Stop motion is one of those filmic techniques that, on the surface, seems absurdly easy (take a bunch of pictures and voila! A movie!) but in reality is mind bogglingly difficult. Laika, creator of such under-seen cult hits as Coraline and ParaNorman, is just about the only company left in the game, and the end credit time lapse from its latest, The Boxtrolls, illustrates exactly why.
As two of the film’s most charming characters muse about the nature of their existence, the camera pulls back and reveals the ghostly presence of the animators changing their position 24 times a second. It’s one of those things that has to be seen to be believed.
In other news, The Boxtrolls is on Amazon Instant and is totally as charming as this video makes it out to be.