Laika Bowie State University Partnership Announced

Laika, the animation studio chargeable for Lacking Hyperlink, Kubo and the Two Strings, Coraline, and extra, is teaming with Bowie State College to construct the nation’s first stop-motion animation studio at a traditionally Black faculty and college (HBCU). The partnership hopes to “enhance BSU’s animation curriculum, with the goal of providing a career pathway for BSU students into the animation industry,” with donations that “will fund upgrades to Bowie State’s green screen studio to allow stop-motion animation production. The art form, one of cinema’s oldest techniques, entails the incremental movement of objects, such as puppets, filmed 24X per second to create the illusion of movement.”

Per the official press launch, the partnership between Laika and Bowie State College, a public traditionally Black college in Prince George’s County, Maryland, took place “as a way to create internship opportunities for BSU students,” with Laika committing to creating “a long-term investment at Bowie State to prepare students for success in the animation industry.”

“This is a great opportunity for students to learn valuable skills that will carry them into the professional world of animation,” mentioned Tewodross Melchishua Williams, chair of the BSU Division of High-quality & Performing Arts. “There are a lot of storytelling and narrative elements that have yet to be brought to life via stop-motion animation, especially in the arena of children’s programming. We are looking at this partnership to be an internship and career pipeline that can help diversify the animation industry, which has been a traditionally underrepresented sector when it comes to the voices of people of color, women, LGBTQ and other communities.”

Arianne Sutner, Laika’s head of manufacturing, added: “Laika is thrilled to be partnering with as prestigious an institution as Bowie State University. At its heart, LAIKA is a community of artists, craftspeople, and scientists committed to expanding the technological capabilities of our animation medium in order to tell everyone’s stories with boldness, compassion, and excellence. Helping BSU students to express their experience, their artistry and their potential through the stop-motion art form speaks to our creative and corporate mandate. We’re so excited to explore their talents and to provide mentorship and tools that will enlarge the scope of their filmmaking vision.”

Established in 1865, Bowie State College “is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business, and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. ”

Cease-motion studio Laika has credit that embody Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012), The Boxtrolls (2014), Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), and Lacking Hyperlink (2019). Cool Posts From Across the Net: