Source: Big Cartoon Database)
Laika Entertainment will build a state-of-the-art facility near Portland, president and CEO Dale Wahl announced yesterday.
Laika owner and Chairman of the Board Philip H. Knight purchased 30 acres of land in Tualatin, 12 miles south of Portland and will build its corporate offices there, including studios dedicated to both stop-motion and CG animation.
"Laika Entertainment has a world-class roster of talent and projects, and I felt it was time to provide them with a full-time home," said Knight. "Just as we anticipate our films will look like no others before them, so too will this campus make a bold and distinct architectural statement."
The studio currently has two projects underway. The first is a stop-motion feature film based on Neil Gaiman's bestselling children's novel Coraline. Henry Selick (Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach)wrote the script, and will co-direct the movie. Teri Hatcher and Dakota Fanning will voice the leading roles, and Focus Features has agreed to distribute the film.
The second is an original work by writer/director Jorgen Klubien, called Jack & Ben's Animated Adventure. It's about brotherly love in the animal kingdom.
Laika also announced that they have acquired the film rights to Alan Snow's best-selling children's novel Here Be Monsters. They plan on making it into an animated feature film.
Laika was formed after Nike co-founder Knight took over Will Vinton Studios in 2005, and ousted founder Will Vinton. It was named after the space dog, which resulted its nickname "Dead Russian Dog Studios" among members of the animation community.
