Study of Laika’s Facial Expression Mechanism System for Stop-Motion Animation Puppet Through Knock-Down Strategies on Home-Scaled 3D Printer

Abstract

The growth of 3D printing has been rapid over the decades. Laika is a United States-based animation production company, and the pioneer of 3D printing technology in stop-motion animation. Laika uses this technology in their production pipeline for making stop-motion puppets in most of their films, including their latest films, Kubo and the Two Strings (2016). Due to limited access and information of details of Laika’s facial expression, communities and fans of animation have tried to conduct experiments with their own 3D print, using footages of behind-the-screen processes from Laika studio. This paper explores facial expressions for creating stop-motion puppet using an affordable home scale 3D printer. Using limited technical information collected from documentation video from Laika as well as referring to articles written by stop-motion enthusiasts, this fan-based research ignites creativity to overcome the barriers of technology and access through strategies in producing affordable 3D print stop-motion animation. Keywords: Stop-motion animation, 3D printing, facial expressions.