About LAIKA presents - MADE BY HUMANS: CREATIVES IN CONVERSATION
What does it take to make something magical? Artists from award-winning animation studio LAIKA are paired with fellow expert creatives to create a genuine dialogue about filmmaking, practical effects, the grind, and the inspiration behind making magic. Together, we explore what drives them, how they push through the hard days, and what their work reveals when held up next to each other.
Join us as we discuss craftsmanship, inspiration, and mythic wonder that bring our most iconic worlds to life, from Coraline and LAIKA’s upcoming film Wildwood to Jurassic Park, Project Hail Mary, your favorite TikTok videos and so many more.
The Impossible Road of LAIKA's Wildwood with Travis Knight and Caleb Deschanel
How did the impossibly complex film Wildwood actually get made? LAIKA CEO and Director of Wildwood Travis Knight sits with Wildwood's Director of Photography Caleb Deschanel to discuss all the challenges, obstacles and blood, sweat and tears it took to make magic
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30 Sept 2026
An Insider’s View on How Practical Effects Are Made with Oliver Jones and Kevin Parry
What makes practical effects so magical? LAIKA's Head of Character and Practical Effects Oliver Jones sits down with former LAIKA animator and now solo superstar digital creator Kevin Parry to discuss the world of practical effects and how that feels different in a team of hundreds vs going it alone.
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25 Sept 2026
Why Stop Motion Animation Matters in the Digital Age with Keith McQueen and Phil Tippett
Why make models in the digital age? LAIKA's Head of Model Shop Keith McQueen and legendary stop motion pioneer Phil Tippett explain why the human crafted still matters.
#MadeByHumans #Podcast #Animation
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23 Sept 2026
The Power of Costume Design and Storytelling with Deborah Cook and Sandy Powell
Costume design is the one cinematic element that touches story, character, history, psychology, and visuals all at once. When it’s working, you don’t notice it consciously… but you feel it immediately.
LAIKA's Deborah Cook sits down with legendary costume designer Sandy Powell to deconstruct the subtle storytelling powers of costume. From stop-motion miniatures to live-action icons, discover how the clothes we wear on screen tell the stories we feel in our hearts.
#MadeByHumans #Podcast #Animation
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18 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
Using Special Effects in the World of Stop Motion Animation
With a wealth of technology tools to deliver fascinating films, less is more is often the edict when it comes to special effects in this conversation with LAIKA’s Visual Effects Supervisor Steve Emerson and ILM veteran visual effects filmmaker Jeff Mann.
#MadeByHumans #Podcast #Animation
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11 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
Wildwood: Building a Character From Page to Puppet
Bringing a single character to life takes a village: an actor's voice, an animator's physical performance, designers, cinematographers, and a screenwriter, all converging on one emotional truth. This episode explores that rare collaboration through Wildwood, LAIKA's upcoming adaptation of the beloved Portland-set book.
Wildwood screenwriter Chris Butler is joined by the film's stars Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Jacob Tremblay to revisit these characters years after first encountering them; they discuss the joys of telling a proudly local story and unpack the challenges of adapting such a beloved, sprawling book. LAIKA Art Director Cassie Lopez also takes Peyton Elizabeth and Jacob behind the scenes to see two striking sets from the upcoming film.
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9 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
Two Forms of Puppetry: From Project Hail Mary to Wildwood
Puppetry takes wildly different forms on screen: from small stop-motion puppets animated frame by frame to massive creatures operated by multiple puppeteers and Brad Schiff and James Ortiz perfectly encapsulate this spectrum. LAIKA's Head of Animation Brad Schiff has spent his career bringing puppets to life one frame at a time, while James Ortiz built and performed Project Hail Mary's beloved Rocky. Two experts on the medium trade notes on where creativity actually happens, why rigorous preparation fuels real improvisation, and how craft becomes something unmistakably human.
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9 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
Filmmaking Magic with Special Guest Zach King: From Coraline to Viral Illusions
From Coraline's sets to viral TikTok illusions, two masters of practical effects swap secrets:. Brian McLean, LAIKA's Director of Rapid Prototype, has spent 20 years pushing stop motion forward with groundbreaking innovation. And Zach King, one of the world's biggest creators, brings his own signature magic touch to the table. LAIKA's pioneering use of 3D printing collides with the optical trickery behind social media's biggest illusions, in a conversation about what it really takes to inspire awe.
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8 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
LAIKA Presents: Made by Humans, Creatives in Conversation
What does it take to make something magical? Step inside award-winning stop motion animation studio LAIKA where artists chat with fellow expert creatives about filmmaking, practical effects, craftsmanship and the mythic wonder that brings our most iconic worlds to life. Premiering September 9 on YouTube - and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Inside a recent episode
Using Special Effects in the World of Stop Motion Animation
Published 18 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] Because what we don't want to do is we don't ever want to compromise story or the vision of the filmmaker. Ultimately, that's it. There is a spirit of stop motion in everything that we do. And it's rooted in stop motion. But ultimately, it's storytelling. And we want to make sure that these filmmakers can tell the stories that they want to be able to tell. So what's physical? What ends up being CG? It's as much in camera as we possibly can get. And when it needs to be CG, we're not afraid to put digital elements into the shots. But we're also very careful to make sure that when we do it, we're doing it in a way that ultimately is honoring this art form that we love and through collective collaboration. […]
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