In recent years, movie studios have used the latest cutting-edge technology to make breathtaking computer-animated movies. However, two companies still use old-fashioned stop-motion animation to create something both unique and beautiful time and time again: Aardman Animation and Laika.
While Aardman has been hard at work for many years, Laika is the younger studio, with only five films in its back catalog. Yet, those five films proved the studio could compete on the same level as any of the big boys in Hollywood, and picked up plenty of critical acclaim along the way. Here are Laika's films ranked according to the average of their Rotten Tomatoes percentage and Metacritic scores.
The Boxtrolls - Average Score: 69
The Boxtrolls was the third movie by Laika, released in 2014 and based on the novel Here Be Monsters! The film, helmed by Graham Annable (the storyboard artist from Coraline) and Anthony Stacchi (co-director of Open Season), tells the story of a human boy named Eggs who was raised by trash-collecting trolls, known as Boxtrolls. His goal is to save the Boxtrolls from a pest exterminator named Archibald Snatcher.
While it's the lowest-rated Laika film, The Boxtrolls still received more positive and mixed reviews than negative from critics, winning praise for its "inventive" script and "gorgeous" visuals. However, some also noted the movie's "macabre" style might "frighten small children," while others accused it of being a "bore" that depicts a world most people wouldn't want to spend any time in.
Missing Link - Average Score: 78.5
Released in 2019, Missing Link is Laika's most recent film. Directed by Chris Butler (ParaNorman), the movie follows a Sasquatch who travels with an English explorer to the Himalayas to meet his cousins, the Yetis. Along the way, he finds his life threatened by a society that hunts exotic creatures and learns that family is not always about blood relations.
Missing Link was a critical success, with an 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a 68 on Metacritic. It also won a Golden Globe for Best Animated Film, although it lost at the Oscars to Toy Story 4. Critics called it "beautiful" and said the script had "humor" and "heart." Detractors claimed it possessed an "elementary school" level sophistication that didn't reach the level of Laika's previous efforts.
ParaNorman - Average Score: 80.5
Laika released its second movie, ParaNorman, in 2012, and the film has since become a Halloween favorite. It follows a boy named Norman who has the ability to see and speak to the dead. Because no one else can see them, kids in town consider him a freak, and his own dad is scared of him. When Norman sees danger coming to town, no one listens, and it is up to him and a handful of friends to stop the terror before it turns the entire town against itself.
ParaNorman received an 89 percent fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 72 on Metacritic. Critics praised the "beautiful" animation, calling it "fluid" and "impressive." Critics also appreciated the movie's message of not letting hate turn you into a monster. As with most Laika films, detractors felt the film is not suitable for young children.
Coraline - Average Score: 85
Coraline was Laika's feature film debut, and the studio made an impressive choice for its writer and director: Henry Selick, who directed the cult classic A Nightmare Before Christmas. Based on the children's novel by Neil Gaiman, the story centers on a young girl named Coraline whose family moves into an old house. Often left to her own devices by her distracted parents, she finds a passage in the house to another world where new versions of her parents live. However, while these new parents have all the time in the world for Coraline, she finds it comes with a dark stipulation.
Coraline is 90 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a high 80 on Metacritic. Praise went to the use of 3D in the film at the beginning of its rise in Hollywood. Critics also called it "unique," "stunning," "imaginative" and "intelligent." Detractors pointed out the story was great and the animation beautiful, but for an animated movie, it was not always a fun watch.
Kubo and the Two Strings - Average Score: 90.5
In 2016, Laika released its most critically acclaimed movie: Kubo and the Two Strings, helmed by Travis Knight in his directorial debut. The film is about a young boy named Kubo who lives with his mother in a cave in the mountains. He often goes into town to put on magic shows with origami, but he must follow strict rules from his mother never to stay out after dark. When he does just that one night, he learns why he wasn't supposed to as his grandfather, the Moon King, sends his aunts, two powerful magical beings, to capture Kubo. He teams up with an anthropomorphic snow monkey and a human/beetle hybrid in an effort to stay alive.
Kubo and the Two Strings has a near-perfect 97 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and an 84 at Metacritic. Critics called it "visually astounding" and "both extraordinarily original and extraordinarily complex." The movie was praised for being a "touching" story that holds "emotional resonance." Detractors said it was "dull," lacking the action required to keep kids invested.