the triumph of animated art and craftsmanship
 

POSTED ON 11.10.2025

How does an independent stop-motion animation studio based in Oregon, often nominated for Academy Awards, compete with major studios in LA? This is the story of Laika, a company created in 2005 by stop-motion animation enthusiast Travis Knight.

© DR

1^st SUCCESS

It all begins in Hillsboro, not far from Portland, where Travis Knight, who helms Laika studio, is working with Henry Selick (director of The Nightmare Before Christmas) on the short film Moongirl. In 2009, they decide to collaborate on a feature film baptised Coraline. A workforce of 70 people craft the silicone, latex foam and resin figurines. Everything is done on-site in workshops that deal with fabrics, metals and wood. This is the Laika spirit: a healthy dose of artisan craftsmanship, that human touch that adds a soul to stories always focused on childhood. And it works. Coraline is a hit, receiving nominations for Academy Awards, BAFTAs and Golden Globes.

THE INVENTION

In 2012, Laika unveils ParaNorman, co-directed by Chris Butler and Britain’s Sam Fell, which tells the story of Norman, a little boy who can communicate with ghosts. Aside from the indisputable comic poetry of the motion picture, the film inaugurates the very first use of colour 3D printers for animation. As a result, Laika wins a technical Oscar for its groundbreaking process of rapid prototyping, or 3D printing of faces for its puppets.

DEEPLY HUMAN

Another distinctive feature of Laika is its willingness to tackle profoundly deep and human subjects via childhood. In 2016, when Travis Knight releases Kubo and the Two Strings, his first feature as a director, he sets the story in a medieval and oneiric Japan and decides to make a one-eyed little boy the hero. The film demonstrates how disability is not a hindrance to adventure. To bring this energetic and visually stunning work to life, Knight collaborates with 35 animators on 70 sets. For the title character of Kubo alone, 22,000 mouths and eyebrows are created, in order to convey nearly 4.5 million expressions... Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, Rooney Mara and Ralph Fiennes provide the English voices for the characters. New Oscar nominations roll in... After two decades of existence, Laika has developed a model approach, where creativity in its manufacturing process is intelligent, and is especially focused on delivering enlightening stories that enthral children and inspire adults.

Travis Knight and Sam Fell, welcome to Lumière!

Virginie Apiou

ParaNorman – in French by Chris Butler et Sam Fell (ParaNorman, 2012, 1h32)  JP – à partir de 9 ans
Comœdia Wed15 2.30pm In the presence of Sam Fell and Thibault Leclercq | UGC Confluence Sun19 11am

Kubo and the Two Strings – in French by Travis Knight (2016, 1h42)
UGC Confluence Sun12 1.45pm In the presence of Travis Knight

Coraline by Henry Selick (2009, 1h41) JP – à partir de 9 ans
UGC Confluence Sat18 10.45am | Pathé Bellecour Sun19 2pm

Exhibition"FRAME x FRAME :
The Art and Animation of LAIKA”
12 October – 31 December 2025
Musée Cinéma & Miniature — 60, rue Saint-Jean, 5^th arrondissement, Lyon