We at GST are ever the fan of Laika‘s animated films. If you’ve seen ParaNorman and Boxtrolls you know they have such a distinct look – one as odd as it is captivating. In a world where CG has dominated so much of the entertainment world, it’s amazing to see the work that this company still does with practical tools, models, and effects. They share a lot in common with digital animators (this is stop-frame after all) but the tangible element, gritty and wonky though it may be, adds so much depth and character to each Laika feature. If you haven’t been keeping up with Kubo, enjoy this amazing looking trailer.…
-
-
Ben Kingsley, Simon Pegg, Richard Ayoade and More Join LAIKA’s Upcoming ‘The Boxtrolls’
After the success of their last film, the sweet and hilariously witty horror-movie homage ParaNorman, LAIKA and Focus Features have started work on their third project together. It was just announced by LAIKA President & CEO Travis Knight that the two companies behind the current Academy Award-nominated animated feature have begun production on The Boxtrolls. Based on Alan Snow’s bestseller Here Be Monsters, the project has already assembled a stunningly high-caliber voice cast that includes Ben Kingsley, Elle Fanning, Toni Collette, Jared Harris, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade and Tracy Morgan. The Portland-based animation studio’s 2014 release of The Boxtrolls is a 3D stop-motion and CG hybrid animated feature which will be directed…
-
Video Interview…’ParaNorman’ Writer/Co-Directors Chris Butler & Sam Fell
In Laika‘s follow-up to their animated hit film Coraline, comes the similarly unique and oddball adventure ParaNorman; the storyabout a boy (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee) who’s able to speak with the dead, and must to save his small town from a centuries-old curse. The brainchild of Chris Butler, he and co-director Sam Fell bring the delightfully dreary and phantasmically funny film ParaNorman to life and in Stereoscopic 3D! Go,See,Talk got the chance to sit with both Butler and Fell to talk about their “stop-frame” film. We discuss its development (a dizzying 16 years in the making), its distinctive look, and more. Enjoy! A misunderstood boy who can speak with the dead, takes on ghosts, zombies and grown-ups to save…
-
Ohhh, Look…Featurette for Sam Fell and Chris Butler's 'ParaNorman'
Next month, Sam Fell and Chris Butler’s ParaNorman will be hitting theaters. These days a stop-motion animated feature, outside the likes of Aardman Animation, is a rare thing to find. Why? Well because of just how long it takes to produce; something like a week’s worth of prep work and staging just to get 4-6 seconds of screen time. Well, Fell and Butler’s tenacity have endured and ParaNorman (Laika Studio’s follow-up to Coraline) looks to be as intricate as you’d expect in this medium. Have a look at the following time-lapse featurette which takes a breezy look at the intricacy required to bring just one character to life. Enjoy! Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee), a boy…
