The futurist animation studio Laika, behind Annie Award-nominated The Boxtrolls and the BAFTA and Academy Award-nominated Coraline and ParaNorman, will open its collection on its 10th anniversary. For the first time, a limited auction of over 250 puppets, models, props and art in The Art of LAIKA will be held by Heritage Auctions.
Hero Complex readers will get to see the first look at one of the props up for auction ‘the mecha drill’ used by the villainous Snatcher in The Boxtrolls, which opened in theatres in September and has been nominated for a Golden Globe as well. At just over 5 feet, the drill is the largest prop ever made for a stop-motion film.
“The studio’s legions of die-hard fans regularly ask Laika for the opportunity to own some of the masterfully engineered puppets, props and other artwork used to make these beloved films. So the studio is finally offering a specially curate collection of items from its production archives,” said Hertiage Auctions director of animation art Jim Lentz in a press release.
A portion of the auction’s proceeds will be donated to The Art of Elysium, a non-profit organisation, devoted to help artists and critically ill children.
“Laika’s films aim to promote thought, feeling, and connectivity through art, inspired by our shared humanity. We’re deeply gratified that the spirit of our work has resonated so strongly with audiences around the world. We’re so pleased to open up our vaults for animation fans around the world and to support The Art of Elysium, whose mission is so close to our hearts,” added Laika president and CEO Travis Knight.
Some of the items in the auction include the following:
From Coraline
- Coraline production puppet in her iconic blue-starred sweater
- The Cat production puppet
- Other Mother production puppet in her elaborately realized black dress
From ParaNorman
- Norman production puppet in his baseball shirt outfit
- Zombie Judge production puppet with fully articulated mouth and face
- Intricate large-scale production props such as Mitch’s Van and “Zombie Attack” vending machine
- Original hand-drawn Annie Award-winning character designs
From The Boxtrolls
- Eggs and Boxtrolls production puppets complete with their “Box” outfits
- Snatcher production puppet in his exquisite hand and laser-etched velvet jacket
- Snatcher’s Mecha-Drill, at over five feet, the largest prop ever created for a stop-motion film
Selected items from “The Art of Laika” will be exhibited from 27 to 29 January, at Heritage’s Dallas location, 3 to 5 February in New York and 9 to 12 Fenruary in Beverly Hills.
