![]() In fact, even though it’s a children’s movie, like all of the rest of LAIKA’s films, it’s the only one that I hesitate showing to my own children since I think it will give them nightmares. Directed by the master of stop motion animation, Henry Selick, and voiced by Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, and John Hodgman, Coraline focuses on a girl who moves into a new house, finds a parallel world that mostly mirrors her own, and learns the scary secrets that lurk beyond.Ĭoraline is Creepy with a capital C. It’s kind of crazy to me that even though LAIKA has made nothing but excellent films, that the movie that they leapt out the gate with (an adaptation of a Neil Gaiman novella) would be the one that solidified the company. ![]() Coraline (2009)Īnd here it is, LAIKA’s first – and still best – movie. I never thought I would see a story like Kubo after seeing LAIKA’s first three films, which were much quirkier, but this one surprised me, and for that, I’m thankful. Kubo is at times a scary and exciting movie, but also a calm one, and even introspective. But, whereas the former felt a bit superficial when it came to the emotions of its characters, the latter is all about the mysteries of family, and what it means to feel like something has been taken from you. I mentioned earlier that Missing Link was a grand adventure, and Kubo is, too. We rated Kubo and the Two Strings very highly, and for good reason. Kubo And The Two Strings (2016)ĭirected by Travis Knight, and voiced by Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, as well as an assortment of great talent, Kubo and the Two Strings is a visually stunning movie about a boy who brings about an evil spirit, and must go on a journey with a monkey and a beetle to uncover what happened to the boy’s samurai father in order to stop an even worse monster. I also think it’s the finest animation that the company’s ever produced, so it has that going for it, too. It’s a strange number, and it definitely separated the film from other animated movies in 2014, like Big Hero 6, The LEGO Movie, and How to Train Your Dragon 2.Įven though it’s a very simple story (it’s pretty much Tarzan, but with box people), it’s so distinctly LAIKA, that I just can’t help but having a big soft spot for it. In fact, I can tell you the exact moment where I thought, “I love this movie,” when I first saw the film, and that’s when I heard the surprisingly catchy “Boxtrolls” song. ![]() So, why do I like this so much? It’s just so weird! And quirky. It’s about an orphan who gets adopted by some boxtrolls, learns that he’s actually a boy rather than a troll, and then decides that he must save his boxtroll family from an exterminator. Directed by Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi, and voiced by the likes of Isaac Hempstead Wright, Ben Kingsley, and Elle Fanning, as well as many others, it has a rather simple plot. ![]() If you want to talk about an “underrated” LAIKA movie, then I think the movie you’re really thinking about is 2014's The Boxtrolls, which I often feel gets forgotten when discussing the company's works. Yes, it's definitely more than just an animated version of The Sixth Sense, but I also think the movie could be a little quirkier, sort of like my next favorite LAIKA movie on this list. While I tend to remember the look and general feel of ParaNorman, however, I sometimes forget the actual story. ![]() It also has many of the playfully dark elements that I cherish in Coraline. That said, I love its overall vibe and aesthetic, as well as the message about having compassion. Now, I know that most people like ParaNorman, and I like it, too, but I’m not in love with the overall pacing of the film, as I find it a tad slow. But, when a witch’s curse comes to fruition, and zombies walk the earth, Norman has to stop them, even if he’d probably relate more with the dead than his own neighbors. But, if you ask most people what's the first movie they think of when you mention LAIKA Studios, I think the first one they’ll bring up is Coraline (for good reason), and the second they’ll bring up is their sophomore effort, ParaNorman, which is a great film that just doesn’t hit me in the same way that my Top 3 favorite LAIKA movies do.ĭirected by Sam Fell and Chris Butler, and starring the voices of Kodi Smit McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, and John Goodman, among others, ParaNorman is about a boy who can talk to the dead, and finds that he has a better time communicating with them than with actual living people. I know some people find ParaNorman to be underrated, and yes, I guess you could call it that. ![]()
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