Exclusive: LAIKA revives Kubo and Beetle for a bespoke piece for Father's Day

Award-winning animation studio LAIKA is celebrating Father's Day on social media this weekend with the help of some old friends: Kubo and Beetle! The puppet stars of the 2016 film twice Oscar nominated, three Annie Award and BAFTA winner Kubo and the two ropes it will be shot on stage, accompanied by paper / origami elements.

Ahead of the premiere of the paternal celebration, we have a preview of the BTS footage created for the studio's TikTok fans (shot by videographer / editor Steven Wong Jr. with the help of multimedia assistant Spencer Rutledge).

“I wanted to show this moment that we haven't seen in the film, where Kubo and Beetle play together, knowing that they really are father and son. I'm a new dad too and my absolute favorite is seeing my daughter smile. I wanted to show Beetle beaming with the smile she is giving her son right now, ”explained animator Dan MacKenzie.

“The puppets begin in a neutral pose and, after placing them on the rig to support their weight, I begin to pose Beetle's joyous run. After putting Kubo on his back, I change his face to a big smile. Angle Kubo's eye towards his Hanzo origami, but with a rest on Beetle's shoulder to show that they are sharing this moment.

Animation supervisor Brad Schiff noted, “While we strive for naturalism in our animated performances, not all frames are necessarily perfect. In motion there are things an animator can get away with because the viewer's eye is typically focused on a singular point within the frame which is often the character's eyes. That imperfection (of which the viewer is often unaware) is largely what gives stop-motion that tactile, handcrafted feel. "

"Still images are a completely different beast," Schiff continued. “Everything has to be absolutely perfect because the viewer has time to study the whole image. The goal is to find a singular pose that tells the story. Capturing the flavor of the image is a fun challenge and Dan has done a great job showing the joy and mutual admiration of a relationship between a father and his son. "

The 2021 Father's Day greeting is the latest of over 60 unique content created since April 2020 for LAIKA's social media following on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, which has risen to over 3,2 million over the past year. Some of the most popular include vacation spots such as the New Year's Resolution stage shoot and the "Friendsgiving" stage shoot, both featuring multiple characters from the LAIKA film library.

The final piece was made with the help of animation coordinator Matt Thill, DP John Ashlee, gaffer Bryan Garver, animation rigger Alan Hinton, RP Face librarians Joe Reaves and Matt Ellsworth, maintenance puppets by Sid Tucker, production manager Dan Pascall, creative marketing assistant Isi Matasavage, paint correction by Brice Shultz, creative director Tim Garbutt and studio CMO Dave Burke.