The market was dominated by CGI at the time, and traditional animation was falling out of favour.
TheDisney Renaissance was a distant memory; Pixar and Dreamworks dominated the box office.
Laika’s first and only short, Moongirl, failed to garner much attention despite winning multiple awards.
Learn all about the best practical effects in horror movies!
Here is every feature film by the studio, ranked.
Moongirl, Laika’s debut short, was computer-animated and directed by Henry Selick.
It was released as a DVD collectible with the picture book adaptation, but otherwise remains difficult to find.
It’s a decent movie: colourful, vibrant and packed with family-friendly, upbeat humour.
However, set against the studio’s other offerings, Missing Link falls short.
The star-studded voice cast softens the blow.
5ParaNorman
ParaNorman took three years to produce, of which two years were spent on animation alone.
What ParaNorman lacks in visual flair, it makes up for in heart.
The film’s plot, focusing on themes of social isolation and self-acceptance, is indelible.
We recommend watching the two as a double-feature.
Kubo and the Two Strings takes on every challenge presented to it with finesse.
This darkly humorous adventure adds to the story of the original while retaining its humour and whimsy.
Disney’s literary liaisons: where ink meets film.
She gets what she wants, but with many strings attached.
One look at the actual film, however, establishes is as definitvely Laika.
As a musical, Corpse Bride featuresa soundtrack infested by earworms.
As a gothic film, it features characters probably infested by actual worms.
1The Boxtrolls
The Boxtrolls is one of the most underrated stop-motion animated films to ever exist.
Compared to Laika’s usual critical acclaim, the film only received a mildly positive reception.
Forget the lukewarm reviews, however: the Boxtrolls was never truly meant for theatrical viewing anyhow.
Instead, this is a film that is perfect to watch at home with your loved ones.
Ben Kingsley acquits himself as one of thebest comedic villainswith his performance as Archibald Snatcher.
They may not have been right, but these villains had far better motives than just money or power.
