COOL STUFF

Preview the Original Laika Studios Items Being Auctioned This Month

by Alex Billington
February 4, 2015

Hey animation fans - this one's for you! If you've ever wanted to own an original work from the stop-motion animation studio Laika, this is your one chance. Heritage Auctions is hosting a special Laika auction where they'll be selling off a couple hundred items from the studio, including roughly: 40 maquettes, 40 puppet statues, 100+ concept art pieces, and over 40 of the actual sets used during filming. I was lucky enough to catch an early preview of the show, officially titled "The Art of Laika Studios", which includes pieces from three Oscar nominated movies: Coraline, ParaNorman and The Boxtrolls from last year.

This show feels like something from Pixar or Disney, and is curated by Jim Lentz who has worked with those places before, but especially with regard to the talented artists creating amazing work in everything from character design to art to actual puppet making; it's incredible. I would love to get a few of these pieces myself, but they're expected to sell for quite a bit out of my range. A portion of the proceeds of the auction will be donated to The Art of Elysium, a non-profit arts organization that works to make art a catalyst for social change by bringing creativity and inspiration to children, artists, and various populations in need.

See all of the Laika items going up for auction on the Heritage Auctions website. Here's a few of my photos:

Here's a few more photos via the auction website. Everyone loves Coraline's blue stars sweater - take a look:

The actual action takes place on February 12th, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. "LAIKA, the visionary animation studio behind the Golden Globe and Annie Award-nominated The Boxtrolls and the BAFTA and Academy Award-nominated Coraline and ParaNorman, will open its archives for the first time for a limited auction of more than 250 puppets, models, props and art in The Art of LAIKA, to be held by Heritage Auctions." Laika President Travis Knight says: "We're deeply gratified that the spirit of our work has resonated so strongly with audiences around the world. LAIKA's artists and craftspeople are consummate creators, and each piece of this collection is a testament to their talents and imagination. These are beautiful, unique, and handcrafted works of art of the highest order. We're so pleased to open up our vaults for animation fans around the world and to support Art of Elysium, whose mission is so close to our hearts."

For more info on the auction to see all the items visit Heritage Auctions. Let us know which ones you want?

Find more posts: Animation, Cool Stuff, Events

2 Comments

New comments are no longer allowed on this post.