Shout! Factory Gets Distribution Rights to Laika Feature Films

Shout! Factory Gets Distribution Rights to Laika Feature Films

February 8th, 2021

Jerry Beck

Shout! Factory and animation studio LAIKA announced today a new entertainment distribution alliance to bring the studio’s first four award-winning legacy films to the home entertainment marketplace in the U.S. The announcement was made today by Melissa Boag, Shout’s Senior Vice President of Family Entertainment, and David Burke, LAIKA’s Chief Marketing Officer and SVP, Operations.

This multi-year agreement provides Shout! Factory with US home entertainment distribution rights in all packaged media to LAIKA’s first four Oscar-nominated films: Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), The Boxtrolls (2014), ParaNorman (2012), and Coraline (2009). Leveraging unparalleled access to archived content from LAIKA, new bonus content, collectible packaging, and specialty releases are in development. As excitement builds for these upcoming home entertainment product lines, Shout! Factory and LAIKA will announce additional news and activities in the forthcoming months.

“We’ve been huge fans of LAIKA, Travis Knight, and his extraordinary team. Their legendary ingenuity, independent spirit, and compelling storytelling have inspired us and continue to entertain audiences worldwide,” stated Melissa Boag, Senior Vice President of Family Entertainment at Shout! Factory. “We’re incredibly excited about this new opportunity with LAIKA and look forward to presenting these beloved films with enlightening extras and lavish packaging to fans and collectors everywhere.”

“We’re delighted to launch our partnership with Shout! Factory,” said LAIKA’s David Burke. “Their ability to maximize value for legacy titles by bringing films to entirely new audiences well after their theatrical release cycle is unparalleled in the industry. We look forward to a long and impactful relationship with these industry leaders.”

The content deal was negotiated by Jordan Fields, Vice President of Acquisitions, and Steven Katz, Vice President of Business Affairs for Shout! Factory, and LAIKA’s Head of Business Development Michael Waghalter and Colin Geiger, General Counsel and Head of Business Affairs.

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Jerry Beck

Writer, cartoon producer and author of more than 15 books on animation history. A former studio exec with Nickelodeon and Disney; currently on the faculty at both CalArts in Valencia and Woodbury University in Burbank, California.