One of the highlights of Nat Geo’s “Cosmos: Possible Worlds” was how stop-motion animation helped humanize the tragic career of pioneering Russian botanist/geneticist Nikolai Vavilov in Episode 4: “Vavilov.” Indeed, the way in which Josef Stalin politicized pseudo-science to debunk Vavilov’s revolutionary discoveries to end hunger (he starved to death in prison), serves as a timely reminder of how political propaganda continues to imperil scientific truth.Showrunner Ann Druyan and executive producer Brannon Braga used lots of hand-drawn animation throughout the series as a visual change of pace, but wanted to give “Vavilov” a more distinctive look to help humanize the historical drama.
And they were both admirers of stop-motion, especially the nuance and naturalism of Charlie Kaufman’s Oscar-nominated “Anomalisa,” which was co-directed by Duke Johnson and animated at Starburns Industries — so they approached Johnson to spearhead the episode.Trouble was, Johnson was in the midst
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