CS Video: A Visit to LAIKA, Home of the Oscar-Nominated The Boxtrolls

There’s no place on Earth quite like LAIKA, the Portland-based animation studio whose first two films, Henry Selick’s Coraline and Chris Butler and Sam Fell’s ParaNorman, both scored Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Films. With yesterday’s Oscar nominations offering another to Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi’s The Boxtrolls, the third time may very well be the charm for LAIKA when it comes to Oscar gold.

We’ve been following LAIKA’s growth for quite some time (a set visit to Coraline was this reporter’s very first assignment for ComingSoon.net!) and it’s with great pleasure that, with The Boxtrolls coming to Blu-ray and DVD next Tuesday, we’re today debuting a new video that offers a behind-the-scenes look at what went into making of the animated adventure. In the player below, you can check out new interviews with key LAIKA talents Steve Emerson, VFX Supervisor, Brian McLean, Director of Rapid Prototyping and man of many hats (not the least of which are LAIKA President and CEO) Travis Knight.

We’re not stopping here, though! Check back throughout the next few days for extended behind-the-scenes tours and Q&As from Costume Designer Deborah Cook and Creative Supervisor Georgina Hayns. If you missed them in the past, you can also read about our initial visit to the Boxtrolls set and watch our Boxtrolls junket interviews with Annable and Stacchi alongside voice talents Sir Benjamin Kingsley and Elle Fanning!

Based on the book “Here Be Monsters!” by Alan Snow, The Boxtrolls is set in a cheese-loving town called Cheesebridge, and follows the adventures of a young orphaned boy, Eggs (Ian Hempstead-Wright), who finds himself lovingly raised by the titular creatures. Together, they all live beneath the streets and come up only at night to steal whatever objects they can find. That is, until Eggs crosses path with a young girl, Winnie (Fanning), and comes face to face with Archibald Snatcher (Kingsley), the leader of a vile gang that hope to capture the Boxtrolls and trade them for social acceptance.

Look for The Boxtrolls on Blu-ray and DVD on January 20.