The first four films made by LAIKA animation studio: Coraline, ParaNorman, Kubo and the Two Strings, and The Boxtrolls are set to get Blu-ray releases this summer. These films have been reworked to ensure better sound and image quality for fitting into the parameters of Blu-rays discs. LAIKA is known for its quality work and innovation in animation.
The films will release with overall enhanced quality, fresh behind-the-scenes features, and tons of new fun content. LAIKA is popular for its unique narratives and for displaying mature themes on celluloid. The studio manages to create content that pleases all age groups and are the flag-bearers of some groundbreaking work. All the four selected films that are soon to get a Blu-ray release were also nominated in the Best Animation Film category for the prestigious Academy Awards. The Blu-ray will include bonus features like interviews, behind the scenes looks, feature-length storyboards, and featurettes.
Here’s the official list of all the extras included in each Blu-ray below:
Coraline Blu-ray extra content includes:
- Never-Before-Seen Coraline Animation Test Footage
- “Inside LAIKA Featurette”
- Foreword by Peter Debruge, Chief Film Critic for Variety
- Audio Commentary with Director Henry Selick and Composer Bruno Coulais
- The Making of Coraline
- Original Featurettes
- Deleted Scenes
- Feature-Length Storyboards
The Boxtrolls Blu-ray extra content includes:
- Never-Before-Seen The Boxtrolls Animation Test Footage
- “Inside LAIKA’ Featurette
- Feature-Length Storyboards
- Foreword by Ramin Zahed, the Editor in Chief of Animation Magazine
- Audio Commentary with Directors Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi
- The Making of The Boxtrolls
- Original Featurettes
ParaNorman Blu-ray extra content includes:
- Feature-Length Storyboards
- “Inside LAIKA” Featurette
- Never-Before-Seen ParaNorman Animation Test Footage
- Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Chris Butler and Co-Director Sam Fell
- Peering Through the Veil
- Original Featurettes
Kubo and the Two Strings Blu-ray extra content includes:
- Feature-Length Storyboards
- “Inside LAIKA” Featurette
- Never-Before-Seen Kubo and the Two Strings Animation Test Footage
- Audio Commentary with Director/Producer Travis Knight
- Kubo’s Journey
- Original Featurettes
The animation studio is known for mixing artistry with fresh filmmaking technologies, which result in ingenious products. While filming Coraline in 2009, director Henry Selick and his team added life to the movie with the help of handcrafted stop-motion, using a combination of old and new technology. It was the first stop-motion film conceived and photographed in stereoscopic 3D.
The innovative techniques continued to be a part of ParaNorman. The film was released in 2012 and was directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler. They used full colour rapid prototype 3D printing to create the puppet faces, which was a first by LAIKA. Their next project, The Boxtrolls, released in 2014 and was directed by Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable. The film continued LAIKA Animation Studio’s innovation and attention-to-detail techniques.
Kubo and the Two Strings was set in a mythical feudal Japan and released in 2016. The story is a supremely-directed tale of courage and each shot carefully highlights the power of storytelling. Kubo and the Two Strings won the BAFTA Award and became the second animated feature to receive an Oscar nomination for visual effects.“We’re delighted to launch our partnership with Shout! Factory,” LAIKA’s David Burke said in a statement earlier this year when the partnership was officially announced.
The new Blu-ray versions of LAIKA’s animated features will be distributed by Shout! Factory. The first two Blu-rays to hit the stores are Coraline and The Boxtrolls, both available on 31 August. ParaNorman and Kubo and the Two Strings will be available on 14 September.