Shout! Factory acquires the rights to LAIKA's 4 most important films

Shout! Factory, a leading cross-platform media company, and award-winning animation studio LAIKA, have announced a new entertainment distribution alliance to bring LAIKA studio's first four award-winning films to the home entertainment market in the United States. United States. The announcement was made today by Melissa Boag, Shout's Senior Vice President of Family Entertainment and David Burke, Chief Marketing Officer and SVP, Operations at LAIKA.

This multi-year agreement provides that Shout! Factory holds the distribution rights for home video entertainment in the United States of all the first four films nominated for an Oscar by LAIKA namely: Kubo and the magic sword (Kubo and the Two Strings) (2016), The Boxtrolls (2014) ParaNorman (2012) and Coraline (2009). Leveraging unprecedented access to LAIKA's content, new extras, collector boxes and special DVD releases are being developed.

Further announcements and activities related to the partnership will emerge in the coming months.

"We have been huge fans of LAIKA, Travis Knight and his amazing team. Their legendary ingenuity, independent spirit and compelling storytelling have inspired us and continue to entertain audiences around the world, ”Boag said. “We are incredibly excited about this new opportunity with LAIKA and look forward to presenting these beloved films with illuminating extras and lavish packaging to fans and collectors around the world."

"We are delighted to launch our partnership with Shout! Factory “Burke said. "Their ability to maximize value for legacy titles by bringing films to a whole new audience, well after their theatrical release, is unmatched in the industry. We look forward to a long and impactful relationship with these industry leaders ".

The content agreement was negotiated by Jordan Fields, Vice President of Acquisitions, and Steven Katz, Vice President of Business Affairs for Shout! Factory and LAIKA's Head of Business Development Michael Waghalter and Colin Geiger, legal advisor and head of commercial affairs.

Kubo and the magic sword (Kubo and the Two Strings) (2016) is an epic action adventure set in fantastic Japan. The film follows Kubo, an intelligent and kind-hearted boy, as he earns his living a humble life, telling stories to the people of his seaside town. But his relatively quiet existence is shattered when he accidentally conjures up a spirit from his past, who falls from the sky to enforce a centuries-old vengeance. Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with Monkey and Beetle and sets out on an exciting quest to save his family and solve the mystery of his deceased father, the greatest samurai warrior the world has ever known. With the help of his shamisen, a magical musical instrument, Kubo must battle gods and monsters, including the vengeful Moon King and evil twin sisters to unravel the secret of his legacy, reunite his family and fulfill his heroic destiny.

With Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, Rooney Mara, Ralph Fiennes, Art Parkinson, George Takei, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Brenda Vaccaro. Written by Marc Haimes and Chris Butler. Produced by Arianne Sutner, Travis Knight. Directed by Travis Knight.

The Boxtrolls (2014) is a comic tale that takes place in Cheesebridge, an elegant Victorian-era town obsessed with wealth, class, and the smelliest of cheeses. Under its charming cobblestone streets dwell the Boxtrolls, hideous monsters who crawl out of the sewers at night and steal what citizens hold most dear: their children and their cheeses. At least, this is the legend that the residents have always believed. Truly, the Boxtrolls are an underground community of quirky and adorable caverns that wear recycled cardboard boxes the way turtles wear their shells. The Boxtrolls have raised an orphaned human baby, Eggs, since childhood as one of their own diving bins and collecting mechanical waste. When the Boxtrolls are targeted by the evil parasite exterminator Archibald Snatcher, who is bent on eradicating them as his ticket to Cheesebridge society, the gentle gang of tinsmiths must turn to their foster office and adventurous rich girl Winnie to connect two. worlds in the winds of change - and cheese.

Starring Ben Kingsley, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Elle Fanning, Dee Bradley Baker, Steve Blum, Toni Collette, Jared Harris, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade, Tracy Morgan and Simon Pegg. Produced by David Bleiman Ichioka, Travis Knight. Screenplay by Irena Brignull, Adam Pava. Based on the book Here Be Monsters by Alan Snow. Directed by Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable.

In the comedy thriller ParaNorman (2012), a small town is besieged by zombies. Who can call? Norman the only outcast and misunderstood boy who is able to talk to the dead. In addition to the zombies, he will have to face ghosts, witches and, worse still, adults, to save his city from a centuries-old curse. But this young ghoul whisperer, bravely conjures up everything that makes a hero - courage and compassion - as he discovers that his paranormal activities are pushed to their otherworldly limits.

With Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, Elaine Stritch, Bernard Hill, Jodelle Ferland, Tempestt Bledsoe, Alex Borstein and John Goodman. Produced by Arianne Sutner, Travis Knight. Written by Chris Butler. Directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler.

Coraline (2009) combines the visionary imagination of two premier playmaker, director Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas) and author Neil Gaiman (Sandman) in a wonderful and thrilling, fun and suspenseful adventure: the first stop-motion film ever conceived and photographed in stereoscopic 3D, unlike anything viewers have ever experienced before. In Coraline, a young girl walks through a secret door in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life. On the surface, this parallel reality is eerily similar to his real life, only much better. But when this extravagantly extravagant and fantastical adventure becomes dangerous and her counterfeit parents try to keep her forever, Coraline must rely on her resourcefulness, determination and courage to return home and save her family.

With Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Keith David, John Hodgman, Robert Bailey Jr., and Ian McShane. Produced by Bill Mechanic, Claire Jennings, Henry Selick and Mary Sandell. Based on the book by Neil Gaiman. Written for the cinema and directed by Henry Selick.