Laika Movies In Order

Way back in 2009, Laika really announced themselves to the world with the remarkable, very creepy Coraline. It’s the story of a little girl who, after moving to an old Victorian house with her hard-working and slightly absent parents, decides to go exploring, and stumbles upon another dimension called the ‘Other World’. There, she meets uncanny doubles of her parents who seem nice at first, but soon reveal their nefarious intentions.

The Tim Burton vibes are strong with this one, which is not a coincidence – Coraline is directed by none other than Henry Selick, who collaborated with Burton on The Nightmare Before Christmas. If you appreciate the visual style and gothic charm of that film, and enjoy stories like Matilda, you’ll love Coraline.

Stepping into a high school setting, ParaNorman sees 11-year-old Norman Babcock struggling to make friends – that is until a horde of zombified Puritan founders descend on the town thanks to a witch’s curse. Along with his older sister, his unusual friend Neil, Neil’s brother, and the school bully, Norman must complete a ritual and save his town.

This was the first stop-motion animated feature to use full colour 3D printers for the faces of characters, and you can really tell that the visuals are more slick and expressive than Coraline – that’s not a dig at Coraline, it’s just two different styles that both work perfectly well. If you’re into films like Monster House or enjoy a spot of Scooby-Doo, ParaNorman will be right up your alley.

That more sharp, realistic animation style was used again a couple of years later for The Boxtrolls, a story about an orphan boy who is raised by the titular sewer dwellers before being brave enough to enter our world and save his town from an evil exterminator.

Like most Laika projects, there are some wonderful voice actors involved, and the likes of Ben Kingsley, Nick Frost, Toni Collette, and Elle Fanning really pop here. The Boxtrolls has such brilliant worldbuilding, too, with every inch of the sewers and the streets truly feeling lived in and authentic. The similarities between this film and Fantastic Mr. Fox are striking, so if you’re into the Wes Anderson flick, you’re bound to find some value in The Boxtrolls.

For me, Kubo and the Two Strings is the best movie Laika has produced to date (though Wildwood could change that). The tale takes place in ancient Japan, as a young boy named Kubo who uses magic, music, and intricate origami to offer emotional healing to those he crosses paths with. Accompanied by a monkey and a beetle, Kubo goes in search of a mystical samurai armour, but, as with any heartfelt story, maybe it’s the friends he makes along the way that were his quest all along.

While Kubo and the Two Strings struggled at the box-office due to an end of summer release window and, at the time, less appetite among casual moviegoers for stop-motion, it’s earned critical recognition and has really found an audience at home in the years since its release. Fans of Spirited Away and Coco will get a lot out of this one.

Chris Butler, co-director of ParaNorman and co-writer of Kubo, got the solo gig on Missing Link, and did a fine job, too. The film sticks with the more claymation feel, closer in style to Coraline and Kubo than the other films in Laika’s catalogue, but that allows for a very rich, colourful, and dynamic aesthetic. And, giving the story life, you have the vocal talents of Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, and Zach Galifianakis, among other A-list names.

Missing Link offers what it says on the tin, really, with a story about the previously undiscovered eight-foot-tall sasquatch who might just be part of mankind’s evolutionary journey. He goes on quite the adventure, with the help of two explorers, in what is probably Laika’s funniest film so far. If you love Monsters Inc and Shrek, get this one watched next.

It looks like things are going to get a lot darker with Laika’s next release, Wildwood. The fantasy story sees a young girl named Prue enter a forbidden forest in an attempt to rescue her baby brother, but within the wilderness, she finds a world on the brink of war as animals and humans clash in a fight for freedom and power.

The animation style in Wildwood looks really sharp, and you can really tell how far Laika’s craft has come in the seven years since their last movie. The likes of Mahershala Ali, Carey Mulligan, Angela Bassett and Charlie Day are among the actors attached to this film, which hits theatres on October 23, 2026. If you’re eager to go to Narnia with Greta Gerwig next year, this might just tide you over until then.