LAIKA and Focus Featurescome together again to announce they have begun production The Boxtrolls, a 3D stop-motion and CG hybrid animated feature based on Alan Snow’s bestselling fantasy adventure novel “Here Be Monsters! .” Set to release October 17, 2014, The Boxtrolls is being directed by Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable, produced by David Ichioka and Knight, with a voice cast Ben Kingsley, Toni Collette, Elle Fanning, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Jared Harris, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade and Tracy Morgan.

The Boxtrolls is a comedic fable that unfolds in Cheesebridge, a posh Victorian-era town obsessed with wealth, class, and the stinkiest of fine cheeses. Beneath its charming cobblestone streets dwell the Boxtrolls, foul monsters who crawl out of the sewers at night and steal what the townspeople hold most dear: their children and their cheeses. At least, that’s the legend residents have always believed. In truth, the Boxtrolls are an underground cavern-dwelling community of quirky and lovable oddballs who wear recycled cardboard boxes the way turtles wear their shells. The Boxtrolls have raised an orphaned human boy, Eggs (voiced by Hempstead-Wright), since infancy as one of their dumpster-diving and mechanical junk-collecting own. When the Boxtrolls are targeted by villainous pest exterminator Archibald Snatcher (Kingsley), who is bent on eradicating them as his ticket to Cheesebridge society, the kindhearted band of tinkerers must turn to their adopted charge and adventurous rich girl Winnie (Fanning) to bridge two worlds amidst the winds of change – and cheese.

The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, has announced the 2012 winners of its Annie Awards were last night and here is the complete list of winners. Also one of the highlights of the event was Terry Gilliam accepting his Winsor McCay Award via video and the very cool special Texas Avery Award statue for life achievement to June Foray best known as the voice of animated characters as Lucifer (Cinderella), Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Granny, Natasha Fatale and Magica De Spell.

Check out the pictures, video below and complete list of winners below.

PRODUCTION CATEGORIES

- Best Animated Feature
Wreck-It Ralph — Disney

- Annie Award for Best Animated Special Production
Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem – Illumination Entertainment

- Best Animated Short Subject
Paperman (Disney)

- Best General Audience Animated TV Production For Preschool Children
Bubble Guppies ‘A Tooth on the Looth’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

- Best Animated Television Production For Children
Dragons: Riders of Berk ‘How to Pick Your Dragon’ – DreamWorks Animation

- Best General Audience Animated Television Production
Robot Chicken ‘DC Comics Special’ – Stoopid Buddy Studios

- Animated Video Game
Journey – Sony Computer Entertainment America

- Best Student Film
Head Over Heels – Timothy Reckart

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT CATEGORIES

- Animated Effects in an Animated Production
Andy Hayes, Carl Hooper, David Lipton – Rise of the Guardians – DreamWorks Animation

- Animated Effects in a Live Action Production
Jerome Platteaux, John Sigurdson, Ryan Hopkins, Raul Essig, Mark Chataway ‘The Avengers’ – Industrial Light & Magic

- Character Animation in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Dan Driscoll ‘SpongeBob SquarePants: It’s a SpongeBob Christmas!’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

- Character Animation in a Feature Production
Travis Knight “ParaNorman’ – Focus Features

- Character Animation in a Live Action Production
Erik de Boer, Matt Shumway, Brian Wells, Vinayak Pawar, Michael Holzl ‘Life of Pi – Tiger’ – Rhythm & Hues Studio

- Character Design in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Robert Valley ‘Disney Tron: Uprising: The Renegade, Part I’ – Disney TV Animation

- Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
Heidi Smith ‘ParaNorman’ – Focus Features

- Directing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
John Eng ‘Dragons: Riders of Berk: Animal House’ – DreamWorks Animation

- Directing in an Animated Feature Production
Rich Moore ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ – Walt Disney Animation Studios

- Music in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
John Paesano ‘Dragons: Riders of Berk: How to Pick Your Dragon’ – DreamWorks Animation

- Music in an Animated Feature Production
Henry Jackman, Adam Young, Matthew Thiessen, Jamie Houston, Yasushi Akimoto ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ – Walt Disney Animation Studios

- Production Design in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Alberto Mielgo ‘Tron: Uprising: The Stranger’ – Disney TV Animation

- Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
Steve Pilcher ‘Brave’ – Pixar Animation Studios

- Storyboarding in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Doug Lovelace ‘Dragons: Riders of Berk: Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Man’ – DreamWorks Animation

- Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
Johanne Matte ‘Rise of the Guardians’ – DreamWorks Animation

- Voice Acting in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Kristen Schaal as Mabel Pines ‘Gravity Falls: Tourist Trapped’ – Disney TV Animation

- Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
Alan Tudyk as King Candy ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ – Walt Disney Animation Studios

- Writing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Trey Parker – ‘South Park: Jewpacabra’ – Central Productions

- Writing in an Animated Feature Production
Phil Johnston, Jennifer Lee – Wreck-It Ralph – Walt Disney Animation Studios

- Editorial in an Animated Television Production
Hugo Morales, Adam Arnold, Davrik Waeden, Otto Ferraye ‘Kung Fu Panda – Enter the Dragon’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

- Editorial in an Animated Feature Production
Nicholas A. Smith, ACE, Robert Graham Jones, ACE, David Suther ‘Brave’ – Pixar Animation Studios

JURIED AWARDS
Winsor McCay Award – Oscar Grillo, Terry Gilliam, Mark Henn
June Foray Award – Howard Green
Ub Iwerks Award – Toon Boom Animation Pipeline

Check out this very cool five minute clip, behind the scenes of ParaNorman featuring the art and construction of one the most uncontrollable characters Angry Aggie. Product Designer Nelson Lowery, 2D Effects Animator Susanna Luck 2d along with Brian Van’t Hull and Ean McNamara, plus so many different departments of the LAIKA house come together to create one very intense electrifying character you would not want to mess with. I have to admit it’s pretty astonishing how many people it took.

You can pick up ParaNorman (Two-Disc Combo Pack: Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet) through my site via Amazon now, trust me it is worth the investment.

Check out the clip below.

A special one-night-only auction for the Nike Air Raid ParaNorman was tonight at the 366 Days Of Kicks Year End Party in Portland, OR. Inspired by last years LAIKA Studios stop-motion animated film ParaNorman.

Donated by Tinker Hatfield and Tiffany Beers, the kicks come with a special limited edition box designed by Mark Smith.

The bidding will start at 11pm Portland time.

via: sneakernews.com

Did anyone see Laika’s highly anticipated stop-motion animation ParaNorman today? I would love to hear your review of the movie was it everything you expected maybe more? leave some comments! also check out probably the last ParaNorman trailer entitled middle school below.

Learn how to speak “zombie” with Laika Entertainment’s upcoming stop-motion animation film ParaNorman. In this clip check out the new word on the street cause they are zombish! One more day till ParaNorman hits theaters August 17, 2012 in 3D. Excited!? Check out the clip below to tie you off till tomorrow!