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Laika Will Auction off Puppets, Props, and Models

Laika, the Golden Globe, Annie, and Academy Award-nominated and winners of Stop Motion masterpieces such as Coraline, ParaNorman, and most recently, The BoxTrolls.  The Oregon-based will open its archives for the first time for a limited auction of more than 250 puppets, models, props, and art in The Art of Laika.

A portion of the profits will be donated to The Art of Elysium, a nonprofit arts organization that works to make art a catalyst for social change and to bring creative inspiration to children, artists, and various population in need.  The Heritage Auction site reports:

"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."

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 articled mouth and face
  • Intricate large-scale production props such as Mitch's Van and "Zombie Attack"
  • vending machine
  • Annie Award-winning character design originals
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 tall, the largest prop ever created for a Stop Motion film
Selected highlights from The Art of Laika will be on display in Dallas, January 27-29, at Heritage Auctions (3500 Maple Avenue, Dallas, TX, 75219); February 3-5th at Heritage Auctions Park Avenue (445 Park Avenue at 57th Street); and February 9-12, Heritage Auctions Beverly Hills (9478 West Olympic Avenue).

For more info and pictures of the items being auctioned go to the Heritage Auction webpage.

"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."

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