A Conan the Barbarian stop-motion toy ad shouldn’t be this good

A Conan the Barbarian action figure ad doesn’t sound like the setup for great cinema, but stop-motion legend Justin Rasch (Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Paranorman, Kubo and the Two Strings) has turned it into something special. His short film, created to launch a new Conan the Barbarian figure from Heroic Signatures, feels less like a commercial and more like a lost scene from one of the best stop-motion animated films.

The animation uses the action figure itself as Conan hacks and slices through a pink tentacle that gushes green goo when cut. It’s bloody, pulpy, and brilliantly tactile, a reminder of how stop-motion can breathe life into even the most unlikely objects, especially when paired with the best animation software.

The model itself is a new, limited-edition, handcrafted Conan the Barbarian Battle of the Black Stone action figure. Its design is based on Rob De La Torre’s artwork from the Battle of the Black Stone comic arc.

What the animated short really shows is the figure's "premium articulation" – meaning it can be manipulated and posed realistically, along with multiple heads, hands, armor, and weapons. That’s just what's needed for making a quick stop-motion short, particularly if you’re experimenting with the best software for animation.

If you want to pick up the new figure, the Standard Edition will sell for $65, while the Deluxe Edition will be $75 – this includes iconic Robert E. Howard character weapons, such as Solomon Kane’s staff and Brissa’s spear, and also comes in a fancy collector's edition packaging.

Preorders open today, September 1st, and close on October 10th. Once preorders close, this limited-edition release will never be made again.