THE SMA FORUM ARCHIVE

When I was a kid, I was intrigued with the puppet animation featured in the Rankin/Bass holiday specials such as RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER. At the same time, I was amazed by Ray Harryhausen's creature films such as THE 7th VOYAGE OF SINBAD. However it was the 1933 RKO film, KING KONG that ultimately hooked me. Scavenging the libraries, I searched for books on the subject of stop motion animation but there was not much to be found. By the time I was eleven years old, I had managed to animate my first stop motion film. Today I work in the film industry and am always learning more about this unique and unusual art form.

StopMotionAnimation.com was launched in April 1999. The Message Board was always the hub, where animators could ask for guidance, provide solutions and exchange techniques. It was the place to go to talk about your favorite stop motion films and characters, old and new. A forum to discuss your latest animated epic or get the details on how to build your own ball and socket armature. This is a record of those early days of StopMotionAnimation.com.

Many thanks to Paul McConnochie for salvaging all this history. Without his knowledge and skill, these conversations would have evaporated over time and disappeared forever.

Anthony Scott
Site Administrator
www.stopmotionanimation.com