LAIKA

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LAIKA
Type:	Private
Industry:	Advertising, Film Production
Genre:	Stop-Motion, Animation
Predecessor(s):	Will Vinton Studios
Founded:	2005
Headquarters:	Hillsboro, Oregon, USA
Key people:	Phil Knight (Chairman), Travis Knight (President & CEO)
Products:	Commercials, Films
Owner(s):	Phil Knight
Employees:	180 (2009)
Subsidiaries:	LAIKA/house

Laika, Inc. is an American stop-motion animation studio specializing in feature films, commercial content for all mediums, music videos and short films. The studio is best known for its stop-motion feature films, CORALINE in 2009, and PARANORMAN in 2012.

Laika is owned by Nike co-founder and Chairman Phil Knight, and is located in Oregon's Portland metropolitan area; Knight's son Travis acts as its President and CEO. The company has two divisions, Laika Entertainment for feature films and LAIKA/house for commercial content, such as broadcast and web advertising, branded entertainment and short films. Their feature films are distributed by Focus Features.

LAIKA/house

The commercial content animation studio, LAIKA/house, is composed of filmmakers, designers and animators who produce animated content in all types of animation in most media. The division produces CG, 2D/3D, motion graphics, and stop-motion. Past projects include the Ben & Jerry's stop-motion campaign; Coca-Cola Rivalries commercials which aired throughout South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East during the 2006 World Cup; campaigns for Apple Inc, M&M's and Kellogg's; and spots for Honda, Starbucks, Planters, Shaw Cable and Frito Lay. The studio is located in Northwest Portland.

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.

In 2002, Phil Knight acquired financially struggling Will Vinton Studios to pursue feature-length productions. 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. 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, a stop-motion film CORALINE and CGI animated film JACK & BEN'S ANIMATED ADVENTURE.

The studio laid off a significant portion of its staff in 2008, when the studio's second planned feature JACK & BEN'S ANIMATED ADVENTURE cancelled. The following year, the studio released its first feature film, CORALINE, which received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. After directing MOONGIRL and CORALINE, and unsuccessfully renegotiating his contract, Henry Selick departed Laika in 2009. At the end of the year the studio laid off more staff in its computer animation department to focus exclusively on stop-motion. Their second stop-motion feature film, PARANORMAN, opened August 17, 2012.

Currently in production at the Hillsboro studio is THE BOXTROLLS, a 3D stop-motion/CGI animated feature, based on Alan Snow's fantasy-adventure novel HERE BE MONSTERS!. Scheduled for September 26, 2014, it is being directed by Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable. Laika has also optioned Colin Meloy's fantasy novel WILDWOOD, and Philip Reeve's fantasy book GOBLINS to make feature film adaptations.

Filmography

Feature films

Released films

#	Title	Release date	Budget	Gross	RT	MC
1	Coraline	February 6, 2009	$60 million	$124.6 million	90%	80
2	ParaNorman	August 17, 2012	$60 million	$107.1 million	87%	72
3	The Boxtrolls	September 26, 2014	$60 million	$109.3 million	75%	61
4	Kubo and the Two Strings	August 19, 2016	$60 million	$74.5 million	97%	84
5	Missing Link	April 12, 2019	$100 million	$26.2 million	88%	68
6	Wildwood	2025