Animators re-enact Game 7 of the World Series using toy figurines

The thrill and heartbreak that permeated Game 7 of the 2016 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians might not have yet subsided for fans of those teams. Highlights of that epic contest have continued to roll into mid-November, and now there is a stop-motion re-enactment of the game's most memorable moments.

A team of animators known as thefourmonkeys released on their YouTube channel earlier this week a video that relives Game 7 using Lego-like OYO Sports mini-figures.

The minute-long video begins with Dexter Fowler's leadoff home run off Corey Kluber in the first inning, complete with Rajai Davis' leaping attempt at the center field wall. Next is Javier Baez's opposite-field home run in the fifth inning, followed byJon Lester's wild pitch that led to two runs for Cleveland in the bottom half of the frame. Cubs catcher David Ross falls backward as the ball skips away, and the Indians' Jason Kipnis chasesCarlos Santana home with a head-first slide at the plate.

The animators would be remiss if they did not feature Davis' game-tying home run off Aroldis Chapman in the eighth inning, and they even nailed small details such as the ball nicking the left-field camera and LeBron James' muscle-flexing reaction.

Special effects that simulate rain set the closing scenes, as thefourmonkeys capture the tense weather delay, with umpires conferring, the tarp coming onto the field and even the Jason Heyward-led team meeting in the clubhouse.

The video concludes with Ben Zobrist's game-winning double down the left-field linein the 10th inning and the series-ending play on which third baseman Kris Bryant throws across the diamond to retire Michael Martinez.

According to thefourmonkeys' website, the team is a family of four that prefers to remain anonymous by referring to themselves only as "monkeys." They revealed that they use a MacBook computer with Final Cut Pro and Dragonframe stop-motion software along with a Canon EOS T2i camera to develop most of their videos.

-- Nick Ostiller