There was a time when Stop-Motion was the cutting edge of animation technology, a time when movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas would wow audiences with their seamless motion and charm children with their cartoonish yet realistic display of emotions. Most studios have since moved on to full 3D rendering, mostly because of how much easier it is to alter a character’s features using a 3D software when compared to sculpting a different piece for each gesture or facial expression. However today with 3D printing widely available the process is becoming so easy that Stop-Motion is now a viable, cheap option for any animation studio.

In 2009 a movie named Coraline (adapted from Neil Gaiman’s book) hit the theaters becoming an instant hit among people of all age groups. It was an animated movie aimed at young adults but it looked like nothing we’ve seen before – the character’s motion and facial expressions, the lightning and effects looked better than any 3D rendering we’ve been shown before; they looked real. Which is no surprise since it was only partially 3D rendered with all the characters and most of the backgrounds done in full Stop-Motion. The use of Stop-Motion gives the characters a shading and lightning that no 3D rendered movie can mimic but the effort put into the models would often make studios rethink the idea us using Stop-Motion. However, now with 3D printing, making countless models of hands, eyes, and hair is simpler than ever.

Coraline, the movie’s protagonist boasts an impressive 208,000 facial models that were used in her portrayal. The studio’s creative producer claims that the models were partially printed on site whenever they felt like they needed something different from the array of premade figures. The use of 3D printing in movies is growing as more and more studios decide learn to harness this technology to their use. Even classic Claymation movies like Wallace and Gromit are scheduled to be animated with the help of 3D printing.

3D printing is becoming more and more common in show business but where will the next breakthrough be? We'll continue to survey the industries that are learning to use this technology in the upcoming weeks.