Grizzly Bear and Animated Music Videos

Stop-motion animation is rarely used these days outside of the excellent Wallace and Gromit feature films. For most filmmakers, it simply takes too long to carefully assemble each frame, and digital technology long ago advanced to render the technique all-but obsolete. But rendering something close to obsolescence is a surefire way of attracting innovative minds, and this stunning new video for Grizzly Bear's "Ready, Able" shows there is still plenty of life left in stop-motion animation. With that in mind, we take a look at some of the greatest animated videos of all time.

1. The White Stripes - "Fell in Love with a Girl"



Michel Gondry cheated somewhat for this classic video--it looks like a stop-motion effort, but most of the animation was actually rendered on a computer. It matters little, because the constantly rearranging Lego bricks make a perfect compliment to the frenetic nature of the track, proving that the final product--and not how you get there--is ultimately what counts.

2. A-ha - "Take on Me"



The "literal" version of this song is now almost as famous as the original, which was marked by a distinctive video when it emerged in 1985. The animation is carefully mixed in with some live action, which helped the song become a huge global smash. It also picked up six Moonmen statues at the MTV Awards in 1986, and remains one of the greatest animated music videos of all time.

3. Tool - "Sober"



Fred Stuhr's stop-motion clip for Tool's "Sober" really helped establish the band's reputation when it was pulled from their debut album, Undertow, back in 1993. Stuhr's work is obviously influenced by the Brothers Quay, and follows a small being who is strangely afflicted after opening a small box at the beginning of the clip. The shot of his arm vibrating wildly remains an enduring image from Tool's career.