Laika, LLC

Laika, LLC

Company type	Private
Industry	Animation, Film production
Founded	2005 (2005)
Founder	Phil Knight
Headquarters	Hillsboro, Oregon , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Travis Knight (President and CEO), Phil Knight (Owner)
Products	Feature-length stop-motion animated films, commercials, music videos, short films
Owner	Phil Knight

Laika, LLC (marketed as LAIKA) is a U.S.-based studio specializing in stop-motion animation, producing feature-length films, commercials, music videos, and short films. The studio is acclaimed for its stop-motion movies such as Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Missing Link. Owned by Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike, Laika’s headquarters are located in Hillsboro, Oregon, within the Portland metropolitan area. Travis Knight, Phil Knight’s son, holds the position of president and CEO.

Laika also manages a subsidiary located in Los Angeles named LAIKA Live Action.

Originally structured into two branches—Laika Entertainment for feature films and Laika/house handling commercial projects—the company separated its commercial division in July 2014 to dedicate itself exclusively to feature film creation. This independent commercial entity now operates under the name HouseSpecial.

History

During the late 1990s, Will Vinton Studios, recognized for its stop-motion work in films and advertising, sought additional capital to support feature film projects. Among external investors was Phil Knight, Nike’s founder, whose son Travis Knight was an animator at the studio. After making his first investment in 1998, Phil Knight purchased the struggling company by 2002 with the intention of emphasizing feature film production. In 2003, Henry Selick—director of The Nightmare Before Christmas—joined as supervising director. The studio was rebranded as Laika in July 2005, named after the Soviet space dog.

Laika established two operational units: Laika Entertainment focusing on feature films and Laika/house producing commercials and music videos. Their initial undertakings included the stop-motion film Coraline alongside the CGI project Jack & Ben's Animated Adventure. However, after canceling Jack & Ben's Animated Adventure in 2008, Laika underwent significant layoffs. The following year saw the release of Coraline, which received nominations for prestigious awards including the Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and eight Annie Awards—winning three.

Following unsuccessful contract discussions in 2009, Henry Selick departed from Laika. Subsequently, the studio concentrated solely on stop-motion animation. Their sophomore feature film ParaNorman (2012) earned nominations for both Academy and BAFTA awards and secured two Annie Awards.

Prior to spinning off their advertising division in 2014 as HouseSpecial to focus on feature films exclusively, Laika produced commercials for major clients such as Apple Inc., Fox Sports, ESPN, and Coca-Cola. Their third film, The Boxtrolls (2014), adapted from Alan Snow’s novel and directed by Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable, garnered Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations as well as two Annie Awards.

In 2016, Laika released its fourth feature Kubo and the Two Strings, directed by Travis Knight. The film received two Academy Award nominations—including one for Best Visual Effects—and won the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Feature. It also achieved recognition through Golden Globe and Annie Award nominations with three wins.

Laika contemplated adapting Philip Reeve’s fantasy novel Goblins and announced a substantial expansion of its studio facilities in 2015 to facilitate an annual release schedule.

Their fifth production, Missing Link (2019), directed by Chris Butler, earned an Academy Award nomination along with eight Annie Award nods; it won a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature.

In 2021, Laika entered a U.S. distribution agreement with Shout! Factory covering its first four films. That same year saw the launch of LAIKA Live Action in Los Angeles along with their inaugural live-action project: an adaptation of John Brownlow’s thriller novel Seventeen. Additionally, Laika confirmed development on their sixth stop-motion feature titled Wildwood, based on Colin Meloy’s book and directed by Travis Knight; it is slated for release in January 2026.

April 2022 brought news of a new stop-motion film called The Night Gardener, based on an original concept by Bill Dubuque with Travis Knight attached as director.

Former director Henry Selick has shown interest in returning to direct an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane. By June 2024, development was underway with completed treatments and conceptual artwork; however, the project’s status remained uncertain as of August 2024. Despite controversies involving Gaiman emerging in early 2025, Selick reportedly continues work on this film.

In February 2023, Laika appointed Matt Levin—a former Netflix executive—as President of Live-Action Film & Series to lead their live-action productions under CEO Travis Knight.

May 2024 saw Laika announce "Laika: Frame x Frame," an exhibition highlighting their groundbreaking filmmaking techniques at BFI Southbank in London. The following month they secured rights to adapt Susanna Clarke’s novel Piranesi into an animated feature directed by Travis Knight. In July 2024, plans were revealed for an original live-action movie titled Crumble, written and directed by Brian Duffield.

Short Films

Title	Release Date	Director(s)	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Composer	Distributor / Co-production Partners
Moongirl	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	Henry Selick		Helen Kalafatic	They Might Be Giants	Template:N/A
They Might Be Giants - Bastard Wants To Hit Me	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting			They Might Be Giants	Template:N/A
The Mouse that Soared	November 7, 2009	Kyle T. Bell
ParaNorman: The Thrifting!	October 25, 2025	Thibault LeClercq	Chris Butler	Template:TBA	Template:TBA	Passion Pictures

Stop-motion Animation

Title	Director(s)	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Distributor / Co-production Partners
The Night Gardener	Travis Knight	Bill Dubuque	Template:TBA	Template:N/A
The Ocean at the End of the Lane	Henry Selick	Adapted from the novel by: Neil Gaiman Henry Selick	Template:TBA	Template:N/A
Piranesi	Travis Knight	Adapted from the novel by: Susanna Clarke Dave Kajganich	Template:TBA	Template:N/A
Untitled project	Pete Candeland	Originated from an idea by: Pete Candeland John August	Template:TBA	Template:N/A

Prominent directors such as Víctor Maldonado and Alfredo Torres, recognized for their contributions to Love, Death & Robots, along with Chris and Justin Copeland—who have directed Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts and several titles within the DC Animated Universe—as well as filmmakers Chris Butler and Sam Fell, co-directors of ParaNorman, are actively collaborating with the studio on new animation ventures. This initiative underscores the company's commitment to broadening its stop-motion offerings and enhancing its competitive stance through partnerships with distinguished creatives in the industry.

Unrealized Projects

When Laika Entertainment was founded, it revealed two initial endeavors: the stop-motion feature Coraline and a CGI project titled Jack & Ben's Animated Adventure. The latter was discontinued in 2008, which resulted in shutting down Laika's CGI department. Characters originally created for this cancelled initiative later appeared in the short film The Mouse that Soared.

Another CGI film in development, The Wall And The Wing, originated in 2005 with Henry Selick attached to direct. In 2010, Laika planned an original movie called Little White Lie, co-written by Chris McCoy and directed by Jan Pinkava; however, Pinkava’s exit in 2011 led to the project's cancellation.

Although a sequel series to ParaNorman using CGI was announced, it never came to fruition. In 2012, Laika intended to adapt Philip Reeve's novel Goblins under the direction of Mark Gustafson; yet no further updates emerged before Gustafson’s passing in 2024.

Contracted Projects

Title	Release Date	Budget	Box Office	Rotten Tomatoes	Metacritic	Notes
Corpse Bride	September 23, 2005	$40 million	$117.2 million	84% (195 reviews)	83 (35 reviews)	Production; Directed by Mike Johnson and Tim Burton
Slacker Cats	August 13, 2007	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Television series; final episode aired January 23, 2009
King of California	September 14, 2007	$10 million	$1.03 million	63% (67 reviews)	63 (22 reviews)	Provided animation sequences
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas	November 4, 2011	$19 million	$36.2 million	68% (131 reviews)	61 (29 reviews)	Stop-motion/claymation segment produced by LAIKA, known for "Coraline" and "Nightmare Before Christmas"

LAIKA Live Action

Title	Director(s)	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Distributor/Co-production Partner
Seventeen	Template:TBA	Adapted from the novel by: John Brownlow TBA	Template:TBA	Template:N/A
Crumble	Brian Duffield		Phil Lord Christopher Miller Aditya Sood Brian Duffield	Lord Miller
Untitled Film	Jon Spaihts		Template:TBA	Template:N/A
Atmosphere	Anna Boden Ryan Fleck	Based on the novel by: Taylor Jenkins Reid Anna Boden Ryan Fleck	Travis Knight Matt Levin Anna Boden Ryan Fleck Taylor Jenkins Reid Brad Mendelsohn	Circle M+P

Critical and Commercial Reception

Title	Budget	Box Office Revenue	Rotten Tomatoes	Metacritic
Coraline	$60 million	$185.9 million	91% (278 reviews)	80 (40 reviews)
ParaNorman	$60 million	$107.1 million	89% (192 reviews)	72 (33 reviews)
The Boxtrolls	$60 million	$108 million	78% (175 reviews)	61 (37 reviews)
Kubo and the Two Strings	$77.5 million	$77.5 million	97% (219 reviews)	84 (38 reviews)
Missing Link	$100 million	$26.6 million	88% (172 reviews)	68 (30 reviews)

See also

• List of companies based in Oregon
• Arthouse animation
• American independent cinema