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Will Portland’s Laika Films Win at Oscars With ParaNorman?

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences/ The Oscars's Photos in Rolling Out The Red Carpet. (Photo credit, A.M.P.A.S.)

Portland, February 21st, 2013. They’re rolling out the red carpet in Los Angeles, but over 950 miles from Hollywood, Laika films dreamed up a real winner. The studio’s stop-motion film, ParaNorman, is nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film. The comedy thriller features a misunderstood boy who speaks with the dead. He takes on ghosts and scary grown-ups to save his town from a centuries-old curse.

ParaNorman was directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler. It’s Based on an original story by Chris Butler. The Academy Awards will be handed out Sunday, February 24st, with the show starting on the West Coast at 5-pm. In addition to ParaNorman, Laika experienced critical and commercial success with the stop-action film, Coraline, which received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Animated Feature. Laika has Oregon roots, with Travis Knight serving as President and CEO. The studio is owned by his father, Nike co-founder and Chairman Phil Knight.

Additionally, Laika has begun production on The Boxtrolls. The new movie will be released nationwide by Focus on October 17^th, 2014. The Boxtrolls is a 3D stop-motion and CG hybrid animated feature based on Alan Snow’s bestselling fantasy adventure novel Here Be Monsters. The voice cast includes Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley, Academy Award nominee Toni Collette, Elle Fanning (marking her fourth movie with Focus) and Tracy Morgan (30 Rock).

The Boxtrolls is a comedic fable that unfolds in Cheesebridge, a posh Victorian-era town obsessed with wealth, class, and the stinkiest of fine cheeses. Beneath its charming cobblestone streets dwell the Boxtrolls, foul monsters who crawl out of the sewers at night and steal what the townspeople hold most dear: their children and their cheeses. At least, that’s the legend residents have always believed. In truth, the Boxtrolls are an underground cavern-dwelling community of quirky and lovable oddballs who wear recycled cardboard boxes the way turtles wear their shells.

Elisa Klein

I’ve been a professional journalist and writer since 1987, (and long-time reporter for KOIN-TV.) As a nationally published reporter, with a Master’s Degree in Journalism, I love to report positive news and information. Journalism has also connected me with another non-profit where I served as a leader; the Northwest’s biggest writer’s organization: The Willamette Writers.