When you hear the name Laika, you’re far more likely to think of “Coraline” or “Kubo and the Two Strings“. But the stop-motion animation powerhouse is expanding its horizons. The studio has been seeking to branch out to live-action as a medium. Laika is teaming up with award-winning producers Phil Lord & Chris Miller (“The Lego Movie,” “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse“) to create an extraordinary live-action film titled “Crumble.”
Heading up the script and direction is “No One Will Save You“‘s Brian Duffield. A short synopsis tells us that the story will center around a married couple on a journey across the world to find a cure for an ancient curse. Which sounds exactly like the kind of plot foundation you’d find in any of Laika’s animated films. It will be interesting to see the studio producing a live-action film. But they’re a team of powerful creators and fantastic storytellers.
“I’ll never forget seeing ‘Coraline’ on opening night at the AMC Burbank 16 and wondering who these wonderful new geniuses were,” Duffield said. “I can’t wait to make a movie with them and hopefully live up to their banner, and I couldn’t be more excited to get to go on a new adventure with my friends at Lord Miller.”
Matt Levin, President of live-action film and series at Laika is also brimming with confidence at the team-up. “We’re so excited to partner with Brian and the entire team at Lord Miller on this special film. Brian has such a singular voice, and ‘Crumble’ perfectly embodies the bold, emotional, and inventive storytelling that we champion at Laika. Lord Miller is in a class of its own, and we could not ask for a better creative team to bring this story to life.”
A Strategy For Future Projects?
It is a little surprising from a studio that’s only ever done stop-motion; a dying medium in its own right. However, from a financial standpoint, it makes sense. Making stop-motion movies isn’t necessarily cost-effective. They take twice as long as traditional animation, and three times as long as live-action films to produce. Adding live-action films to their wheelhouse of talent seems like a smart move. We’re only speculating here, but this could be a sound financial strategy. Making movies that can be produced more quickly could give them the funds for even bigger stop-motion films down the line.
Lord and Miller’s next live-action film “Project Hail Mary” is currently filming, and set for a March 20th, 2026 release.
