Mourning, Memory, and Childhood in Three Stop-Motion Animated Short Films: A Semiotic-Narratological Approach

Abstract

This work addresses the technique of stop motion animation, particularly plastimation, as a complex narrative that transcends conventional storytelling. From a theoretical approach that join semiotics and narratology, the analysis focuses on the short films Cerulia by Sofía Carrillo, La noria by Karla Castañeda, and Lluvia en los ojos by Rita Basulto. These films explore different types of mourning after the loss of a loved one and their relationship with childhood, each from its unique artistic and visual perspective. The text highlights the interaction between cinematic editing, the elements that constitute the diegetic universe, and the materiality and plasticity of the imag that intertwine to build the narrative. This analysis emphasizes the bridges between literature and cinema, suggesting that both share the narrative quality, although with different languages and mediums. It argues that stop motion animation constructs the narrative discourse through the camera positioning, the visuality, materiality, and plasticity of the puppets, space, and objects, components that also give the cinematic story a metaphorical and symbolic meaning.