LAIKA, the studio behind “Kubo and the Two Strings,” has been selected for the inaugural “Studio Focus”!
The inaugural “Studio Focus,” which highlights animation studios from Japan and around the world, will feature LAIKA — the animation studio that has amazed global audiences with its stop-motion masterpieces such as “Coraline” and “Kubo and the Two Strings.”
In “Kubo and the Two Strings,” a film inspired by Japanese folktales, 3D printers were used to create expressive puppets and breathtakingly colorful visuals. The film stirred a new wave in stop-motion animation and was nominated for numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. At this first “Studio Focus,” these acclaimed titles, along with works that have never been released in Japan, will be screened together. It’s a rare chance to enjoy them fully on the big screen in theaters.
Artistic Director: Naoyuki Sudo – Comment
Even as CG technology has advanced dramatically in the 21st century, the charm of traditional stop-motion (frame-by-frame) animation remains undiminished and has even grown in brilliance in recent years. At the center of this resurgence is LAIKA. Since astonishing the world with the breathtaking visuals created through extraordinary techniques in “Coraline” (2007), they have continued to produce one masterpiece after another, including “Kubo and the Two Strings.” Alongside hand-drawn and CG animation, stop-motion represents the pinnacle of the art form. We are honored to welcome such a remarkable studio to the opening of Aichi–Nagoya.