Stop Motion Summit 2026: Secrets of Stop Motion Animation Revealed Through Viewing and Listening!

SKIP CITY Sai-no-kuni Visual Plaza (Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture) will host the "Stop Motion Summit 2026: Secrets of Stop Motion Animation Revealed Through Viewing and Listening" on August 11 (Tue, holiday) and September 23 (Wed, holiday) as a related event to the ongoing special exhibition "What is Stop Motion? ~Secrets of Stop Motion Animation~" (May 2 - September 27).

This two-day event will bring together numerous leading artists and creators from Japan's animation industry. A diverse selection of masterpieces will be screened on the big screen, alongside special talk sessions where creators will delve into their unique techniques and the behind-the-scenes stories of their work.

This is a special two-day event that is free to attend (some sessions require advance reservation).

Highlights

【Japan's Top Creators Gather】

Featuring Yuichi Ito (NHK E Tele's "Nyakki!"), Katsushi Yasuda ("Robot Parta"), Taijin Takeuchi (who created the opening visuals for NHK's morning drama "Come Come Everybody"), the innovative "HIDARI" team that amazed the world at Cannes and Annecy, and Tomoki Misato (Director of "PUI PUI Molcar"), Japan's leading stop motion creators will gather for a miraculous two-day event!

【Marathon Screening on the Big Screen】

Screenings of masterpieces that are rarely seen on the big screen, including "The Wolf and the Pig," which garnered worldwide acclaim on YouTube, and a stop motion version of the classic "Gon, the Little Fox"!

Event Overview

Event Name

Stop Motion Summit 2026:

Secrets of Stop Motion Animation Revealed Through Viewing and Listening

Venue

SKIP CITY Sai-no-kuni Visual Plaza (1F Guidance Room / 4F Video Hall)

Participation Fee

Free (Screenings require advance application, first-come, first-served)

WEB

"What is Stop Motion? ~Secrets of Stop Motion Animation~"

(https://www.skipcity.jp/event/vm/komadori/)

Schedule by Day

【DAY1】 August 11 (Tue, holiday)

★Screenings and talk events will be held in separate venues.

1 "Summit Screen: Exhibition Works Screening"

Time

11:00 AM - / 2:00 PM - (Same for both sessions)

Venue

Sai-no-kuni Visual Plaza 4F Video Hall

Capacity

317 people per session (Advance reservation required)

Screened Works

"Matches" Tomohiro Okazaki (9 min)

"The Wolf and the Pig" Taijin Takeuchi (4 min)

"Harbor Tale" Yuichi Ito (18 min)

"HOICHI" Hoji Tsuchiya (7 min *Making-of also screened)

"Family Deck" Tomoyasu Murata (5 min)

"MOLTING" Katsushi Yasuda (14 min)

"My Lying Innards" Shinobu Soejima (11 min)

"HIDARI (Pilot Version)" Shinji Kawamura (5 min) *Special screening (not exhibited)

2 Talk Event "Summit Talk: Unraveling Worlds of Work with Creators"

Time

11:00 AM - 4:00 PM (Scheduled)

Venue

Sai-no-kuni Visual Plaza 1F Guidance Room

Capacity

Approximately 100 people (No reservation required, first-come, first-served on the day)

Talk Schedule (Scheduled)

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Shinobu Soejima × Yuichi Ito

12:00 PM - 12:30 PM

Katsushi Yasuda × Taijin Takeuchi

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM

HIDARI Team (Shinji Kawamura, Noriko Matsumoto) Current Status Report

*Special appearance (not exhibited)

2:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Tomohiro Okazaki × Taijin Takeuchi

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM

Hoji Tsuchiya × Yuichi Ito

【DAY2】 September 23 (Wed, holiday)

★Following the screening, a talk event with distinguished guests will be held in the same venue.

"Summit Screen & Talk: Exhibition Works Screening and Creator Talk"

Time

11:00 AM - / 2:00 PM - (Same schedule for both sessions)

Venue

Sai-no-kuni Visual Plaza 4F Video Hall

Capacity

317 people per session (Advance reservation required)

Screened Works

"Komaneko: The First Step" Tsuneo Goda [Screening Time: 5 min]

"Blue Eyes in Harbor Tale" Yuichi Ito [8 min]

"My Little Goat" Tomoki Misato [11 min]

"Gon - GON, THE LITTLE FOX-" Takeshi Yashiro (TECARAT) [27 min]

Talk Guests

Tsuneo Goda

Takeshi Yashiro (TECARAT)

Yuichi Ito

Reservation and Application Method

Participation in the screenings requires advance online application (first-come, first-served, all seats reserved).

*On-site registration available on the day only if there are vacant seats.

Application URL https://dss.sboticket.net/top?type=title

Application Period

DAY1 (Aug 11) Screenings

July 17 (Fri) 10:00 AM - August 10 (Mon) 11:59 PM

*Advance application required

DAY1 (Aug 11) Talk Event

First-come, first-served on the day

*No application required

DAY2 (Sep 23) Screenings & Talk Event

September 11 (Fri) 10:00 AM - September 22 (Tue) 11:59 PM

*Advance application required

Guest Profiles *In no particular order

Yuichi Ito <Appearing Aug 11> <Appearing Sep 23>

Born in Tokyo in 1962. Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Design. After working in VFX and CG video production, founded I.TOON Ltd. in 1995 and serves as its representative. He creates animations that fuse clay with digital technology and designs characters. His representative works include NHK E Tele's "Nyakki!" (Awarded the Excellence Prize in the Animation Division at the 1st Japan Media Arts Festival), "Mr. Donut 'Pompom Lion'," "Harbor Tale" (Awarded Best Animation Award and Audience Award at the ZLIN FILM FESTIVAL in Czech Republic), and "Garden Bear" (Official character for the "Yokohama Fair 2017 National Urban Greening Fair"). Professor at the Graduate School of Film and New Media, Tokyo University of the Arts. Supervisor of the Japan Animation Association. Director of ASIFA-JAPAN.

Taijin Takeuchi <Appearing Aug 11>

Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1984. Works as a stop-motion video director (komadorist). He has directed numerous commercials and music videos. In 2011, he published the stop-motion HOW-TO book "Let's Make! Stop Motion Animation." In 2021, he created the opening titles for the NHK serial TV novel "Come Come Everybody." In 2023, he appeared on TBS's "Matsuko's Unknown World." He is dedicated to promoting stop motion through his website "Komakoma-tai's Komadorill," which features explanations of stop motion techniques, work introductions, and event announcements.

Shinobu Soejima <Appearing Aug 11>

Creates short films, installations, and three-dimensional works using stop motion with organic materials such as rice, meat, and insects, as well as puppets. Utilizing the dynamics of animation, she attempts to harmonize boundaries between the living and non-living, the center and periphery, and the visible and invisible. Her major awards include a Special Mention from the Ecumenical Jury at the 68th Oberhausen International Short Film Festival, the Satoshi Kon Bronze Award at Fantasia International Film Festival 2025, and an Award of Distinction at the 22nd Japan Media Arts Festival. Her works have been awarded at film festivals and exhibited internationally.

Tomohiro Okazaki <Appearing Aug 11>

Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1981. Graduated from Tokyo Zokei University, Department of Design, Visual Communication Design in 2003. After working at an advertising agency and a design firm, he established and has been active at Design Studio SWIMMING since September 2011. Based on a graphic design approach, he flexibly connects visual communication areas such as print, video, and exhibitions, and engages in design activities that balance both culture and economy, regardless of the scale of the work. He finds great appeal in the possibilities of design, which provide opportunities to confront unfamiliar worlds and phenomena, connect with people and society, and discover and engage with the structures and ways of perceiving the world.

Katsushi Yasuda <Appearing Aug 11>

Began making independent animations as a student. Joined Three D Co., Ltd. in 1987. Became freelance in 1989. Founded Borders Co., Ltd. in 2002. His independently produced "Pulsar" gained attention at many film festivals and on TV programs, bringing him recognition as a filmmaker. His subsequent work, "Kaidoryoku REAL," received high acclaim at film festivals both domestically and internationally, including the Excellence Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival. While widely known as the creator of "Robot Parta" (NHK "Puchipuchi Anime" from 1994~), he has also worked as a planner, director, and animator for puppet animation in commercials and music videos.

Hoji Tsuchiya <Appearing Aug 11>

Born in Tokyo in 1984, a paper cut animation artist.

Using paper cuts as a base, he develops animated expressions that transcend time and space, from folk tales to the universe, by incorporating collage, three-dimensional elements, and light.

His short film "The Woman in the Black Long Skirt" (2011) was nominated for the Ottawa International Animation Festival, and his music videos "Seishun Ojisan" and "PRIME" won the Best Music Video award at Anifilm. He has also produced animated series for NHK E Tele's "Shakiin!" such as "Hattake-san" and "Wakusei Kyodai."

He received numerous advertising awards for the Pocari Sweat web movie "Skafin no Uta."

Based in Japan, he continues to work internationally, presenting his works and producing brand movies, transcending borders and genres with his unique paper cut animation techniques.

HIDARI Production Team Director/Screenwriter: Shinji Kawamura <Appearing Aug 11>

A co-founder of Whatever, and a filmmaker/creative director who has been active globally for over 20 years. Known for his work that combines storytelling and technology, his creative scope ranges from TV commercials, music videos, and TV programs to Lady Gaga's clone and the supervision of the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025 pavilion. His works have received high international acclaim, including the Crystal Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, an International Emmy nomination, and Grand Prix awards at One Show and Clio. Leveraging his background growing up in the United States, he continues to create unique stories that resonate with audiences worldwide through cross-border collaborations.

HIDARI Production Team Producer: Noriko Matsumoto <Appearing Aug 11>

Began her career in the advertising video industry. The creation of "Domo-kun" in 1998 and "Komaneko" in 2003 marked turning points, leading her to participate in the launch of Dwarf. She has been involved in producing timeless, high-quality stop-motion content, and was one of the first Japanese studios to work with global streaming platforms. Her Netflix series "Rilakkuma and Kaoru" (2019) and "Rilakkuma's Theme Park Adventure" (2022) were highly acclaimed. Currently, while leveraging her strengths in stop motion and characters, she aims to go beyond conventional boundaries, planning works using new talents and technologies regardless of methods or company frameworks, and further aiming to produce works that transcend Japanese borders. Her recent work includes director Daisuke "Dice" Tsutsumi's (formerly Pixar) short film "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse," which was shortlisted for the 97th Academy Awards.

Tsuneo Goda <Appearing Sep 23>

Began his career as a CM director. The NHK character "Domo-kun" series gained popularity, expanding his field of activity to animated video. In 2003, he founded Dwarf and transitioned to becoming an animation artist. His creative activities are diverse, including picture books, illustrations, and his own 2D animations. In the context of puppet animation, where anything impossible in the real world can happen, he is committed to depicting realistic worlds that incorporate the "feelings and experiences" he encounters in his daily life.

Takeshi Yashiro (TECARAT) <Appearing Sep 23>

Born in Akita Prefecture in 1969. Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Department of Design. After working as a CM director, he became deeply involved in puppet animation with the production of the short film "Norman the Snowman." He is currently active based at TECARAT. Emphasizing the texture created by hand, he not only directs and writes scripts but also personally handles art direction and puppet sculpting using wood carving. His directorial works include the "Gon, THE LITTLE FOX" and the "Norman the Snowman" series, which have won numerous film awards domestically and internationally. He also handled puppet sculpting for the NHK morning drama "Buzzer Beat" opening and "HIDARI." In his latest work, the NHK E Tele "Puchipuchi Anime" "Harutsuge Uo to Fuurai Bo," he pursues the possibilities of stop motion by shooting in natural light in the mountains and fields, challenging himself with multifaceted visual expression.

Screened Works

©Tomohiro Okazaki

"Matches" Tomohiro Okazaki <Screened Aug 11>

A stop motion project started during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using matchsticks, he creates and accumulates one experimental video each day. Instead of aiming for a finished work, he enjoys shaping ideas and transforming himself through the process, like taking a walk. He works on this project in the time before starting his work each morning. While stop motion usually involves taking photos frame by frame to create a video, this project considers each frame as a single video, changing the unit of measurement. He is interested in what will happen when 10 years of small daily experimental videos accumulate. He is currently in his sixth year, with over 1800 videos accumulated.

©2007 Taijin Takeuchi

"The Wolf and the Pig" Taijin Takeuchi <Screened Aug 11>

Stop motion footage of a wolf and a pig is filmed, and photographs printed with these images move around in a room. The scenery within the photos links with the outside scenery. Photos of elevators and stairs are attached to the room's pillars, and a photo of a pool is placed in the kitchen sink, making it appear as if the sink is a pool, showcasing the fun of imaginative representation.

Uploaded to YouTube in 2009, it surpassed 1 million views in 10 days and became a global sensation. (Approximately 3.97 million views as of July 6, 2026).

©I.TOON

"Harbor Tale" Yuichi Ito <Screened Aug 11>

In a corner of the port town "Y," a brick from an old Western-style building breaks free one day. This independent short film by I.TOON depicts the vitality of the port town through the brick's various encounters and small adventures. It has been screened in 24 countries and won the Best Animation Award and Audience Award at the ZLIN International Film Festival for Children and Youth in the Czech Republic.

©Hoji Tsuchiya

"HOICHI" Hoji Tsuchiya <Screened Aug 11>

A short animation work of approximately 10 minutes that fuses paper cut animation and paper drawing, based on Lafcadio Hearn's ghost story "The Story of Mimi-Nashi Hoichi." It focuses on the differing perspectives of "the visible and the invisible" among Hoichi, the monk, and the ghost, as well as Hoichi's internal struggles, and is created with abstract expressions. Started in 2011, it is an ongoing work that has been continued intermittently, and the latter part depicts the purification of conflict and resentment through the Heart Sutra as a "journey into the inner universe."

The making-of will also be screened during this screening.

©TMC

"Family Deck" Tomoyasu Murata <Screened Aug 11>

The Takada family, who run a barbershop, are a family of individuals with their own pace. A "hair god" of the Seven Lucky Gods lives in the building, and their actions cause slightly strange events in the Takada family's daily life.

The barbershop that served as the model for the story was once the "Suzuran Barbershop" in Arakawa Ward, Tokyo. Its appearance was a familiar sight and the face of the town to me, but it has now been demolished and replaced by a convenience store.

Towns change over long periods. "Suzuran Barbershop" is no exception. Upon learning that the shop was closing, I meticulously photographed its interior and exterior and faithfully recreated it in a miniature set to preserve its appearance at the time. "Family Deck" is a work that records this by adding a new story. This event will screen one episode from "Family Deck," "Summer 2007 Baseball."

©Katsushi Yasuda

"MOLTING" Katsushi Yasuda <Screened Aug 11>

The story is set in a space that symbolizes the landfill left by a long-extinct human race. Here, an AI that has evolved independently continues to sort through mountains of garbage endlessly. A being that was once the god of the earth arrives, absorbs traces of civilization, and wanders while repeatedly molting (molting), moving towards the center of the space. This was the act of absorbing the "accumulation of negativity" left by humans.

©shinobusoejima2024

"My Lying Innards" Shinobu Soejima <Screened Aug 11>

This work is a three-dimensional animation set in the spiritual void world of "tainai-guri," a Japanese folk belief. In Japanese, "tainai" not only refers to internal organs but also to the hollow space inside Buddhist statues, which is the birthplace of all living things and a mysterious, somewhat dark, infinite void like a peaceful afterlife. Here, the boundaries between living beings and matter dissolve, and the outside and inside constantly invert. By animating rice, meat, insects, and dolls, this work attempts to rub against and dissolve the boundaries between the internal and external, the inside of the body and the external world, death and life. It decomposes binary oppositions such as subject and object, inside and outside, and visualizes the confused relationship between our bodies and the land.

©️HIDARI

"HIDARI Pilot Version" Shinji Kawamura <Screened Aug 11>

Legendary master craftsman "Jingoro Hidari," having lost his foster parent and right arm due to betrayal by a comrade, continues his revenge journey with a mechanical prosthetic arm and his partner, the "Sleeping Cat." Finally, he confronts one of his enemies, "Inumaru."

©TYO/dwarf・Komaneko Film Partners

"Komaneko: The First Step" Tsuneo Goda <Screened Sep 23>

Koma-chan, a cat who does stop motion, is working hard on stop motion today. She thinks about the story, draws a storyboard, makes puppets and backgrounds, and now! She starts shooting with her 8mm camera... but a fly comes buzzing in, causing an accident! Will Koma-chan be able to finish shooting safely?

©I.TOON

"Blue Eyes in Harbor Tale" Yuichi Ito <Screened Sep 23>

Set in the port town "Y," modeled after Yokohama, this is the second installment in the highly acclaimed short animation "HARBOR TALE" (2011), which depicts the protagonist, a red brick, discovering the town's charms. In this port town where man-made objects have begun to gain life over long periods, a brick that lived as a pilot for foreign visitors encounters a doll that emerged from a boathouse connected to the canal.

©2018 Tomoki MISATO / Tokyo University of the Arts

"My Little Goat" Tomoki Misato <Screened Sep 23>

A mother goat rescues her kids from the wolf's stomach. However, the eldest son, Torque, cannot be found!

©TAIYO KIKAKU Co., Ltd. / TECARAT

"Gon -GON, THE LITTLE FOX-" Takeshi Yashiro (TECARAT) <Screened Sep 23>

A gem of a stop motion short film that offers a new interpretation of Nankichi Niimi's children's literature "Gon, the Little Fox." The mischievous young fox, Gon, accidentally lets loose the important eel that Hyoju had caught. Regretful, Gon begins to atone... In this work, by using two forms of Gon, one human-like and one fox-like, it depicts two perspectives, that of animals and humans, elevating the tragedy caused by the barrier between them to a universal theme that resonates with modern "division." The fleeting story, which coexists with life and death, kindness and sorrow, is depicted within 28 minutes.