LAIKA and Heritage Auctions to Auction Coraline, Boxtrolls and Paranorman Production Puppets and Props to Benefit The Art of Elysium

Jim Hill

11 years ago

The Art of LAIKA Offered For First Time By Heritage Auctions

Production Puppets, Models, Props and Original Handmade Art from Oscar®-Nominated Animation Studio to Be Auctioned on February 12, 2015

Portion of Proceeds to Benefit The Art of Elysium Non-Profit Arts Group

LAIKA, the visionary animation studio behind
the Golden Globe and Annie Award-nominated The
Boxtrolls and the BAFTA and Academy Award-nominated Coraline and ParaNorman,
will open its archives for the first time for a limited auction of over 250
puppets, models, props and art in The Art of LAIKA, to be held by
Heritage Auctions on Thursday, February 12, 2015, in Beverly Hills.

A
portion of the proceeds of the auction will be donated to The Art of Elysium, a non-profit
arts organization that works to make art a catalyst for social change by
bringing creativity and inspiration to children, artists, and various
populations in need.

“LAIKA’s films aim to promote thought, feeling, and connectivity through art, inspired by our shared humanity,” says Travis Knight, President & CEO of the studio and an Annie-Award-winning animator and producer. “We’re deeply gratified that the spirit of our work has resonated so strongly with audiences around the world. LAIKA’s artists and craftspeople are consummate creators, and each piece of this collection is a testament to their talents and imagination. These are beautiful, unique, and handcrafted works of art of the highest order. 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.”

“LAIKA is known for its artistry and
revolutionary stop-motion animation techniques,” says Jim Lentz, Heritage
Auctions’ Director of Animation Art. “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 curated collection of items from its
production archives. This is the chance that those fans, and animation and film
collectors of all stripes, have been waiting for.”

Selected
highlights from The Art of LAIKA will be on display in Dallas, Jan.
27-29, at Heritage Auctions (3500 Maple Avenue, Dallas, TX, 75219); Feb. 3-5 at
Heritage Auctions Park Avenue (445 Park Avenue at 57^th Street); and
Feb. 9-12, Heritage Auctions Beverly Hills (9478 West Olympic Avenue).

Some of the items in the auction include, but are not
limited to:

● 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