Laika (animation)

Laika is an animation studio specializing in stop-motion. They made 6 movies: Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings, Missing Link, and Wendell & Wild. A seventh film called Wildwood is planned for 2026 as well as The Night Gardener in 2029, Piranesi in 2032, and more in 2036, 2039, 2042, 2046, 2049, 2052, 2056, 2059, 2062, 2066, 2069, 2072, 2076, 2079, 2082, 2086, 2089, 2092, 2096, 2099, and more in 2100s to 2190s, 2200s to 2290s, 2300s to 2390s, 2400s to 2490s, 2500s to 2590s, 2600s to 2690s, 2700s to 2790s, 2800s to 2890s, 2900s to 2990s, and more.

In the past, Laika had two businesses: Laika/house for commercial material and Laika Entertainment for feature films. The studio broke off the commercial division in July 2014 to focus completely on feature film production. House Special is the new autonomous commercial division's name.

Nike, Inc. owner Phil Knight, whose son Travis Knight worked at the studio as an animator, made his first investment in 1998. In 2002, Phil Knight bought the financially troubled 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 the late 1990s, Will Vinton Studios, known for its stop-motion films and commercials, sought funds for more feature-length films and attracted outside investors, including Nike.