LAIKA Bolsters Presence in UK and Europe With Key Marketing, Home Entertainment and Consumer Products Partnerships

Expansion Follows Studio’s Record-Setting Global Success of 15^th Anniversary Re-Release of Coraline

HILLSBORO, Ore., September 19, 2024–(BUSINESS WIRE)–LAIKA is building upon the stunning global success of its 15^th Anniversary re-release of Coraline by bolstering its UK and European presence with key partnerships in the consumer products, licensing and home entertainment arenas.

LAIKA has engaged Brandship to represent the studio’s expansion of consumer products licensing and brand collaborations in the UK and Europe. Brandship will work in close coordination with LAIKA’s US licensing agency, Licensing Street, to ensure products based on LAIKA’s celebrated films are available to millions of fans on both continents. Under this new association, LAIKA is announcing its first-ever direct-to-consumer partnership in Europe with top UK pop-culture retailer and apparel licensee Truffle Shuffle.

In addition, Anime Ltd./Plaion Pictures has acquired LAIKA’s catalogue for home video release in the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Benelux, Spain and Portugal. The releases include Coraline, The Boxtrolls, ParaNorman, and Kubo and the Two Strings, all Oscar and BAFTA nominated titles.

“Millions of moviegoers around the world showing up to experience Coraline again on the big screen is a testament to the enduring global appeal of all of LAIKA’s films,” according to Michael Waghalter, LAIKA’s Senior VP and Head of Business Development. “Fans want to engage more deeply with the characters and worlds of our films, and we’re excited to partner with Anime LTD/Plaion Pictures and Brandship to bring compelling, fan-centered products and experiences to the UK and Europe.”

Brandship Founder and CEO Lisa Shapiro is thrilled to be working with LAIKA to kickstart its presence in the UK and Europe. “The timing couldn’t be better, and I’m really excited and privileged to be working with the LAIKA team. With pent up demand and a highly engaged audience, there are number of best-in-class partners in key categories that are being secured.’’

“We’re incredibly excited to be working in partnership with the great team at LAIKA Studios to bring back physical releases of their incredible catalogue. With the success of the re-release of Coraline in cinemas this summer, it’s clear that the love and appreciation for these films and quality animation in general has never been higher. As a group, we’re thrilled to be able to introduce the works of LAIKA to a new generation across the UK and Europe,” said Andrew Partridge, Managing Director of Anime Limited.

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To date, the 15th anniversary re-release of Coraline, distributed in partnership with Fathom in the US and Trafalgar Releasing internationally, has garnered over $51M at the global box office. Showings also include an early glimpse of LAIKA’s highly anticipated next animated feature, Wildwood, making it the must-see film event of the summer.

In the UK, where LAIKA held the worldwide premiere of the re-release and launched the studio’s new, sold-out exhibition, LAIKA: Frame x Frame at the British Film Institute, Coraline overtook the 2023 Titanic re-release and ET’s 20th Anniversary event to become the UK’s highest-grossing re-release of the past quarter century.

Other milestones across the globe include:

• Highest-grossing re-release in the US in the past decade

• Highest-grossing release (new and re-releases) in Fathom’s 20-year history

• Highest lifetime US gross box office of all time for a stop-motion animated feature, surpassing Disney’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and Aardman’s Chicken Run

• Highest-grossing re-release in Mexico’s history

• Coraline’s re-release box office surpassed the film’s original 2009 box office throughout Latin America, including in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Bolivia

About LAIKA

LAIKA was founded in 2005 in Oregon by President & CEO Travis Knight. The studio’s five films Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012), The Boxtrolls (2014), Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) and Missing Link (2019) have all been nominated for the Academy Award^® for Outstanding Animated Feature. Kubo and the Two Strings won the BAFTA^® Award for Best Animated Film and received an additional Oscar^® nomination for Visual Effects. Missing Link was awarded the Golden Globe^® for Best Animated Film. LAIKA was awarded a Scientific and Technology Oscar^® in 2016 for its innovation in 3D printing. LAIKA is currently in production on its next animated film Wildwood. The studio is developing the animated feature films The Night Gardener, from an original idea by Bill Dubuque, creator of the hit series Ozark, and Piranesi, based on the NYT bestselling novel by Susanna Clarke. LAIKA has launched a Live Action subsidiary with a range of projects in development including feature films based on the action thriller novel Seventeen by screenwriter John Brownlow and an original script Crumble, written and directed by Brian Duffield with Phil Lord and Chris Miller producing. Oscar^®-nominated screenwriter Jon Spaihts (Dune) will write and make his directorial debut on another original live action film project. www.laika.com

About Brandship

Brandship is a boutique brand management company delivering on Brand Strategy & Planning, Brand Collaboration, Retail Development & Direct to Retail. Brandship over the last 5 years has established itself as a valued strategic partner securing long term commercial value for brand owners and retailers. Clients value Brandship’s unrivalled international network, deep commercial knowledge, entrepreneurial spirit, retail-first approach and creative thinking. https://www.mybrandship.com

About Anime Ltd

Founded in 2012, Glasgow-based Anime Limited is a subsidiary of PLAION PICTURES and represents Japanese animation interests in the UK, France, and beyond. With a thoughtfully curated lineup of films, series, and soundtracks, Anime Limited has earned its title of Europe’s favourite anime distributor. Whether through fan-centric cinema runs, beautifully packaged collector’s editions, or sharing the best of anime music on vinyl, We offer bespoke experiences for all fans for titles such as Attack on Titan, BELLE, Cowboy Bebop, JUJUTSU KAISEN, Neon Genesis Evangelion, One Piece Film: RED, Spy x Family CODE: White, Your Name, and Weathering with You.

About Plaion Pictures

PLAION PICTURES is one of Europe’s leading independent film labels with headquarters just at the gates of Munich. We offer tailor-made marketing solutions for films and series on all channels, from cinema to TV and home entertainment to innovative digital offers.

Our goal is to entertain people with exciting, moving or humorous content – anytime and anywhere. Our unique and wide-ranging portfolio also includes a large number of renowned art house productions, numerous successful and award-winning theatrical releases and a library of over 1,600 titles. Moreover, movie fans also appreciate our high-quality special editions, which turn classics into new film experiences.

Plaion is headquartered in Planegg near Munich and has branches in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Australia, the United States, Japan and Hong Kong. For more information, visit www.plaion.com.

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Contacts

LAIKA
Maggie Begley/MBC
Maggie@mbcprinc.com; 310.749.3055