The movie studio LAIKA has produced five stop-motion animated films (Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings and Missing Link) and all five have all been nominated for the Academy Award® for Outstanding Animated Feature. In addition, Kubo and the Two Strings won the BAFTA® Award for Best Animated Film, Missing Link was awarded the Golden Globe® for Best Animated Film and the studio was awarded the Scientific and Technology Oscar® in 2016 for its innovation in 3D printing. It’s quite the accomplishment from a studio not owned by one of the major movie studios. A new exhibition featuring the works of the LAIKA studio will be on view in March of this year.

Hidden Worlds: The Films of LAIKA will allow guest to get up close and personal to the “hidden worlds” of LAIKA — both the magical settings the characters inhabit and the behind-the-scenes wonders of producing these modern classics. Opening on March 17 at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture, this is the largest exhibition that the studio has ever mounted. It will span more than 7,500 square feet of exhibition space with immersive displays, film artifacts, and interactive spotlighting all five films and maybe a sneak peek at their upcoming works.

“LAIKA tells original, enduring stories with meaningful themes and a commitment to filmmaking innovation,” said MoPOP’s Director of Curatorial, Collections, and Exhibits Jacob McMurray. “We can’t wait to give our guests a peek behind the curtain into the world of stop motion animation and how emerging technologies are fused with timeless techniques to create LAIKA’s state-of-the-art film masterpieces.”

(L-R) Creations from The Box Trolls, Missing Link and Coraline. (LAIKA)

Highlights of the exhibit include:

• Recreations of six LAIKA worlds including specialty lighting, original exhibition films, and immersive scenic elements like a full-size version of the tunnel leading to the Other World in Coraline.
• Artifacts and sets from LAIKA films imbued with meaning by not only the stories they tell, but through all the artists and craftspeople who have brought them into existence.
• MoPOP signature interactive elements allowing visitors to take a “puppets-eye-view” of a LAIKA set or create their own stop motion animation using themselves as the puppet.
• Content demonstrating LAIKA’s signature blend of traditional stop motion animation paired with their technological advances in digital effects and rapid-prototype 3D printing

“LAIKA is a multifaceted community of dreamers, makers, storytellers, scientists, engineers, and artists all committed to making movies that matter,” said LAIKA’s Chief Marketing Officer and SVP Operations David Burke. “We believe that cinema is a profoundly important and fertile landscape in which we can tell stories that speak to global audiences, both now and for generations to come. Film is a universally shared cultural language and it is thrilling to be partnering with MoPOP, which celebrates the power of popular culture and the individuals who create that magic.”

Tickets to the museum and the Hidden Worlds exhibition are on-sale at MoPOP.org/LAIKA.