LAIKA Is Bringing 'Coraline,' 'ParaNorman' & More To San Diego Comic-Con For A Pop-Up Event

In less than two weeks, over 130,000 fans will descend upon southern California for the annual San Diego Comic-Con, the biggest pop culture convention in the world. The/Film crew will be there to bring you the big updates from all the panels and events happening on site, and one of the events we'll be attending doesn't even require the coveted Comic-Con badge. In fact, it's free, and anyone in the San Diego area can check it out.

The stop-motion animation studio LAIKA has announced a pop-up event in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego where they will showcase props, puppets, monsters, and sets from Kubo and the Two Strings, The Boxtrolls, ParaNorman and Coraline, as well as fan art, interactive experiences, giveaways and a shop for picking up some sweet merchandise. Find out below what you can see at The LAIKA Experience at Comic-Con later this month.

The LAIKA Experience will be happening at 520 Fifth Avenue in San Diego, California, and it will be up and running from a few days before Comic-Con starting on July 14 through the end of the convention on July 23rd. Here's the hours it will be open during that time:

  • Friday, July 14: 2 PM to 10PM
  • Saturday, July 1511AM to 10 PM
  • Sunday, July 16: 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM
  • Monday -Tuesday, July 17-18: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
  • Wednesday, July 19: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
  • Thursday, July 20: 11:00 AM to 11 PM
  • Friday, July 21: 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM
  • Saturday, July 22: 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM
  • Sunday, July 23: 10:00 AM-6:00 PM
  • The limited pop-up location is said to "showcase the evolution of the studio's unique blend of handcrafted stop-motion animation and visual effects magic in four imaginatively themed rooms inspired by each of LAIKA's films." There will also be merchandise available for purchase inspired by all four of their feature films, including customized NIKE shoes created by Tinker Hatfield. Costumed characters will also be on hand to take pictures with fans.

    If there's one day that you'll really want to stop by The LAIKA Experience, it will be Friday, July 21. LAIKA President & CEO Travis Knight, who also directed Kubo and the Two Strings, will be on-hand from 3:00 P.M. until 4:30 P.M. to sign merchandise purchased at the pop-up shop at the exhibit.

    This is just one of the many cool things fans will be able to check out at San Diego Comic-Con, even if they don't have a badge to get into the convention itself. We'll be rolling into town a little early to check out this cool exhibit, so even if you can't make it, we'll be sure to show you what it's like. Plus, those interested will be able to check out a Facebook Live tour of the exhibit from 2:00 P.M. – 3:oo P.M., hosted by Travis Knight and New York Times bestselling author Tony DiTerlizzi (The Spiderwick Chronicles; Star Wars: Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight). Stay tuned to LAIKA's Facebook page to check that out.

    For those interested, here's the official press release about The LAIKA Experience at San Diego Comic-Con:

    Oscar®-winning animation studio LAIKA, creators of Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls and Kubo and the Two Strings, brings its pop-up exhibit The LAIKA Experience to the heart of San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter from Friday, July 14th to Sunday, July 23rd.  Admission is free to the exhibit, which will feature props, puppets, monsters, and sets from LAIKA's award-winning films as well as fan art, a photo/GIF booth with LAIKA characters, daily drawings for a pair of Nike's LAIKA-themed shoes designed by Tinker Hatfield, social media activations, LAIKA merchandise offered for sale (including a new limited edition Coraline doll and display case), giveaways, and more.  In addition to the pop-up exhibit, LAIKA's walkaround costumed characters will appear at various locations in the Gaslamp Quarter for fan interaction and photos.

    Travis Knight, President & CEO of LAIKA and director of Kubo and the Two Strings, will autograph merchandise purchased at the exhibit on Friday, July 21st at 3pm.

    The LAIKA Experience, the innovative and interactive pop-up event, will be located at 520 Fifth Avenue and will feature an up-close look at the artistic detail and imagination behind LAIKA's groundbreaking films, all of which have been nominated for Academy Awards® and numerous other honors. The exhibit will showcase the evolution of the studio's unique blend of handcrafted stop-motion animation and visual effects magic in four imaginatively themed rooms inspired by each of LAIKA's films. The extensive display of original sets, puppets and props will immerse guests in LAIKA's fantastical worlds.

    "LAIKA's films are a unique fusion of art, craft, science, and technology, commingling cinema's history with the future of film. But our techniques are often shrouded in mystery," says President & CEO Travis Knight.  "The LAIKA Experience offers a rare opportunity to peel back the curtain, giving fans an immersive, up-close look at our process, characters, worlds, and dreams made manifest."

    "At LAIKA we're thrilled to take our 'act on the road'," says Brad Wald, CFO and Senior Vice President of Business Operations.  "Past LAIKA exhibits at Universal Studios and the Japanese American Museum  have been fan favorites and proved very successful in launching our new consumer products initiative, leading us to bring several 'exclusive' items with us to San Diego.  All of these exhibits, including a major eight-month long retrospective at the Portland Art Museum starting this October, are a direct response to our global fans clamoring to see more LAIKA in the marketplace. We're thrilled to bring LAIKA directly to them where they can connect with the studio in a more intimate way."