They’re the studio behind some of cinema’s most beloved stop-motion characters and stories – including the dark, fantastical coming-of-age Coraline, zombie comedy ParaNorman, samurai epic Kubo And The Two Strings, and, most recently, the massively fun Missing Link. All five of their feature films were nominated for Oscars, and they remain one of the most imaginative, original and eccentric homes for animation in the world. Yes, we’re talking about Laika, the stop-motion super-studio led by CEO and feature director Travis Knight – and in the new issue of Empire, we get to pull back the painstakingly-animated curtain on Laika’s process, paying a visit to their headquarters in Portland, Oregon.
Talking to Knight, plus members of the team including animator Jason Stalman, head of production Arianne Sutner and more, Empire walks around Laika’s 40,000-square-foot warehouse, getting world-exclusive access to every inch of the puppet-filled studios. We stop by the sets, hear about the technical advances Laika is making, soak in the immense scale and time-consuming artistry that goes into making these kinds of movies, and get the lowdown on some of their upcoming titles – all documented in the new issue through extensive, exclusive new photography.
If one thing is clear from our visit, it’s that Laika HQ is a place of wonder, but also of incredibly hard work – and as the team focus on their biggest project yet, upcoming feature Wildwood (keep an eye on empireonline.com for more details about that soon), Knight seems to be feeling that dichotomy more than ever. “You know, these things are like little vampires,” Knight tells Empire, regarding the puppets that fill his warehouse. “They suck the life out of the people that touch them. At times, it’s really frustrating — they won’t do what you want them to do. But when I see a puppet that’s been imbued with life, because an animator on a stage has had an emotional connection with an inanimate thing, an assemblage of silicon and steel... Well, it’s the closest thing to magic I’ve ever witnessed.” We can’t wait to be spellbound once again.
Read Empire’s exclusive Laika feature – where we visit the studio’s headquarters, speaking to Travis Knight and his team at length about their process, their culture, and what’s next – in the upcoming July 2023 issue, on sale Thursday 8 June. Become an Empire member to access the digital edition in full on launch day, or pre-order a print copy online now here.
Portrait by Shayan Asgharnia, shot exclusively for Empire at Laika’s studios in Portland in April 2023.