The artist Georgia O’Keefe once said, “To create one’s own world takes courage.” … That may be especially true for the animator protagonist of Stopmotion, the new horror film directed by British filmmaker Robert Morgan which is ready to unnerve moviegoers when IFC Films launches a nationwide theatrical release on February 23. Shot in live action, the film pictures the main character’s embattled psyche through the lens of stop-frame animation.
Synopsis: Ella Blake is a stop-motion animator who is struggling to control her demons after the loss of her overbearing mother. Suddenly alone in the world, she embarks upon the creation of a macabre new puppet film, which soon becomes the battleground for her sanity. As Ella’s mind starts to fracture, the characters in her animated film take on a terrifying life of their own, and the unleashed power of her imagination threatens to destroy her.
Written by Morgan and Robin King, the film stars Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale, Game of Thrones) as Ella, Stella Gonet (Breeders, Holby City) and Tom York (Poldakr, American Gods).
Morgan is himself a stop-motion animator, having previously created the BAFTA Cymru Award-winning short film The Separation (2003) and BAFTA Film Award-nominated Bobby Yeah (2011) as well as festival hits Tomorrow I Will Be Dirt (2019), Monsters (2004) and The Cat with Hands, among others.
Stopmotion is Morgan’s feature film directorial debut. The movie won the Special Jury Prize at Sirges and was nominated for Best Picture, and earned Morgan the Best Director prize at Fantastic Fest.
