Elvis was designed by character designer Gogue and both puppets were sculpted by Marc Spess.
I just discoverd this neat site with How-To information on doing Clay Stop Motion Animation called www.animateclay.com.
The author/animator/artist Marc Spess writes:
Welcome to the only web page devoted to people interested in the somewhat mysterious technique of clay animation. There really are no secrets, there are just not many people who do clay animation for a living, and can tell how it is done. I was fortunate to meet and work with some very talented artists and clay animators, who were kind enough to teach me everything I ever wanted to know. They include Mike McKinney, John Ashlee, and Webster Colcord. All who have worked with the man who invented Claymation� and all the amazing characters such as the California Raisins, and the Noid. Will Vinton.
The website has a wealth of resources on how to do your own Clamationâ„¢ as well as a store to buy supplies. You can even purchases a how-to e-book on the subject. There is also the Mailing list, Message Board, and other resources too.
In this Hi-Tech world of computer animation it is nice to see a varity of techniques survive. Even Will Vinton productions (the studio that coined the above term Claymationâ„¢) does little Clay Animation technique, now mostly produces CGI work like the walking talking M&M’s. But there are folks out there still willing to practice other techniques instead of falling into line with what the animation industry tells us. It’s always better to live in a world or varity, I think.
