SCENE 01 / STOP MOTION
Stop Motion Production
Frame-by-frame animation for your Portuguese production.
Here is how this works in practice. Stop-motion animation creates the illusion of movement by photographing physical puppets or objects frame by frame, with tiny adjustments between exposures. Portugal has a growing animation sector anchored in Lisbon and Porto, with feature, commercial, and festival-driven short-form animation work supported by the ICA and the Portugal Film Commission alongside an expanding studio base.
Here is the short of it. We connect you with stop-motion pros, puppet fabricators, and stage facilities across Portugal. Our team sets up stage space at MovieBox Studios in the Algarve and Tage Studios near Lisbon, Dragonframe-equipped capture rigs, and skilled animators, drawing on the same talent pool behind shoots backed by the Portuguese Tax Rebate.
Capabilities
Stop Motion Services
Complete stop motion animation from concept to final delivery.
01
Animation Types
- Puppet animation
- Claymation
- Object animation
- Cut-out animation
- Mixed media
All Techniques
02
Production
- Set construction
- Puppet fabrication
- Rigging systems
- Motion control
- Capture software
Full Service
03
Technical
- Dragonframe capture
- Consistent lighting
- Focus control
- Camera motion
- Miniature effects
Expert Setup
04
Creative
- Character design
- Set design
- Storyboarding
- Animation direction
- Post-production
End-to-End
Handcrafted Animation
Capabilities
Our Process
Pre-Production
Storyboarding, character design, and planning the tech way for your animation.
Fabrication
Building puppets, sets, and props with the craftsmanship stop motion needs.
Animation
Frame-by-frame capture with pro animators bringing characters to life.
Post-Production
Compositing, rig removal, grading, and sound design for the final piece.
On Location
Stop-motion production across Portugal — Animais Lisbon, Animanostra, Bando à Parte Coimbra, and Sardinha em Lata studios anchored by the Regina Pessoa and José Miguel Ribeiro Cannes-winning animation heritage and Curtas Vila do Conde animation-festival ecosystem (since 1993).
Here is how this works in practice. Our stop-motion packages route Animais Lisbon (the Portuguese flagship stop-motion studio with global episodic-television credits), Animanostra (founded 1992 — one of Portugal's oldest active animation production houses), Bando à Parte Coimbra (independent-animation studio with Cannes festival heritage), and Sardinha em Lata (the Lisbon production firm behind multi-award-winning shorts). Camera-and-rig packages route Canon EOS R5 and Sony Alpha 1 for stop-motion-friendly mirrorless captures, plus dedicated cinema bodies (ARRI Alexa Mini LF, RED Komodo) on Dragonframe-controlled DMC-32 motion-control rigs with Stanton frame-by-frame mover heads.
Here is what that looks like on the ground. Software pipeline runs Dragonframe 5 (the industry-standard stop-motion capture-and-keyframe software), DaVinci Resolve for color-and-finishing, and Autodesk Maya plus Blender for CGI-and-3D rig handoff. Puppet-and-armature work routes through Animais and Animanostra mold-and-cast pipelines (silicone and ball-jointed armatures), plus claymation builds with Plastilina Roma and Van Aken Plastalina.
Here is the short of it. Festival ecosystem anchors on Curtas Vila do Conde Global Film Festival (since 1993 — the top Portuguese animation-festival circuit, where Regina Pessoa's Tragic Story with Happy Ending premiered en route to its 2006 Cannes win and Annecy laureate, and where José Miguel Ribeiro's Cannes-winning shorts have screened), MONSTRA Lisbon Animation Festival (since 2000), CINANIMA Espinho (the second-oldest European animation festival. Since 1977), IndieLisboa (since 2004), Doclisboa (since 2003), and Fantasporto plus MOTELx for genre crossover.
Here is how the picture comes together. Heritage lineage from Regina Pessoa (the Portuguese animator behind Tragic Story with Happy Ending, Kali the Little Vampire, and Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days — all Cannes-acclaimed laureates), José Miguel Ribeiro (Cannes-winning Portuguese animator), plus Pedro Serrazina, Cristiano Mourato, Joana Toste, and David Doutel today's roster anchors craft. ICA cash-rebates qualifying spend covers stop-motion narrative shorts and feature work, IVA twenty-three percent invoicing, Segurança Social retained-crew at roughly thirty-four percent, ACT labor-inspectorate, Código do Trabalho framework, and SPA-GDA-AudioGest-PassMúsica music-rights clearance routes through our production-services partners.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What stop motion techniques do you offer in Portugal?
We give all major stop motion techniques including puppet animation with armature-based characters, claymation, object animation, and mixed media ways. Portuguese fabricators bring craft from the country's growing animation and commercial sector.
Can you build puppets and sets locally?
Here is the breakdown. Yes, we work with skilled Portuguese fabricators who build pro stop motion puppets with metal armatures, silicone or foam bodies, and replacement faces. Sets are built to scale with the same craftsmanship behind Lisbon's feature, commercial, and festival animation sector.
What resolution can you capture?
We capture at 4K and above using high-resolution Canon or Sony mirrorless stills cameras with Dragonframe software. This gives you broadcast-grade detail for any Portuguese or global delivery format.
How long does stop motion production take?
Stop motion is time-intensive—mostly 1-5 seconds of finished animation per day based on complexity. A 30-second commercial might take several weeks of animation, plus pre-production and post.
Can you do motion control for stop motion?
Yes, we can integrate motion control rigs for camera movement, allowing smooth dollies, pans, and crane moves while keeping frame-by-frame animation. This creates dynamic shots impossible with static cameras.
What about post-production for stop motion?
Post-prod has rig removal, compositing, and grading at Portuguese facilities including Glimpse VFX, Loudness Films, and Ingreme, whose teams handle Dolby Atmos, BaseLight grading, and 8K finishing for global shoots.
Related Services
Productions in Portugal that need this often pair it with Underwater Lighting, Live Streaming, and Helicopter Filming for full coverage. Most projects also draw on Time-lapse & Hyperlapse and Gaffer & Lighting Services.
On Set
Planning Stop Motion?
Tell us about your animation project and we'll bring your vision to life frame by frame.