Major Laika Exhibition Coming To London’s BFI Southbank

The BFI has announced details for “Laika: Frame x Frame,” a free exhibition that will showcase the art, craft, and science of Laika’s stop-motion filmmaking. The exhibit takes place at BFI Southbank from August 12 – October 1, 2024.

Each of Laika’s five films will be profiled in the exhibition through one key frame, surrounded by a collection of production artifacts that explain how that frame was created. The materials on display will include concept and character designs, storyboards, costumes, puppets, props, sets, and dynamic digital content. Further cabinets and drawers will allow visitors to unlock more materials related to the productions.

Over 700 individual objects will be on display 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.

The exhibition will also offer a sneak peek at Laika’s forthcoming sixth feature, Wildwood.

“Laika: Frame x Frame” is being presented alongside the film series “Stop Motion: Celebrating Hand-crafted Animation on the Big Screen.” Taking place from August 1 – October 9, 2024, the screening series will include all of Laika’s five films to date, King Kong (1933), Jason and the Argonauts, Chicken Run, Corpse Bride, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Anomalisa, and many other films.

Guests who are scheduled to attend the film series include Henry Selick, Chris Butler, Sam Fell, Guillermo del Toro, Peter Lord, Nick Park, The Brothers Quay, Suzie Templeton, Barry Purves, and Osbert Parker.

Tickets for BFI Southbank screenings and Laika’s free exhibition will go on sale to the general public starting July 4.