Local Artists Decorated 31 Giant Cats as Part of 15^th Celebration of LAIKA’s First Film

LAIKA, the Visit Downtown Campaign, Wild in Art, and OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital are thrilled to announce that the auction of the Coraline Cat Statues that drew crowds to downtown Portland since August of this year has raised $324,500.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241108160316/en/

31 Artist-Deisgned "Cat" Statues were auctioned at the conclusion of the "Coraline Curious Cat Trail" campaign to benefit Doernbecher Children's Hospital. (Image: Courtesy of LAIKA)

Based on preliminary economic data, it’s estimated that over 135,000 people visited Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail from August through October with an economic impact of $4M to the Downtown area. The trail featured 31 almost six-foot-tall ‘Cat’ sculptures stationed throughout Downtown Portland, creating a free art trail for visitors complete with maps, a dedicated website, and social media. The Farewell Weekend drew 10,000 visitors to Director Park to say goodbye to these amazing art pieces.

“What a truly incredible project! This art trail created a buzz throughout our city, brought thousands of visitors downtown, boosted our local economy and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital,” said Andrew Hoan, President & CEO of the Portland Metro Chamber. “These cat sculptures now hold a special place in Portland’s history and symbolize both community spirit and resilience and we are very proud to have been a part of this project.”

Local artists used these impressive cat statues as canvases and hand-painted each Cat Sculpture. It truly was the purr-fect celebration for Portland, where LAIKA’s cinematic brilliance meets the diverse talent of local artists, creating an unforgettable experience for all.

“We’re thrilled that the auction of the Coraline Cats will make a meaningful contribution to Doernbecher, supporting their essential work in delivering top-tier medical care,” said David Burke, LAIKA’s Chief Marketing & Operations Officer. “Our collaboration with the Visit Downtown Campaign and Wild in Art to celebrate Coraline’s 15th Anniversary highlighted Portland’s vibrant creativity and inspired thousands of visitors. We’re incredibly proud to have been part of such an impactful initiative.”

The trail was the first in the US from the industry-leading installation producer Wild in Art. As creative producers of spectacular, meaningful, and innovative public art trails, Wild in Art has animated cities across four continents including Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Auckland, Christchurch, Cape Town, Nairobi, and São Paulo. Based in the UK, they’ve developed events the length and breadth of the country, including public art trails for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

Coraline boasts stunning stop-motion animation, handcrafted puppets, and meticulously designed sets. Based on the novella by beloved author Neil Gaiman, Coraline is a wondrous, thrilling, fun and suspenseful adventure. A young girl walks through a secret door in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life. On the surface, this parallel reality is eerily like her real life – only much better. But when this off-kilter, fantastical adventure turns dangerous and her counterfeit parents try to keep her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness, determination, and bravery to save her family and get back home.

Adapted for the screen and directed by stop-motion auteur Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Wendell & Wild), Coraline’s voice cast includes Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Ian McShane, Keith David (as Cat), and British comedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. At the completion of the Art Trail, the cat statues were auctioned with net proceeds benefiting Doernbecher.

“Ongoing philanthropic efforts allow us to go beyond basic medical care and provide services that not only optimize treatment, but also allow kids the opportunity to live each day to the fullest,” said Dana A. Braner, M.D., Credit Unions for Kids Chair in Pediatrics, Physician in Chief, OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and Associate Dean of Children’s Health, OHSU. “We’re incredibly grateful for the generosity of our community and thrilled to see the impact these contributions will have on our patients and staff.”

The Visit Downtown Campaign is a project of the Portland Metro Chamber, Downtown Portland Clean & Safe, and the City of Portland.

Portland Metro Chamber:

We support businesses of all types and sizes in succeeding and thriving throughout our region. For more than 150 years, it has been our honor to serve the business community of metropolitan Portland.

Downtown Portland Clean & Safe:

The Downtown Portland Clean & Safe District provides enhanced services to the people, places and businesses within a core 213-block area of our central city.

About LAIKA

LAIKA was founded in 2005 in Oregon by President & CEO Travis Knight. The studio’s five films Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012), The Boxtrolls (2014), Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) and Missing Link (2019) have all been nominated for the Academy Award® for Outstanding Animated Feature. Kubo and the Two Strings won the BAFTA® Award for Best Animated Film and received an additional Oscar® nomination for Visual Effects. Missing Link was awarded the Golden Globe® for Best Animated Film. LAIKA was awarded a Scientific and Technology Oscar® in 2016 for its innovation in 3D printing. LAIKA is currently in production on its next animated film Wildwood. The studio is developing the animated feature films The Night Gardener, from an original idea by Bill Dubuque, creator of the hit series Ozark, and Piranesi, based on the NYT bestselling novel by Susanna Clarke. LAIKA has launched a Live Action subsidiary with a range of projects in development including feature films based on the action thriller novel Seventeen by screenwriter John Brownlow and an original script Crumble, written and directed by Brian Duffield (Spontaneous) with Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Spider-verse films) producing. Oscar®-nominated screenwriter Jon Spaihts (Dune) will write and make his directorial debut on an untitled original live action film project. www.laika.com

OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital

Experience the highest-quality pediatric care, close to home. Our team of experts provides family-centered care, designed to meet your child's exact needs.

Wild in Art

We are creative producers of spectacular, meaningful and innovative public art trails.

We work with destinations, charities, brand owners, artists, businesses, learning providers and communities across the UK and worldwide to create memorable events which make a difference.

Image: Courtesy of LAIKA

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241108160316/en/