Henry Selick's 10 Best Stop-Motion Characters, Ranked
Henry Selick is one of the greatest directors of stop-motion films. He began working at Disney in the 1970s as an in-betweener on films such as Pete's Dragon, The Small One, and The Fox and the Hound, before leaving the company to work as a freelance animator and storyboard artist on commercials and films such as Return to Oz. His career took off when he teamed up with fellow Disney alumni, Tim Burton, to direct The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Selick might not have a lot of films to his name, but except for Monkeybone, they are loved and admired for their stylistic stop-motion animation, dark atmosphere, and important life lessons. They also contain a host of memorable characters, both in terms of design and personality.
10 Raul Cocolotl (Sam Zelaya)
'Wendell & Wild' (2022)
A student at Rust Bank Catholic Girls School, Raul Cocoltl (Sam Zelaya), prefers to keep to himself and work on a special art project for his mother. When a troubled youth named Katherine Elliot (Lyric Ross) arrives at the school, Raul tries to extend a hand of friendship. Though it doesn't work at first, Raul persists, and in the process becomes wrapped up in a supernatural journey that threatens his town.
Raul's character is pretty simple and upfront, but that's what makes him work. He's just a kind, sensitive soul who can see when someone needs help and, if it's within his power to do so, he'll try and help them get through this. He also serves as a pretty decent depiction of a trans-man thanks to depicting him as a person first.
wendell and wild
AnimationComedy Horror Director Henry Selick Cast Jordan Peele , Keegan Michael Key Main Genre Animation Writers Keegan Michael Key , Clay McLeod Chapman , Jordan Peele , Henry Selick Studio Netflix Studios9 Mr. Centipede (Richard Dreyyfus)
'James and the Giant Peach' (1996)
When a young boy named James (Paul Terry) accidentally spills a bag full of magic crocodile tongues, it causes numerous insects in his aunt's garden to grow large and take on human characteristics. Among them is Mr. Centipede (Richard Dreyfuss), a big-mouthed braggart from Brooklyn who claims to have traveled the world. When James suggests the bugs travel in a giant peach to New York City, Centipede attempts to lead the bugs but proves to be ill-suited to handle a crisis.
Mr. Centipede is a scene-stealing character from James and the Giant Peach, thanks largely to Dreyfuss' performance. He perfectly emulates a larger-than-life persona, which makes Centipede a character you laugh at when his bravado leads to humiliation. Still, you also love to see him because of how passionate and fearless he can be, and he gets some decent character development when he attempts to make amends for one too many failures.
James and the Giant Peach
An orphan who lives with his two cruel aunts befriends anthropomorphic bugs who live inside a giant peach, and they embark on a journey to New York City.
Director Henry Selick Main Genre Animation Release Date April 12, 19968 Miss Spider (Susan Sarandon)
'James and the Giant Peach' (1996)
Before her transformation, James saved Miss Spider (Susan Sarandon) from being killed by his wicked aunts. When he joins the bugs inside the giant peach, she takes on a motherly role towards him as thanks for his kindness. Among the other bugs, she prefers to keep to herself, mainly due to her nature as a predator.
Miss Spider might not go through the same kind of development as Centipede, but she became the film's breakout character for a few reasons. Her design is easily the most creative, coming across as both creepy and beautiful. Personality-wise, she's also a lot of fun: though she has difficulty opening up to others, she shows her love and support for the bugs in other ways, and won't hesitate to fight undead pirates if it means saving one of them.
7 The Cat (Keith David)
'Coraline' (2009)
Residents of the Pink Palace boarding house are familiar with a stray black cat who frequents the area. When a new resident, Coraline Jones (Dakota Fanning), stumbles into an alternate world, she discovers that the cat can also travel between worlds, and it can speak (Keith David). He tries to warn her that the world is not what it seems, and if she doesn't stay away, there will come a time when she'll never be able to leave.
The Cat is one of cinema's best animated feline companions. While at his core he is a helpful soul, he is still a cat, which means that he does things in his own time and rarely gives a straight answer. David's performance is wonderful, breaking from his usual run of deep-voiced and powerful characters to voice one who is more sly and sarcastic.
Coraline
PGAnimationFamilyFantasyDrama Release Date February 6, 2009 Director Henry Selick Cast Dakota Fanning , Teri Hatcher , Jennifer Saunders , Dawn French , Keith David , John Hodgman Runtime 100 minutes6 Kat (Lyrics Ross)
'Wendell & Wild' (2022)
After her parents died in a car accident, Katherine "Kat" Elliot blamed herself, since she screamed right before it happened. This caused her to develop a rebellious and standoffish personality, believing that bad things will happen to anyone who grows close to her. After spending some time in juvenile prison, Kat is sent to RBC Girls school and discovers that she is a Hell Maiden, an individual with supernatural powers that include summoning demons.
Kat is one of the most mature and complicated characters in Selick's work. Her story is a harsh but honest look at living with survivor's guilt, and while Kat's actions can seem mean-spirited and heartless, it never gets to a point where you lose sympathy for her situation. Ross' voicework further sells this by giving Kat a harsh bite with an underlying hint of resignation.
5 Oogie Boogie (Ken Page)
'The Nightmare Before Christmas' (1993)
While the residents of Halloween Town love to elicit fear and terror on Halloween night, the boogeyman Oogie Boogie (Ken Page) is known for taking things too far. A gambling bag of bugs, he dwells beneath a large tree on the outskirts of town inside a casino rigged with death traps. When he gets a new victim in his clutches, he delights in playing rigged games with them before using them as ingredients in his Snake and Spider Stew.
Despite having the least amount of screen time among the main characters of Nightmare Before Christmas, Oogie Boogie steals the show thanks to his wicked performance. Everything from his lair to his musical number is the right level of over-the-top and deadly, ensuring that he's always entertaining to watch despite the evil acts he commits. Oogie proved so popular with audiences that he has appeared in several properties outside the film, including the Kingdom Hearts franchise.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
PGAnimationFamilyFantasyMusicalRelease Date October 9, 1993 Director Henry Selick Cast Danny Elfman , Chris Sarandon , Catherine O'Hara , William Hickey , Glenn Shadix , Paul Reubens Runtime 764 The Other Mother/The Beldam (Teri Hatcher)
'Coraline' (2009)
Also known as the Other Mother, the Beldam (Teri Hatcher) is a horrible hybrid of spider, porcelain, and needles who dwells in a parallel world. Using dolls and stuffed rats as spies, she seeks out children who are dissatisfied with their lives and tempts them with a land catered to their every heart's desire. Should the children wish to stay, they must sew black buttons onto their eyes, binding their souls to the Beldam forever.
The Beldam is a terrifying predator who takes her time observing her victims to make the perfect trap tailored for them. She also uses emotional traps as well, talking to her victims much like an abusive parent would in an attempt to make the children feel grateful for all the good things she does. Should that fail, she isn't above kidnapping their real parents to force them to play her game.
Close3 Coraline (Dakota Fanning)
From 'Coraline' (2009)
Eleven-year-old Coraline Jones finds her life in upheaval when her family moves from Michigan to the Pink Palace boarding house in Oregon. Since her parents are currently wrapped up in their work, she takes to exploring the house and eventually stumbles upon a door that leads to another world. It is inhabited by button-eyed versions of everyone she knows and caters to her every whim. While Coraline is at first entranced by this world, she soon learns there is a looming darkness behind it all.
Coraline is a wonderful example of a child protagonist done right. The neglect she suffers from her parents causes her to lash out at others, especially when she thinks they're not listening to what she has to say, and Fanning does a wonderful job conveying her frustration. However, beneath her pre-teen angst is a caring and observant heart, which helps her realize by the end the value of friends and family, even if they're not perfect.
2 Sally (Catherine O'Hara)
'The Nightmare Before Christmas' (1993)
Created by Dr. Finkelstein (William Hickey) to be his companion, Sally the rag doll (Catherine O'Hara) proves to be more restless and curious than anticipated. She frequently poisons Finkelstein's food, so she can explore Halloween Town and interact with the residents. Sally has a secret crush on the town leader, Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon), and empathizes with his feelings of loneliness and discontent.
Sally has gained quite a following among fans of Nightmare Before Christmas thanks to her kind and compassionate personality. Though she lacks any great power, she does what she can to help her friends when they're in danger, and is even willing to brave Oogie Boogie's lair to try and rescue Santa Claus (Ed Ivory). Her relationship with Jack is also very sweet, beginning as a shy and considerate friend, but eventually transitioning into someone who knows Jack in a deeply personal manner.
1 Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon)
'The Nightmare Before Christmas' (1993)
The Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, Jack Skellington, is the master of fright and organizes the town to create the best Halloween they can. Unfortunately, year after year of the same routine has caused him to grow bored with his job and long for something new. When he discovers Christmas Town, he loses himself in all the new details and colors, and decides to handle this year's Christmas personally.
Jack Skellington is a phenomenal protagonist thanks to his wide-eyed sense of wonder and the reliability of his situation. Everyone has had that moment where they've been captivated by something new and ended up dedicating themselves to it, sometimes to the detriment of other responsibilities. Still, Jack always means well, and even when things don't go as he wants, he maintains a positive attitude by being thankful for the chance to try.
ClosencG1vNJzZmibn6G5qrDEq2Wcp51ktaa60bJkrJ2cnrCsedKtpqllnaTBqrvNZpqhmaKWsLWx0axkq5meoLKlew%3D%3D