Laika is and will always be my favorite film studio, without a single doubt. The art of stop motion is not very used nowadays so the existence of studios like Aardman and Laika are crucial for my happiness and for those who also love stop motion animated films.
It’s been 15 years since Laika’s first film, Coraline, and in celebration of that we will rank all 5 films the studio ever produced. It’s not a lot, but stop motion is something that requires years to develop, so it’s not the type of studio that you can expect three films per year. In 2025, Laika’s brand new movie, Wildwood, will release in theaters. Check the full ranking below.
5th – Missing Link
You know a studio is amazing when their “worst” film is still a masterpiece. I have nothing to complain about Missing Link besides having a pretty much of a formulaic plot. Animation is gorgeous, characters are incredible. Delightful film but unfortunately doesn’t reach the levels of creativity nor innovation that the other films’ had.
4th – The Boxtrolls
From having such an iconic villain to a creative and intriguing story, this film manages to be an almost perfect film. All of the dad and son plot line alongside having trolls inside boxes being hunted was something I definitely did not know I needed.
3rd – Kubo And The Two Strings
This top 3 was extremely hard to make, Kubo is a 10/10 film that definitely deserves all the love it gets. It’s a unique, heartfelt and beautiful story that will have you crying and fearing for most of the time. Definitely one of the darkest films Laika has done, they always nail the tone.
2nd – Paranorman
This can be called a hot take, but Laika outdone theirselves here. After Coraline released, we were on the wait for more and their next film, Paranorman managed to be *almost* as good as their first film. This was terrifying, funny, surprisingly emotional and surprising. One of my favorite films ever.
1st – Coraline
I don’t think there’s anyone who disagrees with this… Coraline is my favorite movie of all time, which many can think it’s exaggerating, but honestly, this film is perfect and I rewatch all the time and never got tired of it. The horror, the story, the drama, the moments of tension, the amazingly well crafted characters, and the way every single shot is a piece of art make this movie not only be the best animated feature to ever released but also the best film in general.
Make sure to watch Laika’s next film, Wildwood, in theaters in 2025. (date to be announced)
