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What Is Claymation?

Claymation is a form of stop-motion animation where characters and scenes are sculpted from clay (usually plasticine), then photographed one frame at a time. Between each photograph, the animator makes tiny adjustments to the figures — moving an arm a fraction of a millimeter, shifting an eyebrow, tilting a head. When the photographs are played back in sequence, the clay figures appear to move on their own.

The Basic Process

The idea is deceptively simple. The execution is anything but.

An animator starts with a clay figure, usually built over a wire skeleton called an armature. The armature lets the figure hold poses and provides structural support — without it, a clay character would just slump over like a wet noodle.

The figure gets placed on a set (also often handmade), the camera captures a single frame, and then the animator moves the character slightly. Another frame. Another tiny movement. Repeat this 24 times and you have one second of footage.

Here’s what that means practically: a 90-minute feature film needs roughly 129,600 individual frames. Each one requires manual adjustment of every character in the scene. The patience required is honestly absurd.

Most professionals work at a rate of about 2 to 5 seconds of finished animation per day. That’s not a typo. Some particularly complex shots — involving multiple characters, elaborate movements, or tricky camera work — might yield even less.

Where It Came From

The technique dates back further than most people realize. The earliest known clay animation film is The Sculptor’s Welsh Rarebit Dream from 1908, directed by Edison Manufacturing Company. But clay animation remained a novelty for decades, popping up occasionally in short films and advertisements.

The real breakthrough came in the 1950s and 1960s with Art Clokey’s Gumby. Originally a short film Clokey made as a film school project, Gumby became a television series in 1957 and introduced millions of kids to clay characters. The show ran in various forms until 1989 and produced 233 episodes.

Will Vinton coined the actual term “Claymation” in 1978 and trademarked it. His studio produced The Great Cognito (1982), which earned an Academy Award nomination, and the iconic California Raisins commercials of the late 1980s. Those dancing raisins became such a cultural phenomenon that they spawned merchandise, a TV special, and even a video game.

The Big Names

Aardman Animations is probably the most famous claymation studio in the world. Founded in Bristol, England, by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, Aardman created Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, and Chicken Run (2000), which grossed $224 million worldwide and remains the highest-grossing stop-motion film ever made.

Nick Park, the creator of Wallace & Gromit, has won four Academy Awards. His work is remarkable for its warmth, humor, and incredibly expressive character animation. Gromit the dog doesn’t even have a mouth — all his emotions come through eyebrow movements and body language, which is a genuinely impressive feat of animation.

Laika Studios blends claymation with other stop-motion techniques. Films like Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012), and Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) push the medium’s visual possibilities using 3D-printed faces alongside traditional clay work.

Why Not Just Use CGI?

This is the question claymation artists hear constantly. Computer-generated animation is faster, cheaper for large-scale productions, and infinitely flexible. So why bother with clay?

The answer is texture. Literally.

Claymation has a physical quality that CGI struggles to replicate. You can see fingerprints in the clay. The lighting interacts with real materials in real space. There’s a slight imperfection to the movement — characters don’t flow with the mathematical smoothness of computer animation. They have a handmade quality that audiences respond to viscerally.

There’s also something about knowing that every frame was created by human hands. When you watch a Pixar film, you’re impressed by the technical achievement. When you watch a claymation film, you’re impressed by the human effort. Both reactions are valid, but they’re different.

Studios like Aardman have found that audiences — especially younger ones — actually prefer the tactile look of claymation for certain types of stories. The warmth of the medium matches the warmth of the storytelling.

Trying It Yourself

Claymation is one of the most accessible forms of filmmaking. You need clay, a camera (even a smartphone works), a tripod, and patience. Free apps like Stop Motion Studio let you capture frames and play them back with reasonable quality.

Start simple. A ball bouncing. A worm crawling. A face changing expressions. These basic exercises teach you the fundamentals — timing, spacing, and the relationship between small movements and perceived motion.

The learning curve is more about patience than technical skill. The clay doesn’t fight you. It goes where you push it. The challenge is making hundreds of micro-adjustments without bumping the set, shifting the lighting, or accidentally squishing your character’s face.

Plenty of successful animators started with nothing more than a kitchen table and a desk lamp. The medium rewards persistence and creativity over expensive equipment. That accessibility is part of why claymation continues to attract new artists even as digital tools become more powerful.

The Future of Clay

Claymation isn’t going anywhere. If anything, the handmade aesthetic is gaining cultural value precisely because everything else is going digital. There’s a growing market for claymation in advertising, music videos, and short films — contexts where the distinctive look helps content stand out from the sea of slick CGI.

Studios continue to find new ways to combine traditional clay techniques with modern technology. Hybrid approaches — using digital compositing, 3D-printed elements, and computer-controlled camera rigs alongside hand-sculpted clay figures — are expanding what’s possible without losing the essential handmade quality.

The weird, wobbly, fingerprint-covered charm of claymation has survived for over a century. In a media environment that prizes authenticity and craft, that charm might be more valuable than ever.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many frames does claymation need per second?

Professional claymation typically shoots at 24 frames per second, matching standard film speed. Some productions use 'shooting on twos,' capturing 12 unique poses per second with each frame doubled. A single minute of finished claymation can require 1,440 individual adjustments to the clay figures.

What kind of clay is used in claymation?

Most professional claymation uses plasticine, an oil-based modeling clay that never dries out or hardens. Popular brands include Van Aken Plastalina and Newplast. Unlike water-based clays, plasticine stays pliable under hot studio lights, making it ideal for the repeated manipulation stop-motion requires.

How long does it take to make a claymation movie?

A feature-length claymation film typically takes 3 to 5 years from concept to completion. Aardman's Wallace & Gromit films required teams of 30+ animators working simultaneously on different scenes. Even a short 5-minute claymation piece can take several months of dedicated work.

Further Reading

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
• Aardman Animations Official Site
• Smithsonian - Art of Animation