Sweets: Super Mario Bros

"Super Bakery Bros. | A TASTY SUPER MARIO STOP MOTION" by Gamerboymedia

Gamerboy Media recreated the first level of Super Mario Bros in a stop-motion animated video using a giant cake as a backdrop.

Fan Film: Captain America 3: Nazi Zombies

"Lego Captain America 3: Nazi Zombies" by forrestfire101

You’ve got to check out this ultra-violent and blood-filled stop-motion animated LEGO short film called "Captain America 3: Nazi Zombies." It was created by Youtube user Forrestfire101 (aka Forrest Whaley), and it’s just as awesome as you hoped a film with this title would be.

It starts off with Captain America riding his motorcycle through a German city occupied by the Nazis. He ends up hitting a landmine that explodes, and he is knocked unconscious until nightfall. When he wakes up he finds himself surrounded by Nazi zombies he must battle to survive!

This needs to be adapted into a live action film ASAP!

Short Film: Oh Willy...

"Oh Willy..." by Emma De Swaef and Marc James Roels

"Oh Willy..." is a dark comedy shot as a stop-motion film. The film features a rather unique visual style through the use of a cast of wool dolls.

Short Film: A Drop of Gold

"Goutte d'Or" (A Drop of Gold) by Christophe Peladan

"Goutte d’Or" is an incredible short film about a pirate who enters the Kingdom of the Dead.  In the land of the dead, he's quickly becomes smitten with the beautiful Queen who rules the land, but he soon comes to realize that winning her affection won't be any small feat.

This is a beautiful and exceptionally well-executed stop-motion film.  I'm not exaggerating when I say that it favorably compares to The Nightmare Before Christmas both in terms of beauty and spirit.

Short Film: 3+1

"3+1" directed by Soline Fauconnier, Marie de Lapparent, Alexandre Cluchet

"Three wacky characters are looking for a new roomate. However, the House must decides too..."

Video: One String

"One String" by MysteryGuitarMan

MysteryGuitarMan aka Joe Penna has created a wonderfully touching animation that depicts a child growing up to adulthood with the love of her father all throughout her life. The story was amazingly created with a single piece of blue yarn that was positioned and repositioned 703 times.

Short Film: Two Worlds

"Two Worlds" by Andy Lefton

Snibb, a stranded and lonely character, but not by choice. He has been marooned on a desolate and barren planet where he struggles to utilize his weak and failing satellite link to attempt daily distress beacons for rescue. Through fate, he may have a way out.

"Two Worlds is a 3D animated short film by Andy Lefton that has evolved over many years with production taking approximately 5 years, when time permitted. Two Worlds is a story about two opposites coming together out of necessity. The story stays away from the quintessential element of 'opposites attract'. Having each character be a separate form of life, one being organic and the other mechanical helps drive the plot a bit more."

Short Film: How To Make a Nightmare

"How to Make a Nightmare" Directed by Noah Aust

"How To Make a Nightmare" is a short fantasy the envisions a world in which nightmares originate not in the subconscious, but rather in underground laboratories operated by hideous monsters. When on of the monsters falls in love with one of his would be victims, though, the situation rapidly spirals out of control.

Mixing live action absurdity and stop-motion animation, Aust has created a dark and intriguing short with feel of a dream as a vehicle for his story of obsession.

"A short film about monsters who make nightmares."

Short Film: HEAD OVER HEELS

"HEAD OVER HEELS" from Timothy Reckart

Timothy Reckart released his short film "Head over Heels" online this week.  This stop-motion animated short film was created by a team of eleven students who made the film over the course of fifteen months as their graduation thesis for the National Film and Television School, U.K.  It premiered three years ago at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival and went on to receive an Annie Award for Best Student Film, the 2013 Cartoon d’Or for Best European Short, and an Oscar-nomination for Best Short Animation.

After many years of marriage, Walter and Madge have grown apart.  He lives on the floor.  She lives on the ceiling.  When Walter tries to reignite their old romance, their equilibrium comes crashing down, and the couple that can't agree which way is up must find a way put their marriage back together.

Tim Reckart's festival favorite shines with inventiveness.  His way of telling a metaphorical story of alienation only makes physical and painstakingly visual what the characters themselves can't  express in words.

Going the extra mile to accompany the film’s staff-picked Vimeo debut, Reckart has put together a website that collects together special features including director’s commentary, an audio documentary on the making of the soundtrack, and Heels Over Head, an alternate version of the film flipped upside-down!
 

Short Film: BROKEN

"BROKEN" by Adam Ciolfi

"BROKEN" is a chilling stop motion animation about a damaged robot struggling to keep his companion alive in the aftermath of a catastrophe.  The claymation may be a bit crude at times, but the story isn't any less effective for it.

Short Film: Fish Friend

"Fish Friend" by director Jordan Blum of Partcom

"Fish Friend" is a dark comedy that pays homage to the films of director Tim Burton in a style reminiscent of Pixar.  Like Burton's films, "Fish Friend" walks the line between grim and grins, telling the story of a little girl with a murderous piranha rather than the standard goldfish for a pet.

"Fish Friend is the story of a girl and her murderous pet piranha, inspired by 1950s Americana, Tim Burton, and the shorts of Pixar.

You never forget your first pet: this is the lesson ten-year-old Sally learns when she discovers, the hard way, that her new goldfish is actually a bloodthirsty piranha. As Sally and her fish friend forge a lasting relationship, the carnivorous pet wreaks havoc on an unsuspecting neighborhood."

Short Film: DIS \ CONNECT

"DIS \ CONNECT" by Doug Hindson

The impact of modern technology and social media is the central theme to British animator, Doug Hindson's latest animation, DIS \ CONNECT.   It's a rather somber look at our modern connected lives where we've become completely addicted to checking our phones and iPads, almost to the point of insane obsession.

The reflective piece was completed in twelve weeks, for his graduation film at Kingston University, UK.  Hindson crafted all the props and models by hand, from card and wood. Hundreds of pieces were designed, cut, glued and painted. Everything was filmed live-action, with rods and strings to control the puppets.

"A search for higher meaning, dissatisfaction with the status quo and a sense that you’re the first person to feel this way. You're not. A semi-satirical coming of age story told by handmade wooden puppets."

Short Film: Madame Tutli-Putli

"Madame Tutli-Putli" Directed and Animated by Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski

of Clyde Henry Productions

This short film is an allegorical tale of a woman battling her inner demons during an existential journey aboard a metaphorical train.  The beautiful stop-motion animated film follows Madame Tutli-Putli as she travels alone on the night train, weighed down by both her earthly possessions and the ghosts of her past.  During the course of her journey, she faces both the kindness and cruelty of strangers.

The film was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Animated Short Film category in 2007 and released as part of the Cinema16: World Short Films collection.

Music Video: We Are Explorers

"We Are Explorers" by Cut Copy from Explorers3D

The music industry has been quick to use 3D printing to market new albums. Back in December, Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke 3D printed vinyl records at a pop-up shop in London to mark the release of his LP.  Now, indie electronic band Cut Copy has released a music video starring neon green cubist figures created using 3D printers roaming the streets of L.A.  The video was animated with stop-motion techniques.

According to ToneDeaf, "To get the mini-explorers to glow, the figurines were printed in a special UV-reactive material so that when Director of Photography Sesse Lind shot them at night, under black light bulbs, they gave off the necessary fluoro effect."

Cut Copy isn’t just using 3D printers to create elements in their video.  They are also encouraging their fans to recreate these little guys by posting a BitTorrent Bundle that includes the 3D printing files, footage, storyboards, stop-motion schematics, and music they themselves used to create their video.  The band hopes that people will print the characters and shoot their own footage.

Short Film: Action Bill

"Action Bill - A LEGO Stop Motion Short Film" by AMAA Productions

Austin, Texas-based movie studio AMAA Productions created this LEGO stop-motion film in which William Shatner travels back in time inside a giant robot to kill William Shakespeare.  But Shakespeare receives a little unexpected help from Patrick Stewart.

Short Film: ELASTIKA

"A GIRL NAMED ELASTIKA" directed by Guillaume Blanchet

Animated by Guillaume Blanchet (who you might know from his hilarious The Man Who Lived on His Bike), this new stop-motion short film that tells the brief story of a girl who leaves her home to adventures around the world. It makes ingenious use of thumbtacks and rubber bands to create the majority of the animation which takes place entirely on a small bulletin board.

Short Film: OMEGA

"OMEGA" Directed by Eva Franz and Andy Goralczyk

Omega is an epic stop motion short film that fuses cutting edge computer graphics with traditional photographic images, miniature sets, and stop-motion puppetry to tell a post apocalyptic story about evolution. At close to 20 minutes long, Omega is a highly atmospheric journey that takes us across various barren landscapes, inhabited by bizarre creatures and relics of a long extinct civilization. The variously complex creatures of this world are both creepy and fascinating. Some mimic life as it once was, others are completely unique with a drive and purpose known only to themselves.

Short Film: Pluto and the Vessel

"Pluto and the Vessel" by Harrison Browning

This nightmarish stop-motion animated short was directed by Harrison Browning, and the story, cinematography, and visual effect are all incredible. The whole ordeal has a distinct John Carpenter vibe, and if you're a fan of the classic horror film The Thing, you're going to enjoy it.

Short Film: I Am Tom Moody

"I Am Tom Moody" by Ainslie Henderson

Prints available for purchase from Etsy. Society6. US$

After winning the BAFTA New Talent award for his short film It’s About Spending Time Together in 2012 and the Best Short Animation prize in 2013 for his mockumentary The Making of Longbird, director Ainslie Henderson is practically a fixture at the UK’s biggest film awards. This year, he only narrowly missed out on yet another victory with this piece.

In this surreal short film, Tom Moody is an amateur musician struggling to find the confidence to sing.  Through the film, Tom argues with himself and questions his memories of the past.  It's a charming trip through the human psyche that accurately portrays the way we narrate our personal histories—and correct ourselves along the way.

Webisode: Doctor Puppet

"Doctor Puppet Episode 1 - The Red X" by Nerdist

Doctor Puppet is a charming stop-motion-style animated takeoff of Doctor Who.

"The Doctor Puppet, based on Doctor Who, finds a strange note on his TARDIS that leads him on a mysterious adventure. Who will he meet along the way?"