CGSociety has a great article which describes the unique process the filmmakers under took to create the beautiful film Coraline. Perhaps one of the most interesting innovations was that the replacement heads for each character were created on a 3-D printer.

It is actually a very odd yet wonderful concept. A characters head is created in 3-D, on a computer. Only to then be turned into a physical form for the purpose of animation. It’s the complete opposite of how that process normally goes where clay maquettes are digitized to create 3-D computer models.

Laika had to print perhaps 70 tiny half faces at a time, building what they called “kits” for various expressions, kits that had to be produced with a rapid turnover. Throughout the production the artists were continually streamlining the models to give as much detail as needed while reducing the printing time to keep up with demand.

What a fascinating modern age we live in.