Shape & Shadow | Hayley Morris

OCTOPUS! 🐙 Narrated by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, is now streaming on @primevideo @amazonmgmstudios ! I'm thrilled to share a peek at Doris and her underwater world. Congrats to the whole team @mightyoakgrows and @michaela_olsen . Designing and creating the Doris puppet and her environments has been one of the most fulfilling projects of my career. I wanted her to resemble a real octopus while also possessing subtle human traits—something in her form and presence that audiences could emotionally connect with as they followed her journey. I aimed for her surface to feel rich and tactile, realistic from a distance, yet on closer inspection reveal delicate details like lace and yarn that emphasized her handmade origins. Stream it now to see the epic underwater sequences that bring the story of Doris the octopus to life. From her daily habits to... virginity loss, sperm packets, cannibalism… you know, the usual. 👀 @niharika_desai @mwileywood @leannecherundolo @michaela_olsen @shape_and_shadow @meganbarbour @kelseyusher @emmo_collins @danieljamesshepard @juliegratz @kaleidastudio @lizdibello @creative_vigilante @ivostoop @janimationofficial @michaelpopp @lizdibello @funmorbidthings @chrsminky @maxwellsorensen @crafts.cats.repeat @lunathelostcause @mcstopmo @mikailekiz_ @vixtoria @liliboisrond @julias_not_creative @alejandrolechuga7 #octopus! #octopus #docuseries #stopmotion #stopmotionanimation #puppetanimation #animationstudio #PhoebeWallerBridge #setdesign

🚨 New Reel Alert! 🚨 My 2025 Reel is live — now featuring shiny new projects. ✨ I’m available for collaborations on commercials, films, music videos, and anything else that needs a touch of stop-motion or mixed media animation. Let’s make something together!🎬🧵🎨 #StopMotion #MixedMedia #AnimationReel #AnimatorForHire #Animationdirector #IndieAnimation #CreativeCollab #2025Reel

What an unforgettable weekend at the Creative Arts Emmys. The team @mightyoakgrows @kaleidastudio and I took home the award for Outstanding Motion Design for our animation work on Octopus! and I couldn't be more honored. Huge thanks to @michaela_olsen @emmo_collins for bringing me on board as Art Director for the stop-motion sections. We've known each other since the early days @risd1877 when we were all just starting out in this field. Getting to collaborate with you on Octopus! was nothing short of a creative dream. It's truly inspiring to see what we can build when our individual talents come together with a shared vision. I loved working directly with talented artists @janimationofficial and @minkychrs on crafting the look of Doris' world with lighting, design and fabrication. Congrats to the whole team of artists, animators and gfx artists that created this beautiful piece. 🐙 Endless gratitude to the @televisionacad This recognition means so much to all of us who pour our hearts into the craft. And thank you to @primevideo Amazon MGM Studios, @jigsawprods , @niharika_desai @mwileywood for creating this wonderful documentary and having us be a part of it. This award is a celebration of everyone who chooses tactile, handcrafted artistry in an increasingly digital world. Every detail and frame shot of Doris was built with care, and this moment reaffirms that intentional, authentic storytelling still resonates deeply. Thank you! @niharika_desai @mwileywood @leannecherundolo @michaela_olsen @shape_and_shadow @meganbarbour @kelseyusher @emmo_collins @danieljamesshepard @juliegratz @kaleidastudio @lizdibello @creative_vigilante @ivostoop @janimationofficial @michaelpopp @lizdibello @funmorbidthings @chrsminky @maxwellsorensen @crafts.cats.repeat @lunathelostcause @mcstopmo @mikailekiz_ @vixtoria @liliboisrond @julias_not_creative @alejandrolechuga7 #octopus! #octopus #docuseries #stopmotion #stopmotionanimation #puppetanimation #animationstudio #PhoebeWallerBridge #setdesign #outstandingmotiondesign #emmys #emmywinner

Finally getting around to posting the paper #StopMotionAnimation we made capturing a day in the life of @eileengu for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics @nbcolympics 🏅⛷️❄️ From balancing full-time studies, Olympic training, and a career in fashion modeling, her drive and versatility made this such an inspiring story to bring to life through paper animation ✂️📄✨ Thanks to the wonderful team for helping tell her story. Compositing & Edit: @kodimillette 2d Face Animation: @marthahalliday Fabrication: @rndy_b and @shape_and_shadow NBC Team: @matealoo Rachel Goodman, David Barton Project Manager: @camillerv92 Production: @shape_and_shadow @closerandcloserco #MilanoCortina2026 #WinterOlympics #Olympics #Skiing #Freeski #PaperAnimation #StopMotion #BehindTheScenes #Animation #HandmadeAnimation #NBCOlympics #EileenGu

A little bts from our “Day In the Life” paper #stopmotion animation for @eileengu Thank you @nbcolympics for such a fun project and having us tell Eileen’s story for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. ⛷️ Direction, Animation, Fabrication: Hayley Morris @shape_and_shadow Fabrication: @rndy_b 2d Face Animation: @marthahalliday Compositing & Edit: @kodimillette NBC Team: @matealoo David Barton & Rachel Goodman Production: @shape_and_shadow @closerandcloserco Project Manager: @camillerv92

It feels strange to share my work when the world is full of daily horrors. Spending an afternoon last weekend at the Boston Children’s Museum for my show “Shaping Empathy” felt grounding. In a time that feels low on empathy, the exhibit asks children how do we care for one another? Spending a day surrounded by kids from all backgrounds reminds me that we all started out playing together. The hate is taught.

Another adorably snowy stop motion scene for @anthropologie ⛷️🐰 Directed, designed and animated by @shape_and_shadow Produced by @meganbarbour Post and sound by @janimationofficial Post supervision by Sabrina Chaney #stopmotion #stopmotionanimation #animation #puppets #felt #cozy #anthropologie #knitting #adorable

Wishing everyone a day filled with gratitude, warmth, and peace. 🧡🕊️ #stopmotion ##stopmotionvideo #pumpkinpie

Cozy times with @anthropologie 🐑 🧶 Directed, designed and animated by @shape_and_shadow Produced by @meganbarbour Post and sound by @janimationofficial Post supervision by Sabrina Chaney #stopmotion #stopmotionanimation #animation #puppets #felt #cozy #anthropologie #knitting #adorable

Thank you to @bostonchildrensmuseum for featuring "Rowan" one of my clay animated pieces in their gallery show called Shaping Empathy. Located in the Museum’s Gallery, which showcases work of artists from the New England art community, Shaping Empathy encourages visitors to explore aspects of the relationship between a caregiver and child and practice the building blocks of empathy—the skill of understanding and caring about how another person feels. If you're in the Boston area check it out with your kids! I'll also be giving a talk on Jan. 17 from 2-3 at the museum. Thanks to @matthewmastmusic for creating such beautiful music and sound design for this. And thanks to @rwmedia.tv for producing this piece originally for @night_lights_denver

Hi everyone — Hayley here 👋 @shape_and_shadow signing off with the final post of this week’s takeover. Thanks so much for following along! I wanted to wrap things up by sharing the type of work I’d love to do more of. While a lot of my projects are long-form — like film segments and music videos— I also really enjoy creating short-form animations that communicate ideas quickly and leave a lasting impression ✨ I’m especially passionate about developing handcrafted, stop-motion visuals that are playful, inventive, and product-focused 🎨Whether it’s for a launch, a brand story, or a social campaign, short animations can be a powerful way to connect. Human made art and animation is especially important right now with the loom of AI. So hire real artists! Here’s a selection of work I’ve created for brands like @samsung , @burtsbees , @darntoughvermont , @sephora , @degen.us , @prettysnake . Thanks again for joining me this week! If you’d to follow along with more of my work, head over to @shape_and_shadow and if you’d like to collaborate click the link in the bio. #StopMotionAnimation #CreativeProcess #ProductAnimation #VisualStorytelling #animation

Hey it’s Hayley @shape_and_shadow 🌈 back with a takeover of @closerandcloserco So excited to share a piece I created for @mtv ’s “SEE ME, HEAR ME, KNOW ME” 🎥✨ — a campaign supporting underrepresented creatives. For Women’s History Month, I brought to life the powerful poem “How to Triumph Like a Girl” by @adalimonwriter using hand-cut paper + stop-motion. I wanted to create something that felt optimistic and empowering — a celebration of strength 💪. Honored that it won GOLD 🏆 at the Telly Awards and SILVER 🥈 at the Promax NA Awards! Huge thanks to MTV for giving artists space to create with freedom + support 🙌🎨 #WomensHistoryMonth #StopMotion #PaperArt #WomenInAnimation #papercutout