Laika, LLC is an American stop-motion animation studio specializing in feature films, commercial content for all media, music videos, and short films. The studio is best known for its stop-motion feature films Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings, Missing Link and The Boxtrolls 2. Nearly all films have been co-produced in partnership with Universal Pictures through its Focus Features label (Missing Link is distributed by United Artists Releasing). It is owned by Nike co-founder and chairman Phil Knight and is located in Hillsboro, Oregon, part of the Portland metropolitan area. Knight's son, Travis, acts as Laika's president and CEO.
Laika had two divisions: Laika Entertainment for feature films and Laika/house for commercial content. The studio spun off the commercial division in July 2014 to focus exclusively on feature film production. The new independent commercial division is now called HouseSpecial.[3][4]
History[]
In the late 1990s, Will Vinton Studios, known for its stop-motion films and commercials, sought funds for more feature-length films and brought in outside investors, which included Nike, Inc. owner Phil Knight. In 1998, Knight made his initial investment and his son Travis started work at the studio as an animator.[5] In 2002, Phil Knight acquired the financially struggling Will Vinton Studios to pursue feature-length productions.[6] The following year, Henry Selick, director of The Nightmare Before Christmas, joined the studio as a supervising director. In July 2005, Will Vinton Studios was rebranded as Laika - named after Laika, the dog sent to space by the Soviet Union in 1957.[7] It opened two divisions: Laika Entertainment for feature films and Laika/house for commercial work, such as advertisements and music videos. They also announced their first projects, the stop-motion film Coraline (based on the book of the same name), and the CGI animated film Jack & Ben's Animated Adventure.[5]
Laika's headquarters in Hillsboro, Oregon
The studio laid off a significant portion of its staff in 2008, when its second planned feature, Jack & Ben's Animated Adventure, was cancelled.[8] The following year, the studio released its first feature film, Coraline, which received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, a nomination at the BAFTAs for Best Animated Feature, a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, and eight nominations at the Annie Awards, winning three, for Best Music in an Animated Feature, and Best Character Design and Production Design in a Feature Production.
After directing Moongirl and Coraline, and unsuccessfully renegotiating his contract, Selick departed Laika in 2009.[1] At the end of the year, the studio laid off more staff in its computer animation department to focus exclusively on stop-motion.[6]
Their second stop-motion feature film, ParaNorman, directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler opened on August 17, 2012. It received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature,[9] as well as a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the BAFTAs, and eight nominations at the Annie Awards, winning two, for Character Animation and Character Design in an Animated Feature Production.
After working on stop-motion commercials for clients such as Apple Inc., Fox Sports, ESPN and Coca-Cola,[10] Laika spun off its advertising portion in July 2014, to focus on feature film production exclusively. The new independent commercial division is now called HouseSpecial.[3][4]
Their third film, The Boxtrolls, was released on September 26, 2014.[11] It was based on Alan Snow's fantasy-adventure novel, Here Be Monsters! and was directed by Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable. It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature,[12] a Golden Globe nomination for Best Animated Feature, and nine nominations at the Annie Awards, winning two, for Voice Acting and Production Design in an Animated Feature Production.
Their fourth film, Kubo and the Two Strings, directed by Travis Knight was released on August 19, 2016. It received two nominations at the Academy Awards, for Best Animated Feature and Best Visual Effects (as only the second animated film to receive that nomination, after The Nightmare Before Christmas). It won the BAFTA for Best Animated Feature. It also received a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the Golden Globes, and ten nominations at the Annie Awards, winning three, for Character Animation, Production Design and Editorial in a Feature Production.
Laika has considered Colin Meloy's fantasy novel Wildwood[13][14] and Philip Reeve's fantasy book Goblins,[15] for potential feature film adaptations.
In March 2015, the company announced it would expand the studio in an effort to allow for production of one film per year.[16]
Their antoher film, Missing Link, directed by Chris Butler was released on April 12, 2019.[17]
Their another film, A Mermaid's Tale, directed by Henry Selick was released on June 25, 2021
Filmography[]
Feature films[]
Released[]
| # | Title | Release date | Budget[18] | Gross[18] | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coraline | February 6, 2009 | $60 million | $124.6 million | 90% (261 reviews)[20] | 80 (38 reviews)[21] |
| 2 | ParaNorman | August 17, 2012 | $107.1 million | 88% (180 reviews)[22] | 72 (33 reviews)[23] | |
| 3 | The Boxtrolls | September 26, 2014 | $109.3 million | 76% (164 reviews)[24] | 61 (37 reviews)[25] | |
| 4 | Kubo and the Two Strings | August 19, 2016 | $77.5 million | 97% (210 reviews)[26] | 84 (38 reviews)[27] | |
| 5.1 | The Boxtrolls 2 | November 17, 2017 | ||||
| 5.2 | ||||||
| 5.3 | Missing Link | April 12, 2019 | $100 million | $23.1 million | 89% (127 reviews)[28] | 68 (30 reviews)[29] |
Contract work[]
| Title | Release date | Budget | Gross | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corpse Bride | September 23, 2005 | $40 million | $117.2 million | 84% (189 reviews)[30] | 83 (35 reviews)[31] | Production |
| King of California | September 14, 2007 | $10 million | $1.03 million | 63% (68 reviews)[32] | 63 (22 reviews)[33] | Dream sequence |
| Slacker Cats | August 13, 2007–January 23, 2009 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Television series |
| A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas | November 4, 2011 | $19 million | $36.2 million | 68% (128 reviews)[34] | 61 (29 critics)[35] | Stop-motion/claymation[36] |
Accolades[]
Academy Awards[]
| Year | Film | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Corpse Bride | Best Animated Feature | Tim Burton and Mike Johnson | Nominated |
| 2009 | Coraline | Henry Selick | ||
| 2012 | ParaNorman | Sam Fell and Chris Butler | ||
| 2014 | The Boxtrolls | Anthony Stacchi, Graham Annable and Travis Knight | ||
| 2016 | Kubo and the Two Strings | Travis Knight and Arianne Sutner | ||
| Best Visual Effects | Steve Emerson, Oliver Jones, Brian McLean and Brad Schiff |
Annie Awards[]
| Year | Film | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Corpse Bride | Best Animated Feature | Tim Burton and Mike Johnson | Nominated |
| 2009 | Coraline | Best Animated Feature | Henry Selick | |
| Directing in a Feature Production | ||||
| Voice Acting in a Feature Production | Dawn French | |||
| Music in an Animated Feature Production | Bruno Coulais | Won | ||
| Character Animation in a Feature Production | Travis Knight | Nominated | ||
| Character Design in a Feature Production | Shane Prigmore and Shannon Tindle | Won | ||
| Production Design in a Feature Production | Christopher Appelhans and Tadahiro Uesugi | |||
| Storyboarding in a Feature Production | Chris Butler | Nominated | ||
| 2012 | ParaNorman | Best Animated Feature | Sam Fell and Chris Butler | |
| Directing in a Feature Production | ||||
| Animated Effects in an Animated Production | Andrew Nawrot, Joe Gorski and Grant Lake | |||
| Character Animation in a Feature Production | Travis Knight | Won | ||
| Character Design in an Animated Feature Production | Heidi Smith | |||
| Production Design in an Animated Feature Production | Nelson Lowry, Ross Stewart, Pete Oswald, Ean McNamara and Trevor Dalmer | Nominated | ||
| Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production | Emmanuela Cozzi | |||
| Writing in an Animated Feature Production | Chris Butler | |||
| 2014 | The Boxtrolls | Best Animated Feature | Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi | |
| Animated Effects in an Animated Production | Rick Sevy, Peter Vickery, Kent Estep, Peter Stuart and Ralph Procida | |||
| Character Animation in a Feature Production | Travis Knight | |||
| Malcolm Lamont | ||||
| Jason Stalman | ||||
| Character Design in an Animated Feature Production | Mike Smith | |||
| Directing in an Animated Feature Production | Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi | |||
| Production Design in an Animated Feature Production | Paul Lasaine, Tom McClure and August Hall | |||
| Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production | Emanuela Cozzi | |||
| Voice Acting in a Feature Production | Ben Kingsley | Won | ||
| Dee Bradley Baker | Nominated | |||
| Writing in an Animated Feature Production | Irena Brignull and Adam Pava | |||
| 2016 | Kubo and the Two Strings | Best Animated Feature | Travis Knight | |
| Animated Effects in an Animated Production | David Horsley, Eric Wachtman, Timur Khodzhaev, Daniel Leatherdale and Terrance Tomberg | |||
| Character Animation in a Feature Production | Jan Maas | Won | ||
| Character Design in an Animated Feature Production | Shannon Tindle | Nominated | ||
| Directing in an Animated Feature Production | Travis Knight | |||
| Production Design in an Animated Feature Production | Nelson Lowry, Trevor Dalmer, August Hall and Ean McNamara | Won | ||
| Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production | Mark Garcia | Nominated | ||
| Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production | Art Parkinson | |||
| Writing in an Animated Feature Production | Marc Haimes and Chris Butler | |||
| Editorial in an Animated Feature Production | Christopher Murrie | Won |
British Academy Film Awards[]
| Year | Film | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Coraline | Best Animated Film | Henry Selick | Nominated |
| 2012 | ParaNorman | Sam Fell and Chris Butler | ||
| 2014 | The Boxtrolls | Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable | ||
|
2016 |
Kubo and the Two Strings | Travis Knight | Won |
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kapko, Matt (October 6, 2009). "Breaking News: Henry Selick Leaves Laika". Animation World Network. http://www.awn.com/news/business/breaking-news-henry-selick-leaves-laika. Retrieved November 12, 2009.
- ↑ Laika to Expand Studio by 70 Percent
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Amidi, Amid (July 28, 2014). "House Special Launches in Portland". Cartoon Brew. http://www.cartoonbrew.com/business/house-special-launches-in-portland-102200.html. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Kelly Salmon Named HouseSpecial Northeast Rep", Animation Magazine, July 28, 2015. Retrieved on February 19, 2017.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Williams, Christina. "Laika ramps up Oregon animation industry", OregonBusiness.com, July 2006. Retrieved on July 13, 2011.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Rogoway, Mike. "Laika lays off 63, scrubs plans for computer-animated features", The Oregonian, September 18, 2009. Retrieved on September 23, 2009.
- ↑ McLean, Tom (December 29, 2015). "LAIKA Reflects on 10 Innovative Years". Animation Magazine.
- ↑ Rogoway, Mike. "Laika lays off 65, shelves CG film", The Oregonian, December 17, 2008. Retrieved on September 23, 2009.
- ↑ Sarto, Dan (January 10, 2013). "'ParaNorman', 'Wreck-It Ralph' and 'Frankenweenie' lead Oscar Nominations". Animation World Network. http://www.awn.com/news/paranorman-wreck-it-ralph-and-frankenweenie-lead-oscar-nominations. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- ↑ Siemers, Erik. "Laika spins off ad business to focus on feature films", May 20, 2014. Retrieved on May 23, 2014.
- ↑ "The Boxtrolls". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=laika2014.htm. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
- ↑ Amidi, Amid. "Laika’s Next Feature Will Be "Boxtrolls"", February 7, 2013. Retrieved on February 7, 2013.
- ↑ Debruge, Peter. "Laika to adapt The Decemberists singer's 'Wildwood'", September 7, 2011. Retrieved on April 22, 2012.
- ↑ Manny (January 31, 2015). "LAIKA Studios comes to Wizard World Portland!". Screen Invasion. http://screeninvasion.com/2015/01/laika-studios-comes-wizard-world-portland/. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
- ↑ L. Dickey, Josh. "Laika puts Brit book 'Goblins' in pipeline", April 18, 2012. Retrieved on April 22, 2012.
- ↑ "Laika plans major Hillsboro expansion", Portland Business Journal, March 11, 2015. Retrieved on 13 March 2015.
- ↑ Kit, Borys (April 25, 2018). "Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, Zach Galifianakis Starring in Animated Film From Laika" (in en). https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/hugh-jackman-zoe-saldana-zach-galifianakis-starring-animated-film-laika-1105775. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Laika Movies at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=laika.htm. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
- ↑ "Laika's Profile". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/company/laika-entertainment. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
- ↑ "Coraline (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. February 5, 2009. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/coraline/. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
- ↑ "Coraline". http://www.metacritic.com/movie/coraline.
- ↑ "ParaNorman (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paranorman/. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
- ↑ "ParaNorman Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. http://www.metacritic.com/movie/paranorman. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
- ↑ "The Boxtrolls". Fandango Media. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_boxtrolls/. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
- ↑ "The Boxtrolls Reviews". CBS Interactive. http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-boxtrolls. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
- ↑ "Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)". Fandango Media. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kubo_and_the_two_strings_2016/. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- ↑ "Kubo and the Two Strings Reviews". CBS Interactive. http://www.metacritic.com/movie/kubo-and-the-two-strings. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Missing Link (2019)". Fandango Media. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/missing_link_2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ↑ "Missing Link Reviews". CBS Interactive. http://www.metacritic.com/movie/missing-link. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
- ↑ "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/corpse_bride/. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
- ↑ "Corpse Bride Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/movie/corpse-bride. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
- ↑ "King of California - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/king_of_california/. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
- ↑ "King of California (2007): Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/kingofcalifornia. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
- ↑ "A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/very_harold_and_kumar_christmas/. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
- ↑ "A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. http://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-very-harold-kumar-christmas. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ↑ Williams, Alex. "Q&A: 'Harold and Kumar' director shares challenges of 3D debut", November 7, 2011. Retrieved on November 13, 2011. “We hired this company LAIKA who did "Coraline" and "Nightmare Before Christmas" out of Portland and they did it, which is also crazy.”
External links[]
Template:Sisterlinks
- Official website
- Laika Entertainment on IMDb
- Will Vinton Studios on IMDb
| v - e - dLaika | |
|---|---|
| Feature films | Coraline (2009) • ParaNorman (2012) • The Boxtrolls (2014) • Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) • Missing Link (2019) • Ghost in the Shell (2019) |
| Short films | Moongirl (2005) |
| People | Phil Knight • Travis Knight • Henry Selick |
| Associated productions | Corpse Bride (2005) • King of California (2007) • Slacker Cats (2007–2009) • A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (2011) |
| Related articles | Will Vinton • Bob Gardiner • Clay animation • Joan C. Gratz • Closed Mondays (1974) • Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase (1992) |
