Fight Challenge videos have been popping up on social media throughout quarantine, and Laika Studios is the recent one to get in on the fun. The stop-motion animation studio behind Hollywood films like Coraline, Missing Link and Kubo and the Two Strings came up with an inventive spin on the quarantine fight challenge that harnesses their strengths.
A high-jumping Boxtroll, a small army of plastic cows, a katana-wielding ronin made of silver, and a pair of sentient shoes are just a few of the characters that are seen in a series of short, interconnected fight sequences. The short video begins with a stop-motion animator being interrupted while at work. In response, the animator punches the camera with a figure from Coraline, sending a Funko Pop!-like figure of a Boxtroll hurling across a room. The Boxtroll responds by hopping across the room and smashing into the camera. This kicks off a succession of vignettes depicting various stop-motion creations, such as a cow action figure or a pair of shoes, “fighting” one another.
No one ever said animating was safe. Follow us on #tiktok to see more! #fightlaikaanimator #fightchallenge #animation #stopmotion #laikastudios #laikansathome pic.twitter.com/TjG2QtRfZk
— LAIKA (@LAIKAStudios) May 23, 2020
This video from Laika is one of many Fight Challenges to be released in the past few months. A group of quarantined stuntmen started it off back in April 2020. Earlier this month, various stuntwomen also teamed up with big-name actors like Scarlett Johansson and Margot Robbie to do an elaborate Fight Challenge video.