Tag: Studio Laika

Experience Hidden Worlds, The Films of LAIKA in 2023 at MoPOP and More!

My love for this medium has only grown since looking at the objects displayed at Hidden Worlds, The Films of Studio Laika. Maybe 1/5th of their collection is proudly shown and I’m sure there’ll be more put on display throughout the year.

Ed and Norman Babcock at Hidden Worlds, the Films of Laika at MoPOPRuns till Summer 2024

MoPOP‘s Hidden Worlds, The Films of LAIKA exhibit is all kinds of wonderful, and there’s lots of time to plan a trip Seattle, WA to go see it! 

Once I stepped onto the third floor, there were a few stations to learn about the art of making cinema through stop-motion. The best part is to see the sets and puppets from this studio’s movies up close. After seeing this exhibit, I was ready to rewatch all the movies and the making of featurettes again! But this time, I’ll have to wait for my 4K steelbook order of the set to arrive. That’s because I want the extra resolution to see if I can spot where the mould lines are from the bits that help make these models come alive.

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Studio Laika’s Coraline and Paranorman are Back in Glorious 4K Steelbook Editions! And Future Release News

These collectable Steelbook releases of Coraline and Paranorman are certainly worth the upgrade from a display standpoint.

Studio Laika's Coraline Steelbook Inside CoverAnyone wanting to ditch their Studio Laika Blu-ray collection will find the collectable Steelbook releases of Coraline and Paranorman worth the upgrade. This ultra high-definition release by Shout! Factory have a lot of fantastic artwork to admire. Not only do fans have a beautiful display piece which César Moreno and Kevin Tong crafted that honours the spirit of each film, but also love the expanded Dolby ATMOS soundscape.

In this remastered edition, Dolby Vision is used to enhance the detail. For example, Coraline’s hair is even more defined than I remember, and the colour palette is exquisite. When examining this work up close, all those textures are even more realistic. That’s moreso because of the sets than the characters. In Paranorman, the transparency effects used on the ghosts are more pronounced. Also, I wanted to see if I can notice where the digital effects overlaps with the stop-motion. It’s tough to spot!

In this package, the mini-essay that’s included reminds fans why the movies from this Portland, Oregon studio are special. The talents behind each work put their heart and soul to these animatronics, and to spend years animating a few minutes per day is better explained with the bonus material that’s on the included Blu-ray disc, which is basically the past release. I’m glad that two versions are offered since I can trade in my old discs for some other titles, and I’ll be upgrading my collection for sure!

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Love Studio Laika? Details on the Studios Edition Rerelease for Fall/Winter 2021!

The Blu-ray™+DVD combos are loaded with exciting new special features, including “Inside LAIKA interviews with the studio’s animation team”, Never-Before-Seen Animation Test Footage, and Feature-Length Storyboards for each of the films. All four films were nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Animated Film.

Studio Laika – Molding Life into Stop-Motion AnimationFans of Studio Laika’s movies will be facing a tough decision, whether to upgrade their current sets for the latest, which includes some new material for the budding animator to view.

Four films will receive new high-definition releases this fall when Coraline (LAIKA Studios Edition) and The Boxtrolls (LAIKA Studios Edition) are released on August 31, and ParaNorman (LAIKA Studios Edition) and Kubo and the Two Strings (LAIKA Studios Edition) are released on September 14 by lauded animation studio LAIKA and multi-platform entertainment distributor Shout! Factory.

The Blu-ray™+DVD combos are loaded with exciting new special features, including “Inside LAIKA interviews with the studio’s animation team”, Never-Before-Seen Animation Test Footage, and Feature-Length Storyboards for each of the films. All four films were nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Animated Film.

Along with digitally remastered editions of the films, new and existing bonus features, and new, collectible packaging, the LAIKA Studios Editions feature insightful, commemorative new essays by esteemed journalists Peter Debruge (Variety), Ramin Zahed (Animation Magazine), Bill Desowitz (Indiewire) and Charles Solomon (author and former Los Angeles Times critic).

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Hunting for The Missing Link in Studio Laika’s Latest

The Missing Link

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Studio Laika always impresses. Their catalogue of works always offers insightful looks into the human condition. More often than not, they explore aspects of the supernatural world in relation to mankind. Missing Link considers what drives certain individuals to become what they are. This film suggests what makes homo sapiens superior to other forms of life, and when Charles Darwin is involved, it’s not always about survival of the fittest. Are they doing it for themselves to raise their self-esteem, or something else?

Enter wannabe world-renowned explorer Sir Lionel Frost (voiced by Hugh Jackman in his best British accent than Australian). He’s chasing after cryptids and he wants to join the prestigious Optimates Club. However, Lord Piggot-Dunceby (Stephen Fry) thinks all such creations are pish-posh; he believes mankind is superior and is supposed to dominate.

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Can You Imagine Kubo and the Two Strings in a Heavy Metal Concert …

kuboBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

* Spoiler Alert

Technically, in the movie Kubo and the Two Strings, the protagonist is playing a three-stringed shamisen (a lute). This instrument was originally a Chinese creation and it was introduced in Japan in the 16th Century. There is a tonal quality which always gives me shivers upon hearing, and when this movie’s early trailers came out, just waiting for the final product had me in anticipation for a very long time. To get me into the mood, I was oddly humming along to AC/DC‘s “Hells Bells.”

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