Portland Oregon based LAIKA Entertainment has appointed animation executive Dan Philips to the new post of Vice President and Head of Production. LAIKA is the reincarnation of Will Vinton’s animation studio after it was bought by Nike Mogul Phil Knight.
Mr. Philips is an animation veteran whose career highlights include time at Dreamworks Animation, Walt Disney Feature Animation, and the Big Idea Company. He has worked on successful animated movies such as "The Lion King, Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie," "Beauty & the Beast," "Aladdin," "The Prince of Egypt," "The Road to El Dorado," and "Pocahontas," among his many projects. That appears to place him as one of the early defectors from Walt Disney Feature Animation to Dreamworks Animation in 1994.
LAIKA’s most recent production was "Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride" and it currently has two animated feature films in production including "Coraline." "Coraline" is based on the international bestselling children’s novel by Neil Gaiman and is being adapted for the screen and directed by Henry Selick ("Nightmare Before Christmas). So look for more big things to come from Portland, Or.