Travis Knight Explains ‘Absurd’ Decision to Make Stop-Motion Epic ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’

Travis Knight Explains ‘Absurd’ Decision to Make Stop-Motion Epic ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’

“The challenge I set for the team was to do a stop-motion David Lean film, a Kurosawian myth in miniature,” says director and Laika CEO

Travis Knight may be following in the footsteps of people like Pixar’s John Lasseter, Illumination’s Chris Meledandri and, way back when, Walt Disney himself.

The CEO of Laika animation is also a filmmaker for his company – and Knight’s directorial debut, “Kubo and the Two Strings,” opened on Friday and is basking in the largest amount of praise for any Laika movie since the company’s first, “Coraline,” in 2009.

Knight, the son of Laika owner Phil Knight, has been working in animation since he joined Laika’s predecessor, Will Vinton Studios, as an intern.

Before he devoted full-time to animation, though, he had a brief stint as a rapper, releasing one album in 1993.

TheWrap spoke to Knight at Laika headquarters in Portland, Oregon, where the company has outgrown a huge warehouse full of offices and soundstages and is now expanding into an adjacent building.

Critics Call 'Kubo And The Two Strings' a 'Masterpiece,' 'Best Animated Film of The Summer'

I loved “Star Wars,” I loved Tolkien, Greek and Norse mythology, L. Frank Baum and “Lone Wolf and Cub.”

[...] when you start with the idea of a big fantasy epic, stop motion is hardly the technique that springs to mind.

[...] that was the challenge that I set for the team at the beginning – to do sort of a stop-motion David Lean film, a Kurosawian myth in miniature.

[...] many stop-motion films historically have looked like they’re shot on a gussied-up tabletop with a camera on a tripod, because effectively they are.

[...] the idea of making a small-scale film look like a large-scale epic that’s shot on a sweeping, endless vista was kind of absurd on its face.

The obvious stuff, big action sequences — those are really challenging to do in stop motion in a way that feels natural.

We wanted to really make it look liberated, like a cameraman filming the action as it’s happening.

At one point we consulted with a stunt guy to see how they would tackle this in live action, and then took some our cues from that.

Historically, there has never been a group of stop-motion animators that has stayed together as a band like this.

What that allows us to do is that with each film we learn some new technology or technical innovation, and it’s cumulative.

[...] for people who are fascinated by the making of film and how these things come together, which I was when I was a kid, there are some really great stories here.

Why did you choose this film to move from being an animator and the CEO of the company to also directing?

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