TED Talks Daily The art (and science) of stop-motion animation | Brian McLean
18 snips
Jan 17, 2026 
Brian McLean, a visual effects artist and stop-motion innovator from Laika, dives into the enchanting world of stop-motion animation. He reveals how 3D printing is revolutionizing this art form, allowing for bespoke manufacturing and the creation of intricate, replaceable facial expressions. Brian shares his early fascination with animation, explains the challenges of color printing, and introduces voxel printing for enhanced detail. His passion and expertise highlight a thrilling intersection of creativity and technology.
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Why Animation Feels Real
- Persistence of vision makes sequential still images read as continuous motion by our eyes and brain.
- Brian McLean explains that both retinal persistence and the brain's imaginative filling-in enable animation to work.
Childhood Obsession Sparked A Career
- Brian McLean describes being a kid obsessed with stop-motion films like King Kong and Wallace and Gromit.
- That childhood fascination drove him to study art and wonder how filmmakers created those effects.
3D Printing Bridges Digital And Physical
- 3D printers bridge digital models and physical objects by building forms layer by layer from sliced cross-sections.
- McLean emphasizes that detail doesn't always add print time, enabling unique, bespoke parts at scale.