Is there room for stop-motion animation in a world of computer-generated art? How is stop-motion animation staying relevant these days? We talk to the founder of Emmy-winning stop-motion studio Bix Pix Entertainment on the latest episode of RetConned.
The art of stop-motion animation dates all the way back to 1897, when Albert E. Smith and J. Stuart Blackton made a toy circus come to life in a short film titled The Humpty Dumpty Circus. And despite countless evolution in other animation techniques, stop-motion has stuck around as a popular alternative to hand-drawn and computer-generated animation, bringing stories aimed at both kids and adults to life on the screen.
From the armies of skeletons that Ray Harryhausen famously created for Jason and the Argonauts, to the claymation raisins brought to life by Will Vinton, right through to 2015’s Oscar-nominated drama Anomalisa, stop-motion has persevered as a popular choice for filmmakers looking to tell their stories in unique ways. 
This month, animator Kelli Bixler’s award-winning studio Bix Pix Entertainment brings a new stop-motion special to Amazon Studios based on her popular Tumble Leaf children’s series. A veteran of the animation industry with more than two decades of experience in stop-motion techniques, Bixler and her team have took home multiple Emmy Awards, Annie Awards, and other prestigious honors for their stop-motion artistry in television, advertising, and on the big screen.
We spoke to Bixler about the world of stop-motion animation and the evolution she’s witnessed firsthand in both stop-motion and the animation industry over the last 20 years.
RetConned is a podcast of assorted geekery - movies, comic books, video games and everything in between. You can subscribe to RetConned via wamcpodcasts.org, via iTunes,Stitcher, and the Google Play store.
