Stock Media in Animation

An example of a stock photo used in the show that started it all, SpongeBob SquarePants.

It is also known as GIS Syndrome in TV Tropes. Occasionally in most media, animators insert either live-action stock photos or video footage instead of animating something in fully animated shows. Most of the time, they would be used for gags and jokes. Though sometimes, it comes off as lazy and sometimes jarring, depending on the cartoon.

Notable Examples

• SpongeBob SquarePants (This started the trend)
  • The Patrick Star Show
  • Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years
• Teen Titans Go! (This is recurrent in the episodes, it is very much used in the episode "Bumgorf")
• Craig of the Creek (One episode featured a shot with JP with live-action lips pasted onto him)
• 50/50 Heroes
• Amazing World of Gumball (Given the show is a hybrid of many animation styles, live-action stock images are sometimes used for a gag)
• South Park (an example is Saddam Hussein)
• Wonder Pets! (The entire show is made of photos)
• Charlie and Lola
• Pickle and Peanut (These are common in the show)
• The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie! (Used when Wooldoor exposes his genitalia)
• Family Guy (This shows up occasionally, mainly for cutaway gags and jokes)
• American Dad! (Occasionally used for jokes)
• Breadwinners (Relied heavily on it)
• Fish Hooks (Also relied heavily on it though the backgrounds do blend in well at times since fish tanks in real-life use stock photos of environments for backgrounds)
• WALL-E (This is Pixar's first and only movie to feature live-action footage)
• Bob the Builder (The Ready Steady Build series had a segment that featured live-action actors. Mainly, it's just Bob talking to live-action children on his computer screen)
• Rocket Monkeys (Occasionally used for jokes)
• Lilo and Stitch (A scene features a poster of the late Elvis Presley)
• Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir (Season 5 started using stock images for some things, mainly baby dolls, like in Ladybug and Cat Noir's dream and Kagami and Felix's play and framed photos in the background)
• Some of the Adult Swim shows (Most notably: Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Brak Show, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, etc)
• LHUGUENY (The explosions in his musicals most notably in the Call of Duty musicals are stock animated images)
• The Powerpuff Girls (2016) (The show has many instances where stock images are used)
• The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (Used in the episode "My Fair Mandy")
• Clarence (Occasionally, but mostly on dynamic and live action footages)
• Harvey Beaks (Title Cards)
• WarioWare (most microgames have those, like Dr. Crygor's reality microgames in Mega Microgames, Feeling Saucy from Touched!, Stove Slider, Weird Windmill (both from Get It Together!), Jailbreak, Safe Snacker (both from Move It!), etc.
• Tomodachi Life (appears in foods)
• Christmas in New York (shown with the all the scenes that are in the stores, soup kitchen, and orphanage. However, unlike all the previous examples here, the stock images are of toys of licensed Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Winnie the Pooh)
• Muppet Babies (both original and reboot series)
• Little Einsteins
• Courage the Cowardly Dog
• Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty
• Rock Paper Scissors
• Bubsy
• The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat (both seasons)
• Primos (the episode, "Summer of the Santa Anas", a shot of Tater with a live action hand can be seen)

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