collider.com: This past weekend, on Sunday during the Telluride Film Festival, Laika President and CEO Travis Knight sat down for a discussion with cinematographer and six-time Oscar nominee Caleb Deschanel and film expert Dave Karger to talk about Wildwood, the next stop-motion animated film from Laika.
7 comments:
I loved this article! Personally, I love Laika studios - over the years, they’ve cultivated such a distinctive style, both in their visuals and their storylines, and I would consider a lot of their films to be must-see animated features. They’re considered one of the most well-known and respected animation studios, and I think a lot of that praise comes from their dedication to their art. Stop motion animation can take years to do, and requires massive amounts of effort, skill, and patience; Laika’s commitment, both towards the animation style and the quality of their stories, is incredibly inspiring. They manage to tell heartwarming stories, many of which have become incredibly successful, and they do it all with a sense of love and dedication that’s palpable through the screen. The strength of their artistic vision, especially in our new world of AI slop and constant content, is impressive, and I can’t wait to see Wildwood when it comes out!
Laika's commitment to traditional filmmaking techniques makes a lot of sense when you understand the production company's reason for existing. Travis Knight, the CEO and president is the son of Nike’s cofounder Phil Knight. Phil Knight also owns the company. When you realize that the reason the studio exists is because Travis Knight is an animator and wants to make films, not to turn a profit, then why would they ever compromise their methods? They don’t have to worry about money when they exist as a passion project. It’s really cool to me that Laika exists in this way, it reminds me of how in the renaissance artists would be sponsored to create art and would have all of their monetary needs taken care of, similarly Laika doesn’t have to worry about money because they exist as a passion project. It’s also refreshing to know that there are companies out there committed to their principles.
Stop motion animation is one of the more impressive art forms to me. These artists are able to convey so much emotion and movement through little snippets of time. They also take so long to create. I think that we have relied so much on AI and computers that the artistry of practicals has mostly disappeared. I have always been curious about stop motion animation and how some of the scenes are done, especially the ones where the puppet is seemingly suspended in a moment that would be quite hard to hold. I think that stop motion is one of the best mediums to “compete” against AI with because of the amount of work that goes into the details. It is the opposite of what Knight says about AI and how “we live in an era that is frictionless.” Stop motion animation is very much not frictionless and is a beautiful art form that takes a lot of individuals to create.
This article is so refreshing; it's great to hear about a studio where time and labour spent doing art is so valued. I distinctly remember the first time I understood exactly what stop motion was when I was younger. I was watching the movie Box Trolls (which is excellent, by the way, and produced by Laika in 2014), and got to the end-credit scene. Two of the characters start to talk about whether their lives are being controlled by giant, unseen forces, and then the camera pulls back to reveal the studio and the hands that are moving the characters. It was such a mind-blowing moment and truly showcased the amount of work that goes into movies like that. That’s why it’s so important to keep this artform alive, and to support studios like Laika that make these beautiful and impactful movies. I am really looking forward to seeing Wildwood!
Period! I love this article, I think stop-motion is such a beautiful and evocative form of animation so I love to hear about it in contexts like this. A regional theater back home recently had a Laika exhibit where original, handmade pieces used in Laika studios were on display. If the movies didn’t convince you of the craftsmanship, seeing the detailed pieces up close was so stunning and it couldn’t have been clearer how much hard work went into every detail. With that in mind, I hope there continues to be an audience for that sort of artistry. It makes me happy to see people rejecting AI alternatives when it comes to at least this particular field. Stop motion is such a bridge between media and physical work, that I can’t imagine it being entirely digitized.
I am really happy that stop-motion is still alive and still sticking to the process that makes it good. I think stop motion is the most beautiful form of filmmaking. The amount of time it takes to just build the sets and the character faceplates alone is so great to see, you can really tell that these people are passionate about their art. I also think that even with the rise of AI these artists are continuing to make genuine art and take the time to make something like a stop-motion movie. I really love that when you go to watch a stop-motion movie you can truly see how much work it took to make a five second sequence to look seamless when in reality it could have taken close to maybe five hours of work, making sure that everything was properly in place and positioned correctly. I am very happy that stop-motion is still present in film today and I really hope it continues on for years and years.
I remember watching Kubo and the Two Strings when it came out in 2016. That movie was so beautiful, and I didn't even realize it was stop motion until years later. In a world where AI is so pervasive, it is reassuring to see a studio that is reaffirming their commitment to human made art. I am so excited to hear that Laika is working on another stop motion film, and the characters and backdrops that have been revealed so far look amazing. I found it funny that the article mentioned how the animators are hunched over all day working. It reminds me of Studio 33 and how we end up in all sorts of strange positions to try and work on our drafting. I definitely empathize with the back pain that those animators must experience. I hope to be able to go see it in theaters when it comes out in October.
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