LAIKA: Frame x Frame at BFI Southbank

The LAIKA: Frame x Frame exhibition at BFI Southbank celebrates the stories of LAIKA, showcasing the extraordinary craftsmanship behind their films. Visitors can marvel at the intricate detail in the physical puppets, meticulously crafted sets, costumes and props that bring these films to life.

Drawing from assets across every department of the Portland-based studio, LAIKA: Frame x Frame explores the story of LAIKA through its five acclaimed feature films: Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012), The Boxtrolls (2014), Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) and Missing Link (2019). Each of these titles was nominated for the Academy Award for Outstanding Animated Feature.

Pulling never-before-seen material from its vast production archives, including beautifully composed set designs, prop variations and original sketches, the exhibition is accompanied by Stop Motion: Celebrating Hand-Crafted Animation on the Big Screen – a whole season of events including screenings of LAIKA’s five films to date and Q&As with the minds which brought us these stop-motion staples.

Stand-out display items include Zombie puppets, Norman maquettes, a Town Hall cupola set piece and a scaled prop of Mitch Downe’s van from ParaNorman. Puppets of Eggs, Winnie, Snatcher and box trolls Fish and Shoe, as well as the film’s pneumatic tubes set, which makes up the world of The Boxtrolls. Puppets, including Kubo, Moon Beast and Monkey (Kubo and the Two Strings) also join those of Sir Lionel Frost, Mr. Link and Adelina, as well as an internal set of the Pullman Train (Missing Link).

The exhibition allows audiences to step inside as well as behind scenes, as Coraline’s Other World is blown up to life-size proportions, allowing visitors to walk the cobbled paths lining the gardens of the Other Pink Palace, surrounded by the glowing flowering bulbs, all of which have an air of familiarity yet seem more extravagant, “better” even. Yet fittingly, all is not as it seems. Making your way past these human-scale scenic reproductions and into the exhibition hall, you’ll find a breakdown of how these worlds were brought into being, from ideation, all the way through to building and filming.

Similar to the Other Mother’s black cabinets, visitors are encouraged to open draws lined with doll parts, character puppetry and their outfits and original preliminary sketches of sets. Highlights include character puppets of Coraline, Cat, Other Father, Other Wybie and Taffy Monster, as well as Other Mother development pieces. The final Other garden set used for the Coraline film is also assembled in all of its glory, fit with its bridge, garden gate and mantis tractor, showing us how all of these pieces come together to create a land for its characters to convincingly inhabit.

Frame x Frame allows fans to actively discover something new about these beloved films. With over 700 individual artefacts on display, the display manages not to overwhelm its audience, incorporating videos of filming processes and succinct labelling which breaks down how these items become part of the bigger picture.

From the sum of its beautiful and incredibly detailed parts, LAIKA manages to create films that provide joy for children and adults alike, but are also deeply admired for their craftsmanship and unique visual identities. Frame x Frame is an immersive journey, which successfully explores the boundary-pushing art and science that goes into stop-motion animation. It’s a celebration of the thousands of hands – from those of artists to technicians – who craft the frames that make up these award-winning marvels.

Olivia Gardener
Photos: Toby Lewis

LAIKA: Frame x Frame is at from 12^th August until 1^st October 2024. For further information or to book visit the exhibition’s website here.