 | |
 Laika's headquarters in Hillsboro, Oregon | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Animation,film production |
| Genre | Stop-motion |
| Predecessor | Will Vinton Studios |
| Founded | July 20, 2005; 20 years ago (2005-07-20) |
| Founders | Phil Knight Travis Knight Will Vinton |
| Headquarters | Northeast Bennett Street,, U.S. |
Key people | Phil Knight (chairman) Travis Knight (president &CEO)[1] Matt Levin (President, LAIKA Live-Action) |
| Products | Films |
| Owners | Phil Knight Travis Knight |
Number of employees | 362 (2020)[2][3] |
| Subsidiaries | HouseSpecial (2005-2014) LAIKA Live Action[4] |
| Website | Official website |
Laika, LLC (stylized asLAIKA) is an Americanstop-motionanimation studio specializing infeature films, commercial content for all media,music videos, andshort films. The studio is best known for its stop-motion feature films,Coraline,ParaNorman,The Boxtrolls,Kubo and the Two Strings, andMissing Link. It is owned byNike co-founderPhil Knight and is located inHillsboro, Oregon, part of thePortland metropolitan area. Knight's son,Travis Knight, acts as Laika's president and CEO.
They have aLos Angeles-based subsidiary called LAIKA Live-Action.[5]
Laika previously 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.[6][7]
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 includedNike, Inc. ownerPhil Knight, whose sonTravis Knight worked at the studio as an animator. In 1998, Knight made his initial investment.[8] In 2002, Phil Knight acquired the financially struggling Will Vinton Studios to pursue feature-length productions.[9] The following year,Henry Selick, director ofThe Nightmare Before Christmas, joined the studio as a supervising director. In July 2005, Will Vinton Studios was rebranded as Laika – named afterLaika, the dog sent to space by theSoviet Union in 1957.[10]
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 filmCoraline, and the CGI animated filmJack & Ben's Animated Adventure.[8]
The studio laid off a significant portion of its staff in 2008, when its second planned feature,Jack & Ben's Animated Adventure, was cancelled.[11] The following year, the studio released its first feature film,Coraline, directed by Selick. which received a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Animated Feature, a nomination at theBAFTAs for Best Animated Feature, a nomination for theGolden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, and eight nominations at theAnnie Awards, winning three, for Best Music in an Animated Feature, and Best Character Design and Production Design in a Feature Production.
After directingMoongirl andCoraline but having been unsuccessful in 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.[9]
Their second stop-motion feature film,ParaNorman, directed bySam Fell andChris Butler, opened on August 17, 2012. It received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature,[12] 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 asApple Inc.,Fox Sports,ESPN andCoca-Cola,[13] 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.[6][7]
Their third film,The Boxtrolls, was released on September 26, 2014.[14] It was based on Alan Snow's fantasy-adventure novel,Here Be Monsters!, and was directed byAnthony Stacchi andGraham Annable. It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature,[15] 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, afterThe 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: Character Animation, Production Design, and Editorial in a Feature Production.
Laika had consideredPhilip Reeve's fantasy bookGoblins,[16] for a potential feature film adaptation.
In March 2015, the company announced its intention to expand the studio, aiming to produce one film per year.[17]
Their fifth film,Missing Link, directed by Chris Butler, was released on April 12, 2019.[18] It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature and eight nominations at the Annie Awards.[19][20] It also won a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature.[21][22]
On February 8, 2021, Laika signed a distribution deal withShout! Factory for the United States, covering the studio's first four films.[23] On March 31, 2021, Laika opened aLA-based subsidiary called LAIKA Live Action and announced their first live-action film based on the action thriller novelSeventeen by John Brownlow, who is said to be a fan of Laika's previous work.[24] In September of that year it was also confirmed that the studio is currently working on their sixth stop-motion animated film,Wildwood,[25] after the film was originally announced in 2011.[25] The film is based ona novel byColin Meloy and directed by Travis Knight[25] and is set to release in 2026.[26]
On April 27, 2022, a new Laika stop-motion film titledThe Night Gardener was announced as being in the works, based on an original story byOzark creatorBill Dubuque, with Travis Knight set to direct it.[27]
On February 7, 2023, the studio announced that formerNetflix executive Matt Levin was appointed as the President, Live-Action Film & Series, and will oversee the studio's entire live-action output, reporting directly to Travis Knight.[28]
In May 2024, it was announced thatLaika: Frame x Frame, an exhibition showcasing "the art, science and innovative wizardry of the studio’s epic films," would be hosted between August and October 2024 atBFI Southbank in London as part of a stop-motion season supported by the studio.[29] In June 2024, it was announced that Laika had acquired the rights to adaptSusanna Clarke's novelPiranesi into an animated feature film, to be directed by Travis Knight.[30] In July 2024, Laika announced their original live-action filmCrumble, withBrian Duffield writing and directing.[31]
| Title | Release date | Director(s) | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Composer | Distributor/co-production with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coraline | February 6, 2009 | Henry Selick | Based on the book by: Neil Gaiman Henry Selick | Bill Mechanic Claire Jennings Henry Selick Mary Sandell | Bruno Coulais | Focus Features Pandemonium Films |
| ParaNorman | August 17, 2012 | Sam Fell Chris Butler | Chris Butler | Arianne Sutner Travis Knight | Jon Brion | Focus Features |
| The Boxtrolls | September 26, 2014 | Graham Annable Anthony Stacchi | Based on the book by: Alan Snow Irena Brignull Adam Pava | David Bleiman Ichioka Travis Knight | Dario Marianelli | |
| Kubo and the Two Strings | August 19, 2016 | Travis Knight | Story by: Shannon Tindle Marc Haimes Screenplay by: Marc Haimes Chris Butler | Arianne Sutner Travis Knight | Focus Features Entertainment One | |
| Missing Link | April 12, 2019 | Chris Butler | Carter Burwell | Annapurna Pictures United Artists Releasing | ||
| Wildwood | 2026[26] | Travis Knight | Based on the book by: Colin Meloy Carson Ellis Chris Butler | Dario Marianelli | TBA | |
| Title | Release date | Director(s) | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Composer | Distributor/co-production with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moongirl | August 12, 2005 | Henry Selick | Helen Kalafatic | They Might Be Giants | — | |
| They Might Be Giants - Bastard Wants To Hit Me | December 12, 2005[32][33][34] | Aaron Sorenson and Courtney Booker | — | — | ||
| The Mouse That Soared | November 7, 2009[35] | Kyle T. Bell[36][37] | Kyle T. Bell, Matthew J. Hayes, and Jorgen Klubien | Daniel R. Casey | Anton Karas | — |
| ParaNorman: The Thrifting! | October 25, 2025 | Thibault LeClercq | Chris Butler | Peter McCown | Robert Lydecker and Kevin Lax | Passion Pictures[38] |
| Title | Director(s) | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Distributor/co-production with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Night Gardener[27] | Travis Knight | Bill Dubuque | TBA | — |
| Piranesi[30][39] | Based on the book by: Susanna Clarke Dave Kajganich | TBA | — | |
| Untitled film[40] | Pete Candeland | Based on an idea by: Pete Candeland John August | TBA | — |
Additionally, Víctor Maldonado, Alfredo Torres,[41] Chris and Justin Copeland,Chris Butler, andSam Fell are working on animated films for the studio.[42][43]
| Title | Director(s) | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Distributor/co-production with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seventeen[24] | TBA | Based on the novel by: John Brownlow TBA | TBA | — |
| Crumble[31] | Brian Duffield | Phil Lord Christopher Miller Aditya Sood Brian Duffield | Lord Miller | |
| Untitled film[44] | Jon Spaihts | TBA | — | |
| Atmosphere[45] | Anna Boden Ryan Fleck | Based onthe novel by: Taylor Jenkins Reid Anna Boden Ryan Fleck | Travis Knight Matt Levin Anna Boden Ryan Fleck Taylor Jenkins Reid Brad Mendelsohn | Circle M+P |
| Audition[46] | Lulu Wang | Based onthe novel by: Katie Kitamura Lulu Wang Martyna Majok | Vinnie Malhotra Anikah McLaren Travis Knight Matt Levin Lulu Wang Lucy Liu Katie Kitamura Jeremy Kipp Walker | Higher Ground Productions |
When Laika Entertainment opened, they announced their first projects, the stop-motion filmCoraline, and the CGI animated filmJack & Ben's Animated Adventure.[8] The latter film was cancelled in 2008, which resulted in the closure of Laika's CGI film division.[11] Characters from the scrapped film were used in a short film,The Mouse that Soared.[47]
Another CGI film wasThe Wall And The Wing, the earliest reference to which dates back to 2005, before the publication of Laura Ruby's novel of the same name. Henry Selick was set to direct the film.[48][49]
In 2010, it was announced thatJan Pinkava would be directing an original film based on Pinkava's own idea for Laika titled,Little White Lie, with Chris McCoy as co-writer.[50] Pinkava left Laika in 2011,[51] effectively cancelling the film.
There have been plans for aParaNorman CGI sequel series, but nothing has come of the project.[52][53]
In 2012, it was announced that Laika was set to adaptPhilip Reeve's bookGoblins, withMark Gustafson set to direct.[54] No further updates were given, and Gustafson died in 2024.[55]
| Title | Release date | Budget | Gross | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corpse Bride[56] | September 23, 2005 | $40 million | $117.2 million | 84% (195 reviews)[57] | 83 (35 reviews)[58] | Production, Directed byMike Johnson and Tim Burton |
| Slacker Cats | August 13, 2007 | — | — | — | — | Television series; last episode was originally aired on January 23, 2009 |
| King of California | September 14, 2007 | $10 million | $1.03 million | 63% (67 reviews)[59] | 63 (22 reviews)[60] | Animation sequences |
| A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas | November 4, 2011 | $19 million | $36.2 million | 68% (131 reviews)[61] | 61 (29 reviews)[62] | Stop-motion/claymation sequence[63] |
| Title | Budget[64] | Box office gross[64] | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic[65] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coraline | $60 million | $185.9 million | 91% (278 reviews)[66] | 80 (40 reviews)[67] |
| ParaNorman | $107.1 million | 89% (192 reviews)[68] | 72 (33 reviews)[69] | |
| The Boxtrolls | $108 million | 78% (175 reviews)[70] | 61 (37 reviews)[71] | |
| Kubo and the Two Strings | $77.5 million | 97% (219 reviews)[72] | 84 (38 reviews)[73] | |
| Missing Link | $100 million | $26.6 million | 88% (172 reviews)[74] | 68 (30 reviews)[75] |
We hired this company LAIKA who did "Coraline" and "Nightmare Before Christmas" out of Portland and they did it, which is also crazy.
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