This year LAIKA is coming to San Diego Comic-Con 2017 with a full on tribute to their fans! The studio is bringing some fun takes for those who have fallen in love with the likes of ‘Coraline,’ ‘ParaNorman,’ ‘Kubo and the Two Strings,’ and ‘The Boxtrolls’ over the years. They’ve got a pop-up exhibit coming that will take place in “the heart of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter” at 520 Fifth Avenue which will run all the way from Friday, July 14th, 2017 to Sunday, July 23rd, 2017!
A nice bonus is that there is no admission to get in and they’ll have “props, puppets, monsters, and sets from LAIKA’s award-winning films.” On top of that is fan art, a photo booth where you can snag shots with LAIKA characters, drawings for Nike’s LAIKA-themed shoes which Tinker Hatfield had designed, social media activations, exclusive merchandise such as “a new limited edition Coraline doll and display case,” other giveaways, and surprises as well!
Oh, and if you don’t make it to the exhibit, there will be people in LAIKA character costumes walking around the Gaslamp Quarter for photo opportunities and more. If you’re looking for autograph opportunities, Travis Knight who is the CEO of the company as well as director of ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ will be around the exhibit on Friday, July 21st at 3 pm.
According to Knight:
“LAIKA’s films are a unique fusion of art, craft, science, and technology, commingling cinema’s history with the future of film. But our techniques are often shrouded in mystery. The LAIKA Experience offers a rare opportunity to peel back the curtain, giving fans an immersive, up-close look at our process, characters, worlds, and dreams made manifest.”
While I couldn’t agree more, they’ve really outdone themselves with ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ which I actually hadn’t realized was so in-depth in stop-motion until the film came to a close with how well designed it was. This is a studio that truly does use art as a form of entertainment.
CFO and Senior Vice President of Business Operations Brad Wald added in that:
“At LAIKA we’re thrilled to take our ‘act on the road’, Past LAIKA exhibits at Universal Studios, and the Japanese American Museum have been fan favorites and proved very successful in launching our new consumer products initiative, leading us to bring several ‘exclusive’ items with us to San Diego. All of these exhibits, including a major eight-month long retrospective at the Portland Art Museum starting this October, are a direct response to our global fans clamoring to see more LAIKA in the marketplace. We’re thrilled to bring LAIKA directly to them where they can connect with the studio in a more intimate way.”
For those interested in the schedule on when they’ll be open you can check it out right here:
- Friday, July 14: 2 PM to 10PM
- Saturday, July 15: 11AM to 10 PM
- Sunday, July 16: 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM
- Monday -Tuesday, July 17-18: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Wednesday, July 19: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
- Thursday, July 20: 11:00 AM to 11 PM
- Friday, July 21: 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM
- Saturday, July 22: 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM
- Sunday, July 23: 10:00 AM-6:00 PM
While Syfy might have my favorite panel so far with their ‘Battlestar Galactica’ reunion, this is probably the second highest on my list with how much I fell in love with the studio’s work on ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’. I’m hoping that they’ll also sneak in an announcement on their next film here as well.
Do you love what LAIKA has done so far? Do you think this is an event that you’d make time for if you are or were going to San Diego Comic-Con 2017? Share your thoughts below!
