As a fan of Paranorman and Coraline, Laika is becoming a force in genre storytelling. Earlier this morning I read an article that every genre fan should read. It tells the fantastic story of how a failed rapper by the name of Chilly Tee overthrew and ousted the creator of Claymation, Will Vinton. Chilly Tee’s actual name is Travis Knight. Travis Knight is the President and CEO of Laika. More importantly, Travis Knight is the son of Phil Knight, the owner of Laika and co-founder of Nike. I think many of us associate Laika as a relatively new company – which, under that name, they are. However, as the story below goes to show, Laika is just a re-branding of the original Will Vinton Studios. Will Vinton is the man that created and popularized The California Raisins.

It is a fascinating story to read and I would do a disservice in quoting any of it.