{"id":97406,"date":"2018-11-30T19:02:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-01T00:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=97406"},"modified":"2023-02-01T12:20:53","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T17:20:53","slug":"making-the-moon-beast","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2018\/making-the-moon-beast\/","title":{"rendered":"Making the Moon Beast"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin magazine-block-editorial-leadin is-style-emphasis-on-text has-media has-box has-media-focus-center-middle has-quaternary-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1504\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2023\/01\/Moon-Beast-scaled.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/01\/Moon-Beast-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/01\/Moon-Beast-636x374.jpg 636w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/01\/Moon-Beast-1024x602.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/01\/Moon-Beast-768x451.jpg 768w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/01\/Moon-Beast-1536x902.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/01\/Moon-Beast-2048x1203.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/01\/Moon-Beast-1628x956.jpg 1628w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">By Lara Ehrlich. Images courtesy of Laika Entertainment<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner has-opacity-70\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">CFA Alumni<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMaking the Moon Beast\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">How a 3-D printed monster helped save stop-motion animation<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar magazine-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">November 30, 2018<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph magazine-block-editorial-introparagraph is-style-large has-paragraph-color-secondary\"><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph-content\"><p>The fanged serpent erupts into the sky,\u00a0lashing its skeletal tail as it spirals toward the moon. It twists back on itself with a roar and streams toward the camera, writhing like an eel above the night-soaked street. Its eyes gleaming, the Moon Beast strikes.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the beast moves with seemingly effortless agility, it\u2019s powered by painstaking visual effects.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Stop_motion\">Stop motion<\/a>\u2014a form of animation pioneered in 1898, in which animators manipulate physical models by hand between frames\u2014gave cult classics like&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0058536\/\">Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;(1964) and the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0104361\/\">Wallace and Gromi<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0104361\/\">t<\/a>&nbsp;films a distinctive charm. The process is so laborious, however, that stop motion faded with the advent of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Computer-generated_imagery\">computer-generated imagery<\/a>&nbsp;(CGI) in the 1990s, and all but died out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.laika.com\/\">Laika Entertainment<\/a>&nbsp;is bringing it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The studio\u2019s 2016 film&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.laika.com\/our-films\/kubo\">Kubo and the Two Strings<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;follows young Kubo\u2019s quest to defeat his evil grandfather, the Moon King Raiden, who transforms into the Moon Beast for their final showdown. To create the awe-inspiring monster, the Oregon-based studio merges tried-and-true stop-motion techniques with 3-D printing and CGI. The studio\u2019s rapid prototyping\u20143-D printing\u2014department, headed by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.laika.com\/who-we-are\/inside-laika\/brian-mclean\">Brian McLean<\/a>&nbsp;(\u201999), is leading the stop-motion revolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"responsive-video responsive-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Kubo and the Two Strings - Trailer\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WEqdDrGxZSM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>Laika Entertainment\u2019s 2016 film&nbsp;<em>Kubo and the Two Strings<\/em>&nbsp;follows young Kubo\u2019s quest to defeat his evil grandfather, the Moon King Raiden.<em>&nbsp;IndieWire<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>McLean has been with Laika since its inaugural project,&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.laika.com\/our-films\/coraline\">Coraline<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;(2009), the first film to use 3-D printing in stop-motion animation, an achievement celebrated with an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. McLean has since helmed the rapid prototyping for 2012\u2019s Oscar-nominated&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.laika.com\/our-films\/paranorman\">ParaNorman<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;and 2014\u2019s&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.laika.com\/our-films\/boxtrolls\">The Boxtrolls<\/a><\/em>, also short-listed for an Academy Award. In 2016, McLean was recognized for pioneering the use of 3-D printers in stop-motion film with a&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/oscar.go.com\/news\/oscar-news\/the-academys-sci-tech-awards-2016-winners-see-the-full-list\">Scientific and Engineering Oscar<\/a>&nbsp;plaque.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>McLean is no stranger to unusual materials and techniques. Prior to Laika, he was an environmental sculptor for Disney theme parks (\u201cMost of the world\u2014whether it\u2019s Vegas or theme parks\u2014is sculpted out of foam,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s sickening how much foam!\u201d). He also worked with Warner Bros. to produce a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/interactive.wttw.com\/playlist\/2017\/12\/01\/archive-marshall-fields-christmas-windows\">holiday window display<\/a>&nbsp;featuring foam sculptures of Harry Potter and Hagrid in the Chicago department store Marshall Field\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay alignfull wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-square-2-s\">\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"550\" height=\"400\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2023\/01\/Moonbest-slideshow_0000s_0007_moon_beast.photo_.jleonhardt.0054.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-97418\"\/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">McLean and his team rigged the puppet onto a flexible frame so animators could manipulate the Moon Beast against a green screen.<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-s\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"550\" height=\"400\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2023\/01\/Moonbest-slideshow_0000s_0008_3400.0270.still_.laika_.0002.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-97419\"\/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Every 50 hours of work resulted in approximately 4 seconds of footage.<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>McLean considers 3-D printers yet another tool in his sculptural arsenal, like a rasp or a chisel, he says. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing what people can do creatively when you combine traditional techniques with emerging technology.\u201d The Moon Beast, in particular, is a triumph of engineering; while it dominates the screen for fewer than 10 minutes, it took 80 artists more than 6 months just to build the model (not counting the time involved in animating it).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Moon Beast looks different, it looks creepy and scary, and you can\u2019t quite put your finger on how it was created. It feels like a great homage to the old masters of stop motion who created these crazy creatures,\u201d says McLean, who shares with&nbsp;<em>CFA<\/em>&nbsp;how his rapid prototyping team brought the beast to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay alignfull wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-fourths-2-2\">\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"550\" height=\"400\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2023\/01\/Moonbest-slideshow_0000s_0000_moon_beast.design.nlowry.0005.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-97412\"\/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">The Moon Beast from Laika\u2019s 2016 film\u00a0<em>Kubo and the Two Strings<\/em>\u00a0started with sketches inspired by the prehistoric fish\u00a0<em>Dunkleosteus<\/em>.<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"550\" height=\"400\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2023\/01\/Moonbest-slideshow_0000s_0003_2_color_underlighting_002.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-97415\"\/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">They infused sections of the beast with a \u201crecipe\u201d of lighting effects.<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay alignfull wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-square-2-s\">\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"550\" height=\"400\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2023\/01\/Moonbest-slideshow_0000s_0001_moon_beast.photo_.kmelton.0066.0007.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-97413\"\/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">From the sketches, the studio created a physical model of the Moon Beast.<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-s\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"550\" height=\"400\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2023\/01\/Moonbest-slideshow_0000s_0002_moon_beast.photo_.mholmes.0019.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-97414\"\/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">The prototyping team scanned the model into a program that allowed them to sculpt the monster\u2019s exterior and interior to achieve its moonlike glow.<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3>Physical to Digital and Back Again<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Before&nbsp;<em>Coraline<\/em>, animating a character\u2019s face was reliant on manually adjusting the movements and expressions of models composed of either clay or silicone stretched over metal frames. Both methods produced \u201cjittery, jerky\u201d films, McLean says. \u201cThey\u2019re beautiful, but you\u2019re constantly reminded of the craft; you\u2019re seeing the process and seeing the animator\u2019s hand. Our idea was to try to find a way to make it as perfect as we can, so you don\u2019t get drawn out of the story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Laika\u2019s method, 3-D printing replacement animation, harnesses the power of traditional methods and new technologies. The animators use 3-D printing to design and print limitless versions of a character\u2019s facial features, which they swap out with different iterations between each frame to achieve subtle expressions. The effects team uses CGI to erase the evidence of manual manipulation, like the seams connecting removable sections of the model\u2019s face. Kubo alone had 23,187 faces with 48 million potential expressions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Laika uses 3-D printing \u201cnot because it makes it faster or cheaper, or takes fewer people or it\u2019s easier to do by any stretch,\u201d McLean says. \u201cThe reason we do it is because it allows our actors, which are these little nine-inch puppets, to perform in really realistic ways.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay alignfull wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-square-s-s-s\">\n<div class=\"photo-s\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"550\" height=\"400\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2023\/01\/Moonbest-slideshow_0000s_0004_moon_beast.photo_.swong_.0014.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-97416\"\/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">The prototyping team printed for 147 days.<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-s\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"550\" height=\"400\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2023\/01\/Moonbest-slideshow_0000s_0006_moon_beast.photo_.swong_.0020.0002.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-97428\"\/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">They painted each piece of the Moon Beast\u2019s body with ultraviolet paints to give the monster a shimmering glow under different lighting combinations.<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-s\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"550\" height=\"400\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2023\/01\/Moonbest-slideshow_0000s_0005_moon_beast.photo_.swong_.0055.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-97417\"\/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">They produced 1,417 different faces for the Moon Beast that could be swapped between frames to achieve the monster\u2019s expressions.<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>To establish the Moon Beast\u2019s realism, they started with character sketches and a physical model inspired by the&nbsp;<em>Dunkleosteus<\/em>, a serpentlike prehistoric fish with plates of bony armor. They scanned the preliminary monster into a digital program that allowed them \u201cto control not only the external surface of a sculpt, but the inside of the object,\u201d McLean says. \u201cYou can create something in a 3-D printer that would be impossible to manufacture any other way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The team developed the beast\u2019s textured glow by digitally infusing sections of the Moon Beast with a \u201crecipe\u201d of lighting effects. Then, the animators needed to transfer the effects to a physical puppet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s where they hit a snag: McLean\u2019s vision of imparting the Moon Beast with a \u201ccyan-like glow and salmon-colored shimmer\u201d was beyond the scope of even the new 3-D printer, which could only print in one color. That\u2019s how the title character in&nbsp;<em>Coraline<\/em>&nbsp;was printed; every iteration of her face was hand-painted, a process so time-consuming that it limited the scope of her expressions. (She had only 6,333 faces and 207,000 expressions, compared to Kubo\u2019s 23,187 and 48 million.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou couldn\u2019t have too many faces, or too much detail because that detail had to be repeated thousands and thousands of times,\u201d McLean says. \u201cAnd if it wasn\u2019t repeated exactly on each face, it would come across as chatter. It limited how that character could look.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the Moon Beast, the team was determined to break down those barriers, imbuing the monster with unrestrained agility and an unearthly inner light. They created Laika\u2019s first fully 3-D printed puppet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"responsive-video responsive-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"EXCLUSIVE &#039;Kubo and the Two Strings&#039; Behind-the-scenes Clip - &quot;Moon Beast&quot;\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KjfIoCZMjHQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>Laika animators take us behind the scenes to show how they created Laika\u2019s first fully 3-D printed puppet.<em>&nbsp;Rotoscopers<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3>A Beast Is Born<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Laika\u2019s reputation for innovation \u201cgave us a lot of clout within the 3-D printing industry. We were responsible for pioneering a whole new use of the technology,\u201d says McLean, who asked the company that provided the printer for&nbsp;<em>Coraline<\/em>&nbsp;for a machine that could print more colors. That\u2019s how he secured exclusive access to a printer still in development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other 3-D printers print in compressed powder, which produces fragile pieces in a single color. The new printer employs durable plastic and prints in three colors simultaneously, a combination that produces detailed pieces that are also strong enough to withstand the wear and tear of production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>McLean\u2019s team used the new printer to produce the 881 individual parts that comprise the Moon Beast\u2019s segmented exoskeleton. They backed the pieces with gold&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/BoPET\">Mylar<\/a>&nbsp;to give the creature its distinctive translucence, and achieved its shifting, shimmering glow with ultraviolet paints illuminated by different lighting combinations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They printed for 147 days to deliver 1,417 different faces that could be swapped between frames to achieve the monster\u2019s expressions and rigged the puppet onto a flexible frame so animators could manipulate it against a green screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every 50 hours of work resulted in approximately 4 seconds of footage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"responsive-video responsive-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Kubo And The Two Strings - Final Fight\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8Y6zd6rh7f8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>The Moon Beast is a triumph of engineering; while it dominates the screen for fewer than 10 minutes, it took 80 artists more than 6 months just to build the model (not counting the time involved in animating it).<em>&nbsp;Cartoon Clips HD<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The effort paid off, McLean says. \u201cBy photographing a real object bathed in real light, we\u2019re giving it a wonderful sense of depth and texture and vitality. CGI animators spent literally decades trying to find a way to render something that feels real. We have the benefit of photographing something real that feels like it has a personality and a life breathed into it. That\u2019s what drew me to sculpting to begin with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI grew up with effects done practically, like&nbsp;<em>Star Wars<\/em>,&nbsp;<em>Indiana Jones<\/em>, and&nbsp;<em>ET<\/em>. Nowadays, kids come out of the theater and think, \u2018That was done on the computer; it was easy.\u2019 They forget that artists and technicians brought those things to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat I love about being involved in Laika is that it brings back the magic we grew up with, leaving the theater thinking, \u2018How did they do that?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Additional reporting by Angelica Frey.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Brian McLean received a&nbsp;2017 <a href=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/about\/alumni\/distinguished-alumni-awards\/\">CFA Distinguished Alumni Award<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Although the beast moves with seemingly effortless agility, it\u2019s powered by painstaking visual effects.&nbsp;Stop motion\u2014a form of animation pioneered in 1898, in which animators manipulate physical models by hand between frames\u2014gave cult classics like&nbsp;Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer&nbsp;(1964) and the&nbsp;Wallace and Gromit&nbsp;films a distinctive charm. The process is so laborious, however, that stop motion faded with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6310,"featured_media":97418,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[],"bu-publication":[191],"magazine-article-category":[372,379],"magazine-topic":[],"news-article-category":[],"news-topic":[],"bu_edition":[388],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/97406"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6310"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97406"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/97406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97607,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/97406\/revisions\/97607"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97406"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=97406"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-article-category?post=97406"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-topic?post=97406"},{"taxonomy":"news-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-article-category?post=97406"},{"taxonomy":"news-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topic?post=97406"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=97406"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=97406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}