Flavorwire

Casting a spell of still shots, handcrafted characters, and homemade settings, stop-motion animation has been dazzling viewers since its first appearance in the late 1800s. It requires a grueling process that, when executed perfectly, creates the illusion of seamless movement. And often, the months and even years that filmmakers filter into their stop-motion endeavors prove to be worth the effort, producing jaw-dropping works of meticulous art. Here at Flavorpill, we see a ton of stop-motion shorts. Our ten favorites are after the jump; link us to yours in the comments.

“Zero”

In this fairytale-esque narrative, director/writer Christopher Kezelos and producer Christine Kezelos tell the tale of an ostracized couple — both bearing the dreaded mark of the number zero — and how courage and love can conquer all. The puppets were made from scratch and built with wire armatures and silicone before being meticulously wrapped in yarn.