We've got our sights set on stop motion animation throughout February with special programming and exclusive screenings, in conjunction with our special exhibition Between Frames: The Magic Behind Stop Motion Animation. Today, we've asked exhibition curator--and Museum Registrar and Curatorial Assistant--Anel Muller to get us a little closer to the exhibition and find out how she curated the show.
Why is stop motion animation relevant to the WDFM?
Stop motion animation was the medium that introduced Walt to animation. It sparked his imagination to explore all the possibilities available to a storyteller through animation.
How did you decide what objects to incorporate into the exhibition?
As I started researching stop motion animation it became quite clear that so much of its story was directly linked to San Francisco. I started reaching out to people in the stop motion animation community and the story that I wanted to tell naturally started unfolding. Luckily, there were not only real gems available in the Bay Area but key artifacts that marked many milestones in the story of stop motion animation.
What do you hope visitors will take away from this exhibition?
Stop motion fans are some of the most loyal, steadfast, and passionate people I have ever encountered. Stop motion’s story is riddled with a barrage of starts and stops but stop motion has not gone away and further more has not been completely replaced by computer technology. I believe it is not only the special qualities stop motion animation imparts on a story but these people that have kept it alive. I hope visitors will walk away knowing that you have to look beyond the obstacles and challenges, believe in your dreams and they will be realized.
What is your favorite artifact and why?
The answer to this changes daily. When the exhibition opened I would have said then the DID Velociraptor because it represents the transition in special effects from traditional stop motion to computer generated images. Today, I think its the Ladybug from James and the Giant Peach. She is a stand-in for the hero puppet during filming. She comes in when lighting needs to be changes, shots need to be blocked, etc. It is physical evidence of how meticulous and involved it is to make a stop motion feature.