DVDizzy Forum

LAIKA is a fairly new animation studio that after being separated from a different animation studio was heavily invested in by Nike founder Phil Knight and just produced Coraline.

The company also made the short "Moongirl" and was a production company for Corpse Bride.

Their top director is Henry Selick, director of The Nightmare Before Christmas.

To me, right now, it seems Disney has an animation triumvirate. They've got three of the four mediums covered with 'in-house' company's.

Walt Disney Animation Studios - With the possible return of traditional animation looming, it is safe to say (for now) that WDAS takes care of 2D animation.

Pixar Studios - Takes care of CGI.

ImageMovers Digital - Takes care of motion-capture.

What's left for the biggest mediums out there? Well, stop-motion and anime.

Disney's distribution deal with Studio Ghibli takes care of the anime aspect, plus there's such Disney produced animes as "Stitch!" and some upcoming shows being being made for Disney XD.

But what about stop-motion?

Beyond The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach Disney has zilch in that department.

This LAIKA seems to be a hot up-and-coming animation studio. With a talent like Henry Selick at the helm, there's surefire blockbusters ahead.

I think Disney made a smart move absorbing ImageMovers following The Polar Express. I think they saw that motion-capture (say what you want about it) was going to become a lucrative new animation format, so they snapped up the studio on its path to being a bigwig.

I think it'd be equally wise and cool to absorb LAIKA. Allowing LAIKA to retain its somewhat creepier, darker tones but having the distribution and marketing rights.

Then Disney would have companies representing the four big mediums (traditional, CGI, mo-cap, stop motion) as well as an exclusive distribution with a company that represents a fifth big medium (anime).

And I mean, Henry Selick is quite pleased with Disney's ongoing support of The Nightmare Before Christmas so there's already a small Disney connection - TNBC could almost be considered a LAIKA production in terms of the matching production crews.

This is something I've mulled over for a long time. What do you all think about my idea?

Let LAIKA remain its own company. After all, not every great animation studio has to be related to Disney.

(gets prepared to dodge the tomatoes and other soggy food thrown my way for making such a blasphemous statement on a primarily-Disney-fan forum)

albert

No, I know. I don't have any interest for any other animation company to become a part of Disney - just specifically LAIKA because it was the last of the four king formats that Disney didn't have a grasp on.

Perhaps Disney could start their own instead of acquire one?

albert

They never do that.

"Hey, our CGI is sucking, let's officially make Pixar a subsidiary!"

"Hey, this motion-capture thing is about to hit it big, let's nab that Zemeckis company before someone else does!"

Walt Disney Animation Studios have been very versatile in the past. They've done traditional, CG and even dabbled in stop-motion in the 50s/60s (see Noah's Ark or A Symposium on Popular Songs). If Disney want stop-motion, I'm pretty sure it can be handled through WDAS. Oh ... and wasn't Vincent a stop-motion short film, produced by WDAS?

By they way, why do you consider anime a format? I consider anime traditional animation, like its western counterparts. It's just a different visual style.

What's the difference between Disney's Snow White and the Japanese-produced Alakazam? Styling and art direction, not medium.

@Julian Carter: I would rather not have Disney start making anime. They're too good for it.

Um, maybe this shouldn't be in the Disney Discussion forum, but Movies/TV?

Shout! Factory Picks Up U.S. Home Distribution Rights To Laika’s Features
https://www.cartoonbrew.com/home-entert ... 01697.html

Laika Moves Into Live Action, Plans To Adapt Action Thriller Novel ‘Seventeen’
https://www.cartoonbrew.com/studios/lai ... 03679.html

As long as they don't leave stop-motion behind completely....

Disney's Divinity wrote:As long as they don't leave stop-motion behind completely....

I don't think they will. This looks to me like a backup plan for the studio, which is wise, considering the money they lose on each film. The only reason Laika didn't sink is due to the owner's deep pockets (thanks, Nike!)

Time Machine Time in response to above posts by Neal and Escapay

Twelve years teaches you a lot of things. Based on how Disney unceremoniously shuttered ImageMovers Digital after just one failed film (Mars Needs Moms - a fine move undeserving of all the hate), Laika wouldn't have gotten past Paranorman under Disney ownership, and I'm being conservative here. Thank God the company never expressed interest in acquiring Laika.

Oh ... and so much for Disney's relationship with Selick. Didn't they can his Shadow King film years ago? And similarly to Nimona, wasn't that one also in an advanced state of production? Disgusting ...

Jules wrote: I don't think they will. This looks to me like a backup plan for the studio, which is wise, considering the money they lose on each film. The only reason Laika didn't sink is due to the owner's deep pockets (thanks, Nike!)

I'd read about that and I'm very grateful money is no object (or not much of one anyway). If only someone like Glen Keane or Andreas Deja was a millionaire and they could just make hand-drawn films as they please.

Disney's Divinity wrote:

Jules wrote:I'd read about that and I'm very grateful money is no object (or not much of one anyway). If only someone like Glen Keane or Andreas Deja was a millionaire and they could just make hand-drawn films as they please.

It's funny! While I think it's safe to assume that Deja, Keane and other animators of their calibre have probably earned very good salaries, I just cannot see them as millionaires. I may be wrong, but has show business ever made true artists rich?

Travis Knight, CEO of Laika and wonderfully talented animator is certainly an exception. He's the son of the owner of Nike. Actually, I believe his career as an animator came about unexpectedly when he wound up at the late Will Vinton's stop-motion studio (after a failed stint as rapper Chilly-T, I believe.) Vinton was eventually kicked out and the studio taken over by Travis' dad. Very tragic for Vinton, but I guess the silver lining is that Travis turned out good.

Work conditions at the studio don't seem to be too great, though!