A 3d Character Cocktail
As the computer and it's awesome abilities grow in popularity so does the images and special effects created by it. With the growth of the CGI business and it's popularity the stop motion/puppets have slowed down. Today most people don't use clay characters or puppets to make non human characters in their movies and shows because the flexibility and realism of computer effects is easier to incorporate. Although many will opt for computer animation over claymation the combination of both can create very unique effects.
Each form of animation brings its own unique style and feel. Claymation characters are good for doing comedies because they can look strange and still give the sense of a real object since clay is something a person can hold. Computer animation can be used to make very realistic looking characters that are not held back by limitations of a solid or it can be make some tasks easier. For example, if I were to create a forest on the computer I could make a few and then copy them over and over again, while with clay I would have to make each tree individually. In many new claymation movies the mouth and other repetitive motions are done on the computer this saves time and looks more accurate than moving the lips frame by frame. Also since computer scenes look computerish, computer animation can be made to seem more futuristic than clay.