Skip to main content

How Laika blends 3D printing and CGI to make mesmerizing stop-motion movies

Laika Studios does animation differently.

That’s been readily apparent from the moment its extraordinary first movie, Coraline, hit theaters in 2009. In fact, the Portland, Oregon-based animation studio is a bona fide pioneer of its craft, creating an entirely new way to meld state-of-the-art technology with the relatively ancient art of stop-motion animation to create films that look and feel utterly unique. In the video above, we take you behind the curtain at Laika’s headquarters for a peek at the studio’s new film, Missing Link, and to check out the latest innovations from this groundbreaking studio.

As you roam the grounds at Laika’s massive, 20,000-square-foot staging hall, you’ll hear one word over and over: Hybrid. That’s because Laika melds together a fascinating combination of arts — from costume curation and design to set building and rigging to advanced computer-animated effects — for an aesthetic all its own.

Steve Wong Jr./Laika Studios

One of the most intriguing elements of Laika’s ever-expanding toolkit is its growing collection of 3D printers. Using the cutting-edge technique of rapid prototyping, Laika has revolutionized stop-motion animation, using advanced handmade puppets with incredibly expressive faces to walk an intriguing line between realism and fantasy.

It’s a painstaking process that involves taking dozens of snapshots for every second of film.

For those unfamiliar with stop-motion animation, it’s a painstaking process that involves taking dozens of snapshots for every second of film. The animators create tiny movements in the characters and their surroundings for each shot, which, when combined, create the illusion of motion.

Traditionally, animators have employed a relatively limited collection of replaceable facial expressions for their on-screen characters so that they display the illusion of movement, speech, and emotion. With its use of 3D printers, Laika revolutionized this process for Coraline, printing hundreds of thousands of removable faceplates for the puppets that star in its film, each with a different expression.

MISSING LINK | Official Trailer

Since then, Laika has worked with prominent 3D-printer manufacturers like Stratasys to expand its techniques. That has resulted in the ability to print millions of different facial expressions, which, when mixed with other modern techniques like computer-generated effects, creates a new level of vitality in its characters. The result expands the limits of what stop-motion animators could do using practical effects alone.

With each film, Laika pushes the bar higher, and Missing Link is no exception. Follow us in the video above as we explore Laika’s latest techniques for its new adventure, which the studio calls a “Kaleidoscopic travelogue” that’s “part Indiana Jones, part Sherlock Holmes, and part Around the World in 80 Days — but with monsters.”

Missing Link lands in theaters April 12, 2019.

Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is a multi-year veteran of the digital media industry, a lover of all things tech, audio, and TV, and a…
10 best R-rated movies streaming right now
A woman and her child stands next to a dead body in Anatomy of a Fall.

R-rated movies are typically expected by audiences to push the boundaries of what can be depicted on the big screen. Whether it's gory horror movies or steamy erotic thrillers, these movies were designed specifically to get an "R" rating and be shown primarily to adults.

From modern masterpieces like Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer to classics like Alien, some of the best R-rated movies ever made are available to stream on different platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Max. With bold narratives and unfiltered realism, these are great picks for an enjoyable movie night among adult friends.

Read more
Stop! Watch these Netflix movies before March 2024 ends
Robert Pattinson in The Batman.

One of the blessings of streaming services like Netflix is that, in addition to their libraries of original titles, they also have titles that come and go on a regular basis. While the introduction of new titles is always nice, the downside is that titles usually leave the service when new ones join.

As March turns into April, we're going to lose some genuinely great movies on Netflix. While you still have time, though, you should check these three very different movies out.
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Original Theatrical Trailer

Read more
March Madness live stream 2024: Watch every Sweet 16 game
Logo for the Sweet 16 in March Madness.

With the always-thrilling first weekend of the NCAA tournament in the books, we now move from quantity to quality. As we get ready for the Sweet 16, each matchup from here on out will be of the must-watch variety. Just four wins sit between the remaining schools and a national championship, so you know there are plenty of huge moments on the way.

There are 12 games this weekend—eight Sweet 16 matchups on Thursday and Friday, and then four Elite 8 contests on Saturday and Sunday. They'll all be televised on either CBS, TBS, TNT or truTV. Fortunately, if you don't have cable, there are a bevy of options for watching the Big Dance for free or cheap.
Is There a Free March Madness Live Stream?

Read more