What does claymation mean?
Claymation is a distinctive form of stop-motion animation in which characters and sets are sculpted from clay or plasticine, moved in tiny increments, and photographed one frame at a time; played back at speed, these frames create the illusion of smooth movement. The technique demands extraordinary patience, since even seconds of finished footage can require hundreds of individual adjustments, and its hallmark is the slightly soft, handcrafted look that distinguishes it from computer-generated imagery. The term originated as a trademarked coinage in American animation circles in the 1970s and has since entered general usage as a common noun for both the technique and any film produced with it. Claymation carries warm connotations of artisanal craft and nostalgic charm, and it remains popular in shorts, title sequences, music videos, and independent films where its tactile, handmade quality is part of the appeal.
A stop-motion animation technique in which clay or plasticine figures are manipulated and photographed frame by frame to simulate movement.
"Claymation requires reshaping the model slightly for every single frame of footage."
Originally a trademarked term; now used generically.
A film, video, or animated work produced using the claymation technique.
"They screened a delightful claymation about two snowmen at the festival."
Countable use referring to an individual work rather than the technique itself.
Plural used when referring to multiple individual works made with the technique; the technique itself, as an uncountable concept, usually stays singular.
"The archive preserves dozens of claymations from the studio's early decades."
The word 'claymation' began life as a trademarked brand name before audiences loved the technique so much it became the everyday term for any clay animation.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of claymation
Claymation was coined in English in the 1970s by the American animator Will Vinton, who trademarked the term as a blend of 'clay' and 'animation'. The first element, 'clay', descends from Old English 'clǣg', of Germanic origin, while '-mation' is clipped from Latin-derived 'animation' (from 'anima', meaning breath or life). Although originally a proprietary brand name tied to Vinton's studio, the word passed into generic use and is now applied broadly to any stop-motion work employing plasticine or similar modeling materials.
How claymation is actually used
Informal-to-neutral register, common in film criticism, media coverage, and everyday discussion of animation. Although derived from a trademarked name, it is widely used generically to describe any clay-based stop-motion work.
Easily confused with claymation
Stop-motion is the broader technique of animating any physical object frame by frame, whereas claymation refers specifically to stop-motion performed with malleable clay or plasticine figures.
Animation is the general art of creating moving images, while claymation is one specific hands-on technique within it that uses sculpted clay models.