Netflix has been home to many amazing films over the years, from iconic original action movies that feature live-action actors to 3D animated films that have captured our hearts, like K-Pop Demon Hunters. For this list, I’m going to talk about a specific kind of animation that deserves far more love: stop-motion animation.
Ranging from adaptations of famous fairy tales, original stories, and more, stop-motion is the kind of medium where anything goes. And Netflix thankfully has four great films, all originals to the platform, that you need to check out.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
The first one I had to put on this list is Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, but for simplicity, I’m just going to call it Pinocchio. This stop-motion animation adapts the famous story of the same name and is set in Fascist Italy.
You thought you knew the story of Pinocchio, but you probably didn’t know the real story until you watched this film. I’ve always been a huge fan of del Toro’s work and have considered him a master of his craft for years, but I don’t think any of his films have touched me as much as Pinocchio.
He somehow takes his iconic story and spins it into something so authentically beautiful that you can’t help but love it. It’s rich with detail, beautifully animated, and has some of the sweetest music you will ever hear in an animated film. And you will cry a lot, but in the best way.
The movie won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and honestly, it’s well deserved. Once you watch this film, you’ll never be the same. It’s an excellent animated Netflix movie.
Wendell and Wild
Created for Netflix and directed by Henry Selick, the same man behind Coraline, this is the best movie to watch for spooky season. Wendell and Wild is a Gothic comedy that follows a teenage orphan tricked into summoning two demon brothers from the Underworld into her real life, with the promise of bringing her parents back from the dead. Now it’s up to her to save not only her town but also the people she loves most.
There are plenty of reasons to love this film beyond the really good animation, but the biggest one for me is that Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key voice the demons. That’s right, Key and Peele are back at it again, even if it’s just in voice form. But their chemistry is electric, and this film would not be the same without them.
You will laugh your butt off time and time again, and each year, I can bet you will return to this fun stop-motion film. It’s so bizarre; you have to love it.
The House
The House is a great stop-motion film that is more of a dark comedy than anything else and is perfect for those who are a little older and want to think a little more. The main premise follows three separate storylines that connect through a house that lives through three different timelines, showing the decline of society, the lure of greed, and much more.
Technically, this isn’t a full film but three different specials combined into one long picture for Netflix, so I’m counting it here. They all connect, and honestly, it’s a great way to teach viewers a lesson without diving too deep. The animation is particularly interesting, with some of the most creative use of stop-motion mechanics that I’ve seen in a long, long time.
I think it’s a little too dark at certain points for kids, but for teenagers and up, it’s great. This is great.
I Am Frankelda
Last but not least, we have I Am Frankelda. This Mexican film is brilliant, telling the story of a young woman named Francisca Imelda. She wishes to be a horror writer, but her family disapproves of her goal. But what she doesn’t know is that whenever she writes her horror stories, they become real in another universe, and one of her characters finds out who she is and seeks her help with a crisis.
This is such a creative film. It came out in 2025 but premiered on Netflix with an English dub in 2026. As someone who genuinely loves to write for fun, it’s the perfect movie for escapist lovers. But the stop-motion is intriguing, and it not only honors Mexican culture but also brings it to the forefront for those who have never heard of certain traditions. The characters are also fascinating and surprisingly complex.
You can check out all four of these films on Netflix if you want to have fun in the world of stop-motion. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
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