What is the history of clay animation?

Nick Park and Peter Lord's latest creation is like a goose that laid a golden egg. Except the goose is actually a hen and it's made of clay. Well, the egg is clay. But it's becoming clear: These feats of clay are worth millions. read more

"Freeform" clay animation is an informal term referring to the process in which the shape of the clay changes radically as the animation progresses, such as in the work of Eliot Noyes, Jr. and Ivan Stang's animated films. read more

Clay animation has a rich history that reaches back to 1897, when a pliable, oil-based modeling clay called “plasticine” was invented. While not all of Chicken Run is done in 100 percent clay, Aardman stays close to traditions that have evolved over more than a century. read more

Like the films of Ray Harryhausen, discussed in Part One of this history, Tim Burton’s film utilized clay as one of many techniques but was billed as"stop-animation." Like George Pal’s Puppetoons and even Chicken Run, Nightmare used molded “replacement parts” that are swapped for others as needed, as opposed to re-shaping plasticine as the action develops in pure clay animation. read more