← Technology
Adam Savage’s Tested
Inside the Stop-Motion Technology of Laika's Coraline
⏱ 18 min video · 3 min read12 Jun 2026Worth watching
TL;DR
Adam Savage interviews Martin Meunier, the technical Oscar winner who invented the 3D-printed magnetic replacement face system used in Laika's Coraline. They examine original screen-used puppets from Dan Lanigan's collection while Meunier explains the engineering breakthroughs that transformed stop-motion character expression.
Key points
1
Meunier invented a magnetic registration system for replacement faces, replacing unreliable bicycle-chain links used on James and the Giant Peach that caused faces to 'chatter' (visibly misalign between frames).
2
For Coraline, he combined 3D-printed faces with embedded magnets AND split the face horizontally at the eye line, allowing independent brow and mouth swaps — exploding possible expressions from ~600 to ~150,000.
3
The seam line between face halves was digitally scrubbed out in post-production; on later projects like Cinderbiter, Meunier engineered a physical overlapping wedge so the seam became physically invisible.
4
The Other Mother puppet required entirely different engineering: her hair blocked normal face removal, so the face is accessed by pushing hair aside; her button eyes are silicone held by magnets and removable with a magnetic rod; her arms are rubber with a visible spine, and she runs on four legs like a spider.
5
Hidden Easter eggs were deliberately embedded in Coraline: a kangaroo mouse that defecates while squeezing under a door, and a Jack Skellington face hidden inside a cracked egg yolk — both approved by director Henry Selick.
Key takeaways
→
Splitting a replacement face into independently swappable upper and lower halves multiplies expression combinations exponentially rather than linearly — a structural insight applicable to any modular design problem.
→
Embedding magnets directly inside 3D-printed or molded components provides consistent, self-registering alignment that mechanical interlocks (like bicycle chain links) cannot reliably achieve at miniature scale.
→
Physical seam lines in practical effects can be eliminated either digitally in post (fast, Coraline approach) or mechanically via a lapping wedge geometry (slower to engineer, but invisible on set — later Cinderbiter approach).
Notable quotes
“Instead of having 600 expressions you ended up with 150,000 expressions.”
“John Lasseter when we were done came up to us and said, 'It's the first time I could see a character emote and it's the first time I could connect to a stop motion character because I could see emotion to it.'”
“Some people said, 'Well, I could read her lips.' Yeah. So they could read Coraline's lips, which was pretty amazing cuz that's never happened before.”
Worth watching?
✅
Worth watching the full video?
Watch if you want to see the actual puppets handled and dissected on camera — the visual of pulling Coraline's face off with a fingertip or the Other Mother's hair parting to reveal the face swap mechanism is genuinely stunning and not fully captured in the summary.
Saved you some time? The creator still deserves a like.
Want this for your own channels?
Add the channels you follow. Every new video summarised and in your inbox the moment it drops. From £4/month.
Try it free