Studio LAIKA, over the last 21 years, has become a cultural cornerstone of modern cinema. By merging handcrafted stop-motion artistry and bold and dark fantasy storytelling, and an unwavering commitment to the physical medium, Studio LAIKA has become one of the most beloved and critically acclaimed film studios, although they have lost money on nearly every single film released, being the true pioneers of quality over quantity and financials.
One of the biggest aspects that has transformed Studio LAIKA into one of the most beloved film studios is the innovation and beauty of stop motion. LAIKA changed the game when they debuted and moved away from the traditional clay sculpting for stop motion films and used 3D-printed technology, CGI, and green screens that add a level of depth and cinematic feeling to the films and the film sets.
For example, LAIKA would print separate facial expressions for each mouth, eyebrow, and face altogether for each character, printing from 20,000 to 140,000 different facial aspects and expressions per film.
Now that we’ve talked about what makes them so special and outstanding from a technical film and animation standpoint. It’s time to talk about the films they have created that have left something deeper than just cultural impacts on the lives of so many, semi-ranked from least favorite to favorite(although they are all masterpieces).
Missing Link, although being considered the “worst”, is so far from a bad film. Although it may come off as a funnier film from the company, in reality it is a very adult and deep film dealing with rejection vs acceptance, self-identity, and belonging, as well as being the first film from the company to not have a child protagonist.
It pains me to “rank” this film so low on the list, but when you have a list of nearly flawless films, some films are bound to rank lower than others; Boxtrolls is a beautiful film that goes so much deeper than trolls in boxes who live in the sewers and underground. It’s a social commentary on social prejudice, class inequality, identity, and the true values that make up what a family is.
ParaNorman, just like Boxtrolls, is a film that goes much deeper than what you see on the surface about a boy who is outcast by others. Much like Boxtrolls is a reflection not just of history but of the reality of how we as humans treat people, dealing with ideas like acceptance, forgiveness, trauma, and fear culture.
Wildwood, the newest release of studio LAIKA releasing on October 23, 2026; this just might be the best film LAIKA has released yet(I’m going to say that about the next two as well). Without getting too much into the film(please watch it for yourself), this may be the darkest film LAIKA has released, with arguably the most attention to detail Travis Knight has conjured yet, dealing not just with grief and sacrifice but war and forgiveness as well, and is easily one of my favorite films to release this year so far.
Coraline might be everyone’s favorite and is easily the most popular and culturally important film LAIKA has released to date. Following the now ever-so-infamous Coraline Jones in her discovery of a parallel universe inside a door in the wall of her family’s new home, diving into concepts such as family, real vs. ideal love, and coming of age.
I couldn’t in any other world rank Kubo and the Two Strings as my personal number 1. The film is not just a visual masterpiece but just does such a fantastic job of pulling you into the world the film explores while having personally, my favorite character cast from a LAIKA film. It’s a very melancholy film that explores mainly under-the-surface ideas behind the human condition and the connections we make all around us.
Studio LAIKA has created some of the most compelling, rich, and dark fantasy stories of the last 2 decades and has showcased that passion and love for art can be worth more than what the box office says, shaping itself into its own cultural cornerstone appreciated and loved by many.
