The BFI today announces details of LAIKA: FRAME x FRAME, a free exhibition that will showcase the boundary pushing art and science behind the studio’s five epic films, at BFI Southbank from 12 August – 1 October 2024. This narrative-rich experience will honour the stories of LAIKA and the unparalleled level of detail in the physical puppets, intricately crafted sets, costumes and awe-inspiring props – some never before seen – from LAIKA’s vast production archives. The exhibition is presented alongside STOP MOTION: CELEBRATING HAND-CRAFTED ANIMATION ON THE BIG SCREEN, supported by Headline Partner LAIKA, a major new season taking place at BFI Southbank from 1 August - 9 October with free film screenings for children under 16.

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Origami from LAIKA's "Kubo and the Two Strings" (Photo: Business Wire)

Utilising assets from every department of the Portland-based studio, LAIKA: FRAME x FRAME tells the story of LAIKA through the lens of its five feature films to date, CORALINE (2009), PARANORMAN (2012), THE BOXTROLLS (2014), KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS (2016) and MISSING LINK (2019), all of which were nominated for the Academy Award® for Outstanding Animated Feature. Each film will be celebrated with one key frame within the exhibition surrounded by a constellation of artefacts, encompassing illustrated concept and character design, artistic inspirations, storyboards, costumes, puppets, props, sets and dynamic digital content, which will highlight the painstaking attention to detail and boundless creativity that go into the making of one single frame in a LAIKA feature. Further cabinets and drawers will allow guests to unlock even more treasures, illustrating how a LAIKA film comes together to create something extraordinary from the sum of its exceptional parts.

The exhibition will invite audiences to step inside, as well as behind, the scenes of LAIKA’s films, affording the opportunity to interact with the studio and the talented team behind these creations firsthand. New scenic reproductions, built at a ‘human scale’, will transport guests from the real world into Coraline's Other Garden as they enter the exhibition, with highlights of the over 700 individual artefacts on display inside including:

• CORALINE (2009): character puppets, including Coraline, Cat, Other Father, Other Wybie, Taffy Monster and the Scottie dogs, early look development maquettes of Coraline, Cat, Wybie, Other Father and Other Mother, paint test maquettes of Spink and Forcible, Other Mother puppet development pieces, Other World bridge, garden gate, nose tree and mantis tractor props, plus Real World and Other World Pink Palace apartment props.
• PARANORMAN (2012): zombie puppets alongside their Puritan counterparts, a Norman armature, Norman maquettes, Neil, Alvin and Salma puppets, Aggie Prendergast paint tests and development pieces, a Town Hall cupola set piece and a scaled prop of Mitch Downe’s van.
• THE BOXTROLLS (2014): puppets of Eggs, Winnie, Snatcher and boxtrolls Fish and Shoe, along with early development maquettes of Eggs, Winnie, Snatcher, Fish and other boxtrolls, the film’s pneumatic tubes set, plus the Cheese Guild, Market Square and cavern props.
• KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS (2016): puppets including Kubo, Moon Beast, Monkey and Origami Samurai, plus Kubo and Monkey development maquettes, VFX character puppets and maquettes, a Taiko Drummer diorama, and the Central Avenue set and market props.
• MISSING LINK (2019): puppets and maquettes of Sir Lionel Frost, Mr. Link and Adelina, plus Link and Yeti puppets on rig, the Pullman Train internal set, Pullman Train development maquettes, environment maquettes and other film props.
• A sneak peek at LAIKA’s forthcoming sixth feature, WILDWOOD (2025).

LAIKA: FRAME x FRAME is presented alongside STOP MOTION: CELEBRATING HAND-CRAFTED ANIMATION ON THE BIG SCREEN, supported by Headline Partner LAIKA, a major new season taking place at BFI Southbank from 1 August - 9 October with free film screenings for children under 16. Titles playing on the big screen will include LAIKA’s five films to date, from the newly remastered 3D CORALINE (2009) to MISSING LINK (2019), plus KING KONG (1933), JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963), CHICKEN RUN (2001), CORPSE BRIDE (2005), FANTASTIC MR. FOX (2009), ANOMALISA (2015), and many more. Special guests in venue will include filmmakers Henry Selick (CORALINE), Chris Butler and Sam Fell (PARANORMAN), Guillermo del Toro (GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO), Peter Lord (CHICKEN RUN), Nick Park (WALLACE AND GROMIT), The Brothers Quay (STREET OF CROCODILES), Suzie Templeton (PETER AND THE WOLF), Barry Purves (ACHILLES), Osbert Parker (CLOTHES) and further names to be announced.

Tickets for BFI Southbank screenings and LAIKA’s free exhibition in August are on sale to BFI Patrons from 1 July, BFI Members from 2 July and to the general public from 4 July. Tickets for BFI Southbank screenings and LAIKA’s free exhibition in September and early October are on sale to BFI Patrons from 5 August, BFI Members from 6 August and to the general public from 8 August.

All talent appearances are work permitting and subject to change.

On-sale dates: Tickets for BFI Southbank screenings and LAIKA’s free exhibition in August are on sale to BFI Patrons from 1 July, BFI Members from 2 July and to the general public from 4 July. Tickets for BFI Southbank screenings and LAIKA’s free exhibition in September and early October are on sale to BFI Patrons from 5 August, BFI Members from 6 August and to the general public from 8 August.

ABOUT THE BFI

We are a cultural charity, a National Lottery distributor, and the UK’s lead organisation for film and the moving image. Our mission is:

• To support creativity and actively seek out the next generation of UK storytellers.
• To grow and care for the BFI National Archive, the world’s largest film and television archive.
• To offer the widest range of UK and international moving image culture through our programmes and festivals - delivered online and in venue.
• To use our knowledge to educate and deepen public appreciation and understanding of film and the moving image.
• To work with Government and industry to ensure the continued growth of the UK’s screen industries.

Founded in 1933, the BFI is a registered charity governed by Royal Charter. The BFI Board of Governors is chaired by Jay Hunt.

ABOUT LAIKA

LAIKA was founded in 2005 in Oregon by President & CEO Travis Knight. The studio’s five films Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012), The Boxtrolls (2014), Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) and Missing Link (2019) have all been nominated for the Academy Award® for Outstanding Animated Feature. Kubo and the Two Strings won the BAFTA® Award for Best Animated Film and received an additional Oscar® nomination for Visual Effects. Missing Link was awarded the Golden Globe® for Best Animated Film. LAIKA was awarded a Scientific and Technology Oscar® in 2016 for its innovation in 3D printing. LAIKA is currently in production on its next animated film Wildwood. The studio is developing the animated feature films The Night Gardener, from an original idea by Bill Dubuque, creator of the hit series Ozark, and Piranesi, based on the NYT bestselling novel by Susanna Clarke. LAIKA has launched a Live Action subsidiary with a range of projects in development including a feature film based on the action thriller novel Seventeen by screenwriter John Brownlow.

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A selection of images for journalistic use in promoting the BFI are available below:

Venue images: BFI Southbank, BFI IMAX

Exhibition images: LAIKA: FRAME x FRAME

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