Stop-motion studio brought to Bowie State by LAIKA Studios, of 'Coraline' fame

BALTIMORE -  The film studio that brought you Coraline is laying the groundwork for the next generation of filmmakers in Maryland. 

Bowie State University is now the only college in Maryland with a stop-motion animation studio. It's also the only HBCU with a stop-motion animation studio on campus.

The big stop-motion animated films, like Coraline and the Corpse Bride, are created in a studio with small puppets and a lot of attention to detail. 

In their new studio, film students at Bowie State University can create entire worlds just like in Coraline or Paranorman. 

 It's all thanks to the very studio that brought us those unforgettable films. 

"It's really about diversity and trying to create opportunities for our students to get into the professional animation industry," said Tewodross Williams, Department Chair at Bowie State Fine and Performing Arts.

On Thursday, LAIKA, one of the leading animation studios in the film industry, visited the university to launch the new stop-motion animated studio provided through the LAIKA partnership. 

"A camera, a tabletop, an armature, which would be your puppet to move around and the lights and the green screen and they've got it all," said Brad Schiff, Head of Animation at LAIKA.

Schiff spoke with Bowie State film students about the industry. 

All five of LAIKA's films were nominated for Academy Awards. 

Assistant camera operator and Bowie State alum Vinceaun Minto said it feels good to uplift the next class of aspiring filmmakers.

"I'm able to inspire someone to walk in my shoes or do even better," Minto said.

The event wraps up with a special evening screening of Laika's Golden Globe-winning animated film "Missing Link" Thursday night.