymous with that period of British pop music before John, Paul, George, and Ringo showed up. So, CHICKEN RUN 2 is set *after* January 1963. Plus, Ginger and Rocky's daughter Molly needed some time to grow up a bit.

Either this was intentional or not, but it strangely adds up. It's pretty chronological, either by accident or they made sure they didn't have too many anachronisms... Other than the cartoonishly high tech of Mrs. Tweedy's Fun-Land Farms, but then again, the pie machine in the original CHICKEN RUN was kind of improbable too. But that's the fun of the CHICKEN RUN movies, so it's a staple.

And even in other Aardman works, there are fun nods to British pop culture and media. For example, in WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT, Art Garfunkel's 'Bright Eyes' can be heard on the car radio in one scene. Garfunkel is American, yes, but 'Bright Eyes' was composed and recorded for the soundtrack of the British animated classic WATERSHIP DOWN. Just in case you've never seen or even heard of that movie. WATERSHIP DOWN is about rabbits, and in the WALLACE & GROMIT movie, they're dealing with rabbits! Quite clever.

Another favorite of mine is in FARMAGEDDON: A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE. Of course, Shaun the Sheep is spun off from WALLACE & GROMIT, he appeared in the short film A CLOSE SHAVE. The second SHAUN THE SHEEP movie brings in science fiction and aliens, a real 180 from the small-scale first film. At the end of the film, the Farmer accidentally gets onto the UFO and is not on Earth anymore! Before they get him back, a song called 'Forever Autumn' can be heard playing on a radio.

'Forever Autumn' is a rewrite of a Lego commercial jingle composed by Jeff Wayne in 1969, with lyrics by Gary Osborne and Paul Vigrass. The two lyricists recorded the first version of that song in 1972 for an album called QUEUES. A couple years later, Jeff Wayne got the idea to do a musical version of H. G. Wells' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. A musical album, bringing in several mostly British talents to retell - through story and song - the British sci-fi staple. 'Forever Autumn' was covered for the album, with lead vocals sung by Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues. Of course, another British group... all for the section of the album in which the protagonist - a journalist - fears his wife had been killed in the Martian invasion. "'Cause you're not here." Which is the lyric heard in FARMAGEDDON when they realize that the Farmer went to outer space!

(It takes a special kind of skill to take such a depressing song and make it FUNNY in any context.)

Anyways, those are just a couple examples off the top of my head. Aardman's work is distinctly British, to the core. And the CHICKEN RUN movies give me a fascinating idea of when they are set, a very cartoon British '60s.

[reepiblog]

Laika exhibit at the MoPop in Seattle showing the set for the opening scene of the Beldam sewing Coraline's doll. I love all the different old buttons. The rig for the hands is a pretty interesting feat of engineering since the friction in the joints has to be enough to hold it into place but not so much they can't be moved by the animators. I'm no expert but that seems like it would be tough to do with so many thin, tiny segments. The thing I was delighted by was how close the prop doll looks to the merch doll I bought years ago.

[reikunrei]

it’s honestly so funny that s1 will is dressed up like marty mcfly, the one who goes back in time to meddle with his predecessors in order to right the timeline, and sometimes makes it worse by accident, but i’m not supposed to think will could wind up going back in time to try and fix things only to make things worse/set certain things in motion… sure lol

[cornsarts]

Some set and puppet progression + lighting tests! Its all starting to fall together very nicely!

Photography/guidance/moral support: @eeveefreshstudioz

[90sdiablo]

Marilyn Manson in Celebrity Deathmatch: Pilots & Season One (1998)

[grimanimation]

Some higher quality pictures of my Alestes puppet from my Trice Forgotten animation as well as some set props and pictures from the process of making the puppet.

Image descriptions below

1 - Front view of the Alestes puppet

2 - Side view of the Alestes puppet

3 - Alestes puppet posed at a 3/4 angle while holding her sword and looking into the camera

4 - Alestes puppet next to a ruler showing that she is about 10.5 inches (26.67 cm) tall

5 - Zoomed out image of the full set and puppet while the animation was being shot. Alestes is facing a barrel and holding her sword towards it. A webcam is taped to a box and angled slightly upward.

6 - Two of the barrels built for the set. The left is a barrel used only in the background, so it's less detailed and only has three metallic rings. The right is one of the two barrels used close up, so it is fully detailed, has all six metallic rings, and the seam going through the center is covered.

7 - Close up of Alestes's sword and coin purse with a quarter for scale. (Side note: The sword handle is wrapped in steel wire painted brown, and the coin purse has a ball of steel wire inside so that both props would stay attached to the magnet in Alestes's right hand while animating)

8 - Front and side drawing of the design for Alestes's puppet and armature.

9 - The assembled pieces of Alestes's armature laid over it's corresponding parts of the original design to show how it will come together

10 - The fully assembled armature for the Alestes puppet

11 - The assembled armature covered with foam to give it the shape of her body except for the head, hands, and boots

12 - Maquette of the puppet's hands made from gray Plastalina

13 - Maquette of the puppet's boots made from gray Plastalina. The folded over tops of the boots are sculpted and attached later to prevent undercuts while casting.

14 - Open molds for the head, hands, and boots

15 - Armature with foam and attached hands and boots made of silicone

[violetaeons]

FF7 Rebirth Spoilers - Zack's situation

I'm pretty sure that both Aeriths were killed in Zack and Cloud's timelines but I'm confused about Zack's dead or alive status. Judging on what we saw, I'd say alive?

In Zack's timeline, Marlene says when Aerith wakes up, Sephiroth will kill her. When the trailers launched, I thought Marlene had a vision about the actual incident in the original - aka Aerith in Cloud's timeline praying at the altar. But, now I'm sure she was referring to the comatose Aerith in their timeline.

And while Zack was away, Aerith "woke up" and put on her clothes and then woke the comatose Cloud from the wheelchair for their dream date thing at the end of the world.

She takes him to the church, says her goodbye and gives him the white materia before Sephiroth arrives to kill her.

Zack was outside the church before this but got pushed away but breaks free and ends up in a white space surrounded by fallen petals.

I think this has something to do with what Aerith quoted about "following the flowers" in part one when she's surrounded by whispers and is talking to them.

After Zack/Cloud's joint fight, Sephiroth sends Zack back to his timeline which is being destroyed by the meteor. But then...he just breaks through the floor??

There's a green light when fate is seemingly changed and it's here with Zack and also it lights up Cloud's sword when he stops Sephiroth's blade at the altar.

But after that, Zack wakes up at the church and somehow everything's intact. I think Aerith is now dead in both timelines, but where the hell is Zack at the end? Is he also just dead, or is this a new timeline? It makes sense Aerith can "walk" through the lifestream after death (and not become one in a huge soul soup) because she's a Cetra. But I'm guessing Zack isn't in the lifestream at the end - but is in another timeline???

I don't know.

Thoughts? I don't know what to think about the multiverse stuff.

[fairybaby777]

don’t you see ??? everything is connected ! you’re 4D IS the present moment. there is no separation. there is no past or future. there is only ever the present moment, the NOW. this is why you embody your desire now. because it is yours as soon as you imagine it. as soon as you desire it. it is yours !!!! live from the present. live from fulfilment. live from the end NOW !

[sovonight]

why is so much of sewing just tracing and cutting and tracing again q_q i see why people get projectors and use adobe illustrator now

[etincelleart]

Tiny stop motion setting concepts for a uni project 🌲🐚

[arcsin27]

Third semester shuake super paper Mario au

[captain-crowfish]

Rare The Boxtrolls behind-the-scenes images

found via the Internet Archive/Wayback Machine

[viviwood007]

making this floor took too long but i think it’s pretty cuteeee it looks so creaky

[shinelikethunder]

kinda surprised that the responses i've seen so far on my dash to that "which SPN eps do you find scariest?" anon have been sleeping on Something Wicked, which was the one episode that made me go "okay that entire thing stands out as incredibly disturbing" after i first finished s1, and remains maybe the creepiest monster concept in all 15 seasons

[beanbagbuddies4life]

I appreciate dragons