When players around the world discovered that the cutscene titled 'Deaf Ear' in Black Myth: Wukong was created with stop-motion animation, surprise quickly turned to awe 😲🎮✨
Behind this magic is Weng Jie, the stop-motion director who led a tiny team of just three to four animators over a six-month production. Each movement was planned and captured frame by frame—because in stop-motion, a single mistake can mean starting over. Talk about dedication!
How vivid or humorous the puppets become depends on our own understanding of life, said Weng Jie. For the team, stop motion is about breathing your own energy into inanimate figures 💫
Every detail counts: flowing sleeves shaped by hidden wires, rain ripples formed drop by drop with aloe gel, and waterfalls crafted from simple plastic wrap 🌧️💧 The camera doesn't just film objects—it captures air, wind, and emotion.
We can still create because we're among the few who carried the spirit of playing and the ability to dream into adulthood, said Weng Jie 🎨👾
Executive producer: Zhang Jingwen
Producer: Yang Sha
Director: Chen Hongyu
Videographers: Wang Hongjie, Li Yufei and Hu Jinlu
Reference(s):
Breathing life into puppets: Stop-motion world of 'Black Myth: Wukong'
cgtn.com
