Ask Matt Eslinger about stop-motion animation, and the conversation will turn to the artists who helped define the medium.
At the top of the list is legendary animator Ray Harryhausen, whose creatures in films such as “Jason and the Argonauts” and “Clash of the Titans” captivated generations of moviegoers.
As a child, Eslinger was both fascinated and terrified by Harryhausen’s Medusa in the original “Clash of the Titans,” an experience that helped cement his lifelong love of stop-motion.
Eslinger also credits animator Kevin Parry, with whom he studied online in 2020, for teaching him the fundamentals of animation.
Beyond those influences, he points to a diverse group of contemporary artists whose work continues to inspire him, including Justin Rasch of “Wildwood,” special-effects pioneer Phil Tippett of the original “Star Wars” films, Savannah Steiner of Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning “Pinocchio” and Malcolm Lamont, whose credits include Tim Burton’s “Corpse Bride.”
Other favorites include Bruce Bickford, known for his collaborations with Frank Zappa, Japanese animator Kenta Shinohara, Ben Mignola of “Wildwood,” and Laura Tofarides, whose work includes films in the beloved “Wallace & Gromit” series.
Together, they represent a lineage of artists who continue to prove that stop-motion remains one of cinema’s most expressive art forms.