After a recent screening of “The Boxtrolls,” a child approached animator Travis Knight to say he loved the movie because “it was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.”
For Knight, president and CEO of Laika, a stop-motion animation company based outside of Portland, Ore., the child’s remark was the highest form of praise. That’s because the 9-year-old studio has found its place in Hollywood’s increasingly crowded animation marketplace by making films slightly left of center, beginning with its first movie, the spooky, Oscar-nominated “Coraline” in 2009.
“Boxtrolls” opened Friday to respectable reviews and $17.3 million in box office, the strongest opening ever for Laika. The film is meant to appeal to audiences looking for something more offbeat than the usual Hollywood animation fare.
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