Puppets & Sets From Charlie Kaufman’s ‘Anomalisa’ Coming to Museum of the Moving Image
The wait to see Charlie Kaufman’s stop-motion animation masterpiece is almost over. Anomalisa arrives in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on December 30, and everywhere in January. In anticipation of the film’s release, the Museum of the Moving Image has got its hands on the sets and puppets from the film and will display them in an exhibit entitled The World of Anomalisa.
Adapted from an original sound play written by Kaufman, Anomalisa is an existential tale of love and alienation told through the magic of stop-motion animation. Co-directed by Kaufman and Duke Johnson (Community), the film centers around Michael Stone (voiced by David Thewlis), a father, husband, and customer service guru who is in Cincinnati on business. Experiencing a crisis in which he has trouble connecting with people, Michael finds solace with an awkward sales rep named Lisa Hesselman, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh. The only other voice heard in the film is that of Tom Noonan, while composer Carter Burwell provides a magnificent score.
An incredibly poignant and meticulously crafted film, Anomalisa took three years to make. It will no doubt find favor among fans of Kaufman’s previous works Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Synecdoche, New York.
As for the museum’s installation, it will feature puppets of Michael Stone and Lisa Hesselman, each just measuring a foot high. The puppets will be shown on the set of Michael’s room at the Fregoli Hotel. Additionally, a street set from the film will also be on view. Videos featuring the scenes illustrated will accompany the exhibit. The puppets, which were created using 3D printers, were made to be life-like.
The World of Anomalisa will be on view at the Museum of the Moving Image within in their core exhibition Behind the Screen from December 18, 2015 through March 27, 2016. You can check out the trailer for the film below. For more information about this labor of love project, Indiewire has an in-depth interview with the directors up on their site.
Image: Puppets of Michael and Lisa in Anomalisa. Courtesy of Paramount Pictures.