It’s increasingly rare to see stop-motion animation outside of children’s programming, but Japanese husband-and-wife duo Makoto Takano and Ayako Oda (@moogabooga_animation) celebrate the style with their adult-friendly, intricately crafted shorts. “In a way, stop-motion is artisanal work — if you don’t keep moving your hands then they go blunt, just like a craftsman’s tools.” Drawing inspiration from Japanese mythological monsters like the long-nosed Tengu, their unique brand of eerie is tempered by a childlike atmosphere of innocence. “I first got into the genre through the Czech film director Jan Švankmajer when I was a high school student,” Makoto says. “His work is quite grotesque, and it was a big influence.”
Video by @moogabooga_animation