Coraline Animator Travis Knight of LAIKA

Monday, May 07, 2007
By: Ryan Ball

The son of Nike founder Phil Knight, Travis Knight had already spent 10 years developing his skills as an animator at Vinton Studios before his father bought the struggling company and rebranded it as LAIKA. Once known for “claymation” commercial and TV work, including the famous California Raisins spots, the company is now in the business of making feature films and is kicking off that effort with Coraline, a stop-motion adaptation of the young adult fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman. On the film, Knight’s working as one of the lead animators under Anthony Scott.

After college, Knight was hired as a production assistant as Will Vinton and crew were gearing up to produce their first TV series, the clay-animated Eddie Murphy comedy The P.J.s. By the end of the first season, he was spending most of his time animating.

Animation Magazine Online: What was working on The P.J.s like?

Travis Knight: You had to crank through so many frames because we had these ridiculous quotas that just seemed completely onerous. The good and the bad thing was that we didn’t have the luxury to re-shoot a lot of stuff because of how quickly we had to churn this stuff out. You’d get your brief from the director and then you’d go. There weren’t pop-throughs or rehearsals or anything like that. You basically had to completely trust your instincts. You couldn’t second-guess everything but just really go for it. That’s really where I came into my own as an animator.

AMO: Working at Vinton allowed you to learn CG as well. Do you prefer one over the other?

TK: One of the exciting things for me about stop-motion is that it’s the only form of animation that’s dangerous on some level. It’s also spontaneous, if you can get past the fact that you’re working for hours on end on fractions of seconds. Little things occur while you’re out there, little accidents. To me, that’s where a lot of the magic happens. You find this weird symbiotic relationship with this little doll.

I hadn’t done any CG. That whole thing seemed very strange to me. Of course, I had seen Toy Story and the big CG-animated films of the time and was blown away, but I had no idea how it was done. The training was essentially, “Okay, here’s your chair, here’s your computer, here’s a commercial, now go.” I was terrified. But unlike stop-motion, which is essentially you throwing yourself out there and there really is no redo unless you want to redo the whole thing, with CG you do have the luxury of tweaking, massaging, changing and that sort of thing. So it wasn’t nearly as scary as working in stop-motion.

AMO: So now you seamlessly move between stop-mo and CG?

TK: At first it certainly wasn’t seamless—it was awful! I did not want to work in CG. I had my first taste of it and wanted to go back to working in stop-motion. Stop-motion is so immediate–you grab a puppet and pose it. With CG, you have all these buttons and your mouse, and it’s 3D but it’s not really 3D. Eventually you get used to it and realize it has its merits.

I’d work on a stop-motion commercial—one month I’d do the NFL on Fox campaign—and within a handful of weeks I’d be working on some CG project. It was cool because I got a lot of experience doing different things in a short amount of time. Being out on the stage you’re contorting your body in all those weird positions, burning your hands on hot glue, scraping your fingers on these rods and walking home with backaches and bloody hands. After a while you just want to go sit at a desk. Then you go to your desk and do CG stuff and, of course, that gets tiring because you feel like you’re working on a spreadsheet or something.

AMO: We often hear from directors that animators who come from traditional backgrounds generally make better CG animators than those who learn animation on a computer.

TK: That’s certainly what I’ve seen. It helps knowing other forms. However, there was a long period when I worked on CG and didn’t do any stop-motion for what must have been two years. When I came back to it, I found that I had learned a lot just doing CG. The different mindset and the different ways you approach a shot now kind of informed how I worked in stop-motion. I found my stop-motion stuff had a different vitality to it and I was able to do better performances.

AMO: Are you doing Stop-mo and CG on Coraline?

TK: We were trying to figure out how best to do the two different worlds, kind of going for that Wizard of Oz-type moment where she goes into this whole new world and we were toying with the idea of having one side of the world be stop-motion and the other side CG. We did some tests and ultimately decided that this story is perhaps better suited to stop-motion. I’m glad we went that way. We were going to have some fairly extensive CG effects but again we decided this film would benefit from having a more hand-crafted look. There are obviously some digital elements in pretty much any stop-motion film you’ll see these days, but it’s almost entirely stop-motion.

AMO: Did your interest in animation lead to your father buying Vinton Studios?

TK: My involvement was certainly a driving force in his involvement, but the company was going through harsh financial times. After 9/11, the advertising market got hit really hard. And it came at a really bad time for Vinton Studios because our two TV shows, Gary & Mike and The P.J.s hadn’t been renewed, so that revenue dried up and we were relying solely on our advertising to keep the doors open. We struggled for a while and, ultimately, the company was in such dire straits that if we didn’t have someone basically step in and save it, it would have gone under and there would be no animation force in Portland, basically. So, with the “S” cape, here comes my dad and saves the day. He got the company back on its feet with a new vision and a new focus on doing long-form feature entertainment versus TV and commercials.

AMO: Any drawbacks to being the boss’ son?

TK: It was sort of odd at first. It felt unusual. It was like these two different worlds were colliding. But because of his involvement, my involvement in the company has increased. I’ve been blessed with opportunities that I probably wouldn't have had this early otherwise. My involvement on the board and on the corporate side has given me a different perspective, so no, there are no drawbacks. It’s been really wonderful.

AMO: Do you feel you have to prove yourself all the more as an animator?

TK: There’s always that, but, in my head, I proved myself before he’d taken over the company. I think people who worked here had a fair amount of respect for my abilities as an animator, so I wasn’t like some guy who just came in. You don’t want to feel like you’re getting a free ride, but there’s proving yourself in other ways, too. When Henry [Selick] first joined the company, the first project we worked on was [the short] Moongirl. That was fairly terrifying for me because he is an icon for a stop-motion animator. It was a thrill to work with him, but that was pressure. It was like, “Oh God, I have to prove myself to this guy who’s seen some of the best animation in the world.” But that was in CG, so then to work on Coraline, I again had to prove myself and make sure that I earned his trust and belief in me. As the studio’s first major foray into features, Corpse Bride not withstanding, there’s a lot of pressure on a lot of levels to make sure this thing is as beautiful as can be.

AMO: Are you working on any personal projects as well?

TK: Any animator has ideas for films percolating somewhere in their head, but this really is a full-time job. I’m a lead on Coraline in addition to handling all these other corporate responsibilities I have, so it’s this funny dance of almost having this myopic focus of fractions of seconds and millimeters and then trying to have a broader, more global vision of where the company’s going, the sorts of films we make and the look of the films we make. I’m up very early in the morning and I’m here until very late into the evening, and at the end of the week, the only thing I want to do is spend time with my family.

Travis Knight is one of 12 “Rising Stars of Animation” profiled in the June issue of Animation Magazine, available at Barnes and Noble and other booksellers.

Reader Comments

• Ken Pontac : Story Editor : Mondo Media

  Friday, May 11, 2007

  I\'m no math whiz, but if Travis started on the P.J.s after it premiered in 1999, how can he have \"already spent 10 years developing his skills as an animator at Vinton Studios before his father bought the struggling company\" when it\'s only 2007 now?
  
  Travis was an AMAZING animator when I was at Vinton\'s directing Gary & Mike, and I hear that his skills are off the hook these days. I believe it!

• Anonymous :

  Thursday, May 17, 2007

  Travis didn\'t start after it premeired, he started when they started to Produce the series. Considering that each episode took two month to make (from the PJs Wiki), they would have had to start animation at least a year in advance. That could easily add another 2 years easily onto Travis\' time at Vinton, bringing the total to 10.

• Anonymous :

  Thursday, May 17, 2007

  He started at the studio in the summer of \'98, which means next summer will be his 10th anniversary with the company.

• Anonymous :

  Friday, May 18, 2007

  To Mr. Anonymous,
  
  I once had an ad agency guy take me aside and as me about the WV Studios methods of getting talent. He was amazed that almost no one there had worked in the tranches or had battel stories from other studios. When they geared up for PJ\'s and Gary and Mike that all changed. If I am not mistaken Travis was hired for M&M\'s and was a CGI animator not an Stop-Motion animator. But I think what folks are trying to point out is that Travis has not suffered the slings and arrows that WV Studios did back in the day. True battle wounds are what builds character and wisdom. Starting in the bizz with a studio that already had a big system in place does not instill confidence amongs seasoned veterians. This is something that only time will tell. The question here is... Time equals money... So how much time do you have to prove yourself. I guess that his battle will be NIKE$$$... not his own.
  
  To Travis I say,
  
  Be very careful with promotion. Take a hint from your father and let the pro\'s do it for you. Make sure you lead with honesty and modesty not greed and ego. Also be careful about going out strong... NO mater what you say. Your true cost for Coraline needs to include R&D. So I know that already this has got to be one of the most expensive animated features in production. In todays market you need to make your first feature a miracle. It needs to be as cheap as possible, profit beyond belief, and look like double or triple the actual budget....then everything will fall into place.
  
  P.S. Check the records... But I think M&M\'s also plaid a big part in the studio troubles. Politics... be very careful. Always remember that things can jump out in the night and bite you.

• Animator X :

  Tuesday, May 22, 2007

  Sure you are buddies now, but when he finds his dad\'s Green Goblin supersuit you\'re gonna be screwed.

• Anonymous :

  Thursday, May 24, 2007

  Maybe if someone dumps over 50 Million$$$ Wink..! Wink! into that idea you could have a winner. Oh! yeah! someone just did. However I would pay to see Phil in a Green Goblin suite.
  
  Chao Bella

• Grad of WVS : animator :

  Thursday, May 24, 2007

  It’s a shame that someone should use the comments section of this article to try and minimize the talent that made up the Vinton Studio. Vinton took a chance, (perhaps exploited), on young talent who may not have made it other places. Many artists found the opportunities lacking and left, after compiling a demo reel, for more interesting work. These are just a few of the names I can remember but if you look up any one of their names on the IMDb data base you will find they all worked on major motion pictures and are working for Sony, DreamWorks, ILM, Disney, ILM, Pixar and other major studios. Laika employs some Vinton people still who never went to school for their craft. It wasn’t for lack of talent that killed WVS.
  Vinton people in the motion picture industry: Kelly Louis, Doug Williams, Janelle (Pierce) Schneider, Robin and Doug Foley, Michael “Misha” Berenstein, Teresa Drilling, Joel Brinkerhoff, Chuck Duke, Jerald Howard, Webster Colcord, Tom Gurney, Hal Hickle, Si Duy Tran, Jim Richardson, Noah Klabunde, Keridan Elliot, Brian Boyd, Derrick Carlin, Doug Sutton, Jim Clark, Sean Burns, Brad Schiff
  
  Others are in direct competition with Laika House for commercial work.
  
  A grad of WVS

• Josh Jones : Assistant Professor : DePaul University

  Thursday, May 24, 2007

  I am surprised at what some of the comments here are insinuating. I had the pleasure of working with Travis in the trenches on the PJ\'s second and third season and found him to be a person of good merit, modest, and a superb animator. Many of the other newbies that I worked with there found his work very inspiring. He has always more than held his own in my eyes.

• Animator Wondering : Animator : won\'t tell

  Friday, May 25, 2007

  Can\'t help to wonder about Animation Magazines motivation for this interview.
  Makes no sence to interview sombody because of about 10 years in this industry?
  I have more than 10 years as an animator behind me, but you don\'t see Animation Magazine calling me.
  Is AM hoping this Travis guy would drop a word to his father to support or buy AM?
  Or is it just brown nosing?
  Guess my motivation to subscribe to AM just vanished...
  
  To Travis: you should have said NO to this interview

• Animator Z :

  Friday, May 25, 2007

  Maybe some one can clear up... The word out on the street in reaguards to Coraline.
  
  A) Started as a Tim Burton project then not finished so that he can take on Corpse Bride, However Henry Selick was attached.
  
  B) Mike Johnson gets let go from WV Studios... goes home to L.A. WV Studio ltes him use phone in L.A. office. Phone call from Tim Burton asking him to head up Corpse Bride in UK with Ex Ardman folks and a very few from WV Studios.
  
  C) Henry still attached to Coraline but not realy to Corpse Bride wants to see Coraline happen.
  
  D) Struggle between Vinton and Phil. Phil decides the direction that Will wants to go is all wrong and would like to see if he could do somthing to change the tides. They try to create some instudio projects. Nothing really flourishes. In walks Henry with a project that he is attached to...Coraline! Phil and Travis in awe of Henry think this might be the golden ticket. Willy Wonka kind of magic.
  
  E) So now the sutdio re tools Tim Burtons original concept of Neil Gaiman\'s novel. Tim not attached just Henry who\'s last real project was the amazingly successful \"Monkey Bone\" takes a whack at re-tooling.
  
  F) Now in its second or third attempt at trying to find a cohisve style and story Travis final feels that they have something that works.
  
  Truth or fiction?

• Animator Y :

  Friday, May 25, 2007

  I think everyone is missing the point here in the first place. This does not seem to be a personal rag on Travis\\\'s personality or talent. Infact almost every single person that was mentioned above worked at the studio at a time when the entire process of the studio was being invented. They were all young and realy part of what made that a wonderful studio. I think the real factor is that when the need to survive is a reality then the person in charge ie... Will or Travis has more of a need to step up to the plate. Will had his ups and downs but he learned everything he did on his own buck. There was no free ride for him. Will managed to build that company with a bunch of fun guys.. oh yeah! and gals too... plus you forgot the tallented Mr. Barry Bruce. I think that this is going to be a very interesting time for Travis. Will he hire exec\\\'s from studios that really are no different then Micheal Isner or will he be realistic and slowly build the studio back into a power house like it was in the 80\\\'s. I remember a time when folks did not care what they got paid they just wanted to be part of the proces and would take whatever. Now how many people are there for the assured Nike paycheck? I know this sounds evil but if Travis is going to build this mega studio then I hope he is asking this question himself. What does the magic eight ball say? Honesty can be a very harsh, and some may feel threatened by it and not understand its intention. To those that welcome it... May they can take advantage and better themselves. Which will it be? Not every writer is a producer and not every animtor is a director! I know that may sound threatening but I asure you it is not meant to be. Portland is a great city and could use another sucess story. So with that said I say \\\"Good Luck\\\". Sugar and Spice

• CAP : Director of Animation : Anonymous

  Thursday, May 31, 2007

  Be positve. Anything to help inspire. Its not just about business. And whyt would any company try ro get a deal on buying AM. its a Magazine.

• Ken Pontac : Story Editor : Mondo Media

  Thursday, May 31, 2007

  Wow, I just checked back here and am amazed/amused by all the flaming going on. Some you posters should take a deep breath and count to ten.
  
  I\'m rooting for Travis and the gang to knock it out of the park with Coraline (although the whole Harry/Green Goblin thing was pretty funny).

• Animator Y :

  Monday, June 04, 2007

  It looks like you are a Direcor of animation... does this mean you have an understanding of marking and costs. I must chime in here and support (Animator Wondering)... Most of the articles in these industry mags are a trade... an article for ad space. So Yes! (Animator Wondering) is right! I know cuz I am called everyday. Running a studio is much different then working in one. And I think it unfair to acknowledge the games at play... when true independents are out there struggleing trying to drum up thier own PR. Kind of nice not haveing that headack to worry about...Hun!

• Animator 73 :

  Friday, June 08, 2007

  I\'ve witnessed first hand the impeccable ability of this animator and the built up animosity by these critics is ridiculous. Until you\'ve met this man, it\'s not anyone’s place to judge his character or creative ability. In one conversation you will sense he is a modest person who deserves more credit than is given.
  Good Luck, Travis.

• Animator 32 :

  Monday, June 11, 2007

  To Animator 73
  
  Why 73? I suppose you have a creative reason for that.
  
  None of the comments above would dissagree with anything you said. I think the critics are talking about the bizzz. Why is it that most of the flock from the studio over there tend to change the subjects. Funny how they like to swim in the pond of PR and then when a slight wind comes the get all Bent out of shape. I say make a sail and cruze. I hope Travis can Captian that boat. So far banking on Hennry Selick to save the day may not be a good sample of things to come.
  
  So far there seems to be a lot of shifting around in upper managment... is that an example of stability. I am tired of studio workers yelling and screaming when things are not fair.
  
  I think that (Animator: Wont tell) had a great point. If you are running your own company and do not have Nike power behind you how can you get in a bunch of trade magazines without buying big expensive ad space...There is no way. Then again you just work in the trenches.
  
  I like your support but maybe you can answer this question. Rocky needed the eye of the tiger... Will built that studio out of blood and sweat and a bunch of friends... It takes a lot of time to gain that experience. Not just animation experience but real hard school yeard business lessons. Something Phill has but not Travis. Only Phil knows the shoe bizzz very different then the intertainment world. That studio made it money off the commercial industry and now they can bairly float from commercials. How can someone make real desiscisions when everytime you can just through some dollars at it. Traivs protected as he is with the money is he really involved in the brins behind the business or is he hiring more folks like Micheal Isner to tell him what to do and take more of his money?
  
  Here is the real question... was Coraline first a Tim Burton project or not? Funny how ask that question and all of a sudeen Travis is a nice guy. See when you guys come back with that it makes us all think that you are cover something up. So Lets just get this out... Travis is a very talented guy and nice tooooo!
  
  Can you see if you can ask around and answer that question? Hmmm!

• Animator Z :

  Monday, June 11, 2007

  To Animator 73
  
  I would Just like to know did Travis start at that studio as a 3D animator for M&M\'s or as the mag rag mentions stop-motion...Hmm!
  
  Here is a scond part to that question:
  
  I thought the studio was trying to do a blend of both Stop-motion and CG so that Travis would feel more at home. Was that wrong? Obviously he got some practice on PJ\'s so now he is more well rounded.
  
  How many creative changes have they been through already? Any idea of cost on that. Sounds like without a hole burning in his pocket just Phils maybe folks are wondering if that is effecting a part of the process.
  
  Most companies have distribution lined up before they go into production, or at least an idea of interested parties. Is Travis fallowing the due corse of the Bizzzz! Or, with no hole burning his pocket.... maybe not. You can buy success!.. You have to earn that. There is no magic pill... like Henry Selick.
  
  As a fellow worker you must be wondering how long the studio can survive as a tax write off for Nike... Ooops! I mean Phil? At some point money in... needs to out pace money going out. Again this has nothing to do with Travis\'s personality... He is a nice guy! I get it. Lets just talke Bizzzzzz!

• Joel Brinkerhoff : Animator : Freelance

  Monday, June 18, 2007

  Let me say first that Travis is a top-notch animator and would be an asset to ANY studio. I was so excited that AM should write about an animator instead of writers or producers, sorry Terry, it’s no Animato or Animation Blast, that I thought this was going to be a good thing. But when I read the comments I realize Travis must be under an enormous amount of pressure. This can be pretty hard on creative people who would prefer to concentrate on their art.
  
  Some Anonymous person, probably a producer, commented about not being in the trenches and having battle scars. You think animating on series television is a walk in the park? You think putting up with client and ‘creativies’ trial and error approach to commercials doesn’t produce battle scars?
  
  It may not have been the best thing for Travis that his pop bought the shop, but this article has furthered my respect for him and I hope his talent won’t suffer with the added baggage. I wonder if he doesn’t sometime wish he had joined his other Vinton mates who let their talents take them to established studios and just focus on animating like Kelli Lewis, (not Kelly Louis) and another one, Kevin Maclean?

• Animator Z :

  Tuesday, June 19, 2007

  Joel I have seen your work and think highly of your skills. I just wonder like you went off to O Entertainment and got some out side other studio experience... makes me think that you might have more to add to the building of a studio then Travis.
  
  Like I said this is not about talent it is however about knowledge and time which = Experience. The Indians used to send thier children out on a quest against the odds and when they return they seem to return to the tribe as a new adult. That is the kind of growth that a father buying a company and handing it to his son stunts.
  
  Yes I agree that Travis kind of may wish that he just went off... and maybe he should and then with that expierence he could actually build a wonder think tank.
  
  Right now... I know that there are quiet a few Wolves over there living off the fat of NIKE! Problem is both he and his father have never been in this business. They can\\\'t tell... Names like Pixar or Henry Selick tend to cloud the vission of buliding a studio.
  
  Working as an animator on a net work program does not mean he actually talked with clients and dealt with them like a producer would. It just means that he is a good animator which everyone agrees is true. But comanding a ship is much different... And comanding a ship build by Will is even more crazy. Sounds like you need to start all over. The real problem that I see is that Phill and Traivs have no guage on how to do this so they are being lead down a path of spending Nike dollars. Eventually Phill is going to just give up and look at weather the investment is worth it or not.
  
  As a porducer I would say that the money already into the development of this feature is way over board and the amount of talent they have on staff is not realistic of how features are being produceed today. The only studio that has that many folks is Pixar and they have earned their ground. It is a world of competing with Korea or India.
  
  Which gets me to the next point. Most feature directors have had a slough of short films in festivals.. beyond any work they are getting paid for commercially. So with that said how many festivals has Travis been in as a director and can he pull this off with no expierence. This is a very big nut that even money can\\\'t crack.
  
  I wish them luck!

• Animator Z :

  Tuesday, June 19, 2007

  Joel I have seen your work and think highly of your skills. I just wonder like you went off to O Entertainment and got some out side other studio experience... makes me think that you might have more to add to the building of a studio then Travis.
  
  Like I said this is not about talent it is however about knowledge and time which = Experience. The Indians used to send thier children out on a quest against the odds and when they return they seem to return to the tribe as a new adult. That is the kind of growth that a father buying a company and handing it to his son stunts.
  
  Yes I agree that Travis kind of may wish that he just went off... and maybe he should and then with that expierence he could actually build a wonder think tank.
  
  Right now... I know that there are quiet a few Wolves over there living off the fat of NIKE! Problem is both he and his father have never been in this business. They can\\\\\\\'t tell... Names like Pixar or Henry Selick tend to cloud the vission of buliding a studio.
  
  Working as an animator on a net work program does not mean he actually talked with clients and dealt with them like a producer would. It just means that he is a good animator which everyone agrees is true. But comanding a ship is much different... And comanding a ship build by Will is even more crazy. Sounds like you need to start all over. The real problem that I see is that Phill and Traivs have no guage on how to do this so they are being lead down a path of spending Nike dollars. Eventually Phill is going to just give up and look at weather the investment is worth it or not.
  
  As a porducer I would say that the money already into the development of this feature is way over board and the amount of talent they have on staff is not realistic of how features are being produceed today. The only studio that has that many folks is Pixar and they have earned their ground. It is a world of competing with Korea or India.
  
  Which gets me to the next point. Most feature directors have had a slough of short films in festivals.. beyond any work they are getting paid for commercially. So with that said how many festivals has Travis been in as a director and can he pull this off with no expierence. This is a very big nut that even money can\\\\\\\'t crack.
  
  I wish them luck!

• Anonymous :

  Wednesday, June 18, 2008

  Laika is an amazing place to be. An inspiring place to spend each day. Due to an exceptionally unusual set of circumstances Portland is fortunate enough to be home to this new and exciting studio venture.

• A Laika wanna-be : Game Art and Design :

  Wednesday, June 25, 2008

  \\\"Laika is an amazing place to be. An inspiring place to spend each day. Due to an exceptionally unusual set of circumstances Portland is fortunate enough to be home to this new and exciting studio venture.\\\"
  
  I could not agree more! From all my research and findings I have come to the same conclusion.

• V.V. :

  Saturday, September 20, 2008

  Why hasn\'t anyone mentioned how good looking he is... yum;)

• Perseus :

  Sunday, February 08, 2009

  I agree V.V. He\'s not plump, but well made!

• Chilly Tee : VP : Laika

  Thursday, February 12, 2009

  \"A message to the wise to keep in your head
  and this is one thing that pop dukes always said:
  Just do it, you gotta just do it\"
  
  \"See, they call me the Tee, in \'86 it was Trav
  If you need to get in touch you can catch me on the ave.
  I got the Nike wears, head to toe with the trim
  the BMW I drive is the color of my skin
  I\'m in it to win it, I got the skills and the status
  You wanna know why? My pockets are the fattest
  Not takin\' what\'s given cause see, I didn\'t fit in
  just gimme the mic and a rhythm, that\'s how I\'m livin\'\"
  
  
  Hmmmm! sounds like livin off daddy DUKE to me.