Stop Motion Animated Book Trailer

My one-minute trailer for The Edible Woman (1965), a feminist novel by Margaret Atwood, combines rotoscoping, stop motion, unconventional materials, and digital elements to explore the novel’s themes of identity, societal pressure, and internal conflict. The trailer presents a surreal and unsettling downward spiral, symbolizing the protagonist’s emotional breakdown, with a symbolic wedding cake at its center. The cake represents her struggle against the oppressive expectations of womanhood and marriage in 1960s society. As her distress deepens, the trailer uses increasingly dark red tiers and layered sound effects to visually reflect her growing anxiety, while the spinning animation conveys a sense of repetition and entrapment.

Inspired by the stop-motion techniques of Alexandre Dubosc, the project captures a unique, nostalgic charm that evokes the analogue era of the 1960s. This is further emphasized by the retro wallpaper background and the gaudy, maximalist details inspired by traditional wedding cakes of the time. The trailer is designed to intrigue viewers and spark curiosity about the novel’s deeper themes.