Henry Selick is, without a doubt, one of the most important animators in the industry. His specialty lies in stop-motion, an artisanal technique that consists of animating different figures frame by frame and then, when joined together, generating the sensation of movement. The filmmaker has worked with this technique in major projects such as The Nightmare Before Christmas (1994), James and the Giant Peach (1996) and Coraline (2009).
During the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, Selick revealed that he has another project on the way. It is the adaptation The Ocean at the End of the Lane, in which he will team up again with Neil Gaiman, after their successful collaboration on the Coraline adaptation.
As revealed by the filmmaker, this film will function as a 'companion' to Coraline, the film that tells the story of a little girl who, when she breaks through a wall in her home, finds a dark version of her life. In Selick's words, "Instead of a child going to this other world with a monstrous mother, it's a monstrous mother who comes to our world to wreak havoc on a child's life."
This project is in the early stages, with a script in process and character design being in exploration. Also, it has not currently been bought by any studio, but it has been mentioned that the company behind Pinocchio (Guillermo del Toro) would be interested in taking over the animation. However, Selick has confessed that he considers Laika (with films such as Coraline, The Boxtrolls and ParaNorman) to be his favorite studio, describing it as home to "the best talent and the best resources." He especially praised Laika CEO Travis Knight (Bumblebee), whom he called a "genius."
