- Robert Morgan’s horror film debut, Stopmotion, combines live-action with stopmotion animation.
- The film stars Aisling Franciosi, known for her roles in Game of Thrones and The Fall, as the lead character Ella.
- Stopmotion explores the anxieties of artists and the enigma of the creative process, drawing on Morgan’s personal experiences.
Stopmotion is a highly anticipated horror movie set to premiere at Fantastic Fest 2023. The film is the feature debut of Robert Morgan, who co-wrote the screenplay with Robin King. Unlike Morgan’s previous work in The Cat with Hands and Bobby Yeah, Stopmotion combines live-action with stopmotion animation, an “under-explored area” that Morgan has been eager to delve into.
The story follows Ella Blake (played by Aisling Franciosi), a talented stop-motion animator living in the shadow of her ailing and overbearing mother, who is also an influential animator. The plot explores Ella’s struggle for independence and her difficulty in distinguishing between reality and the film she’s creating. In an interview with Dread Central, Morgan discusses how the film examines the anxieties of artists through Ella’s character and shares insights from his own personal experiences.
Aisling Franciosi, who is known for her roles as Lyanna Stark in Game of Thrones, Katie in The Fall, and Clare in The Nightingale, was chosen to play Ella due to her versatility and chameleon-like aspect. According to Morgan, she had the unique ability to truly crawl into the role. Morgan also mentioned that while Hollywood sent other, more well-known actors their way, it was clear that none could compete with Franciosi’s presence or intrigue for the part.