Animating Life: The Art, Science, and Wonder of LAIKA Exhibit at The Portland Art Museum is Not to Be Missed!

Since October 14th of last year The Portland Art Museum has been showcasing the awe inspiring art of stop-motion animation in their Animating Life: The Art, Science, and Wonder of LAIKA exhibit. This exhibit will close on the 20th of May and, in my opinion, should not be missed.

LAIKA Studios is an animation studio that has become a local fixture of Portland Oregon since 2005. They are not just any animation studio, however. They use stop-motion animation, a technique where the animator has to physically manipulate the object so it appears to move on its own. You might have seen one of their 4 award-winning films: Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012), The BoxTrolls (2014), or Kubo and the Two Strings (2016). Just by watching you don't feel of the real scope of these movies, but the characters are brought to life by animators painstakingly moving them 24 times for every second of screen time. The Animating Life: The Art, Science, and Wonder of LAIKA exhibit gives you an up close and first hand look at the meticulous artistry that goes into each one of their films. Visitors to this exhibit are immersed in LAIKA's wonderful imaginative world. Museum-goers get to explore production design, sets, props, puppets, costumes, and world-building that have become the studio’s hallmarks.

Here is a sneak peek at what is in store for you if you go...


My son, Jaedan, and I went to the Portland Art Museum on April 27th. We started the day out at Voodoo Doughnut. I had a Mango Tango and my son had an Apple Fritter. Then we went out to lunch at some of the food trucks in the Pearl District. Jaedan had seafood curry noodles and I had a Gyro. We just couldn't visit Portland and not partake in these delectable treats. Going to Voodoo Doughnut and eating from food carts is part of the experience of the of the City of Roses.

Eating Voodoo Doughnuts and Food Cart Food are a must while in Portland.

After our meals we headed towards the Portland Art Museum (PAM). As we had never been there before we tried to partake of what all the museum had to offer before diving into the LAIKA exhibit. We looked around first at the art that was part of the permanent and private collections. Of the Museum’s collection of 42,000 objects, we saw only a representative few, of which my favorites were: Isa Genzken's Two Orchids, Claude Monet Nymphéas (Waterlilies), Nude in Sunlit Wood by Childe Hassam, Joseph M. Raphael's Cottage Garden, Uccle, Belgium; Gabriele Münter's In The Village Chamonix, Frank Stella's Newell's Hawaiian Shearwater (Exotic Bird), Sonya Clark's Penny Loafers, and Dale Chihuly's L'arbre rouge.

Just some of the lovely art we saw at the PAM.

Then we headed to the exhibit we had been anticipating all day. When you go through the doors to the Animating Life: The Art, Science, and Wonder of LAIKA exhibit you are automatically drawn to a towering skeleton puppet looming over the room. This was used for the film Kubo and the Two Strings. This piece is over 18 feet tall and the largest stop-motion puppet ever made. It is jaw dropping with its impressive lighting and glowing eyes to make it look even more menacing. It was fun to learn that LAIKA's studio is too small to house this giant beast all put together and they had to film it in two pieces: legs and torso, for Kubo. For this exhibit it is the first time this puppet has been in one piece.

Skeleton puppet used in Kubo and the Two Strings.

Beside this massive creature you can see the puppets of Beetle, Monkey, Kubo, and the Origami Samurai Warrior for reference of size. On the far wall you can see the "Wall of Faces", which features the rapid-prototype face replacement 3-D printing that LAIKA won a scientific and engineering Oscar in 2016 for. This technology, used first in ParaNorman, is astounding to me because each tiny expression and movement of the face is captured in individual faces that LAIKA snaps off and on the puppets to make them seem far more lifelike than other stop-motion animations.

Jaedan looking at Coraline's "Other World" House.

Next we migrated to a room with Coraline's "Other World" House in it. We saw first hand how LAIKA animators could go behind it so they could manipulate the puppets. This was a piece of the actual set! It was like a large doll house and it was intricately designed...all the way down to tiny plants hanging from the porch and lights that actually glow. The attention to detail is mind-boggling!

Back into the skeleton room and through a corridor of Asian art we come to the main LAIKA exhibit. Before you enter it warns, "This exhibition contains a zoetrope that produces a strobing effect and may trigger visitors with photosensitivity or epilepsy. Staff are happy to direct you to another entrance or answer questions." The room has a darker ambience and there is so much to take in and see. We saw many LAIKA artifacts, including: original sketches, small models called maquettes, puppets, sets, costumes, rigging, storyboards, etc.

Some of the LAIKA sets we saw at the exhibit.

The sets are amazing! As you go in you can see the set of Kubo's childhood home to the left with Beetle and Monkey inside. We saw some of the sets for The BoxTrolls: one scene of the verminator puppets chasing down Eggs and some BoxTrolls in the hill top town of Cheesebridge, Norvenia and another set of the ballroom dance scene. Coraline's Garden set took up almost a whole room by itself and when seen from above you can clearly see Coraline's face in the garden itself. There were also some neat sets from ParaNorman.

Jaedan looking at the Kubo and the Two Strings Giant Eye Monster.

There are also things you can touch and manipulate too! Inside there is a 11 foot Giant Eye Monster from Kubo and the Two Strings that you could go behind to see the robotic framework and then move with the same bowling ball trackball interface that they used to create the underwater scene in Kubo. We also got to manipulate the ocean waves in Kubo which were made out of paper and seemed to topple over each other like a string of dominoes.

Everything had remarkable detail. There are so many teeny-tiny handstitched outfits and props to go with the sets and puppets. These must have taken them so much time and effort to make! All of it is just so intricate and ornate and ultimately makes the films feel even more lifelike.

Snapped a photo of the Animating Life: The Art, Science, and Wonder of LAIKA exhibit banner as we left.

I wish we could have taken more time to explore the Animating Life: The Art, Science, and Wonder of LAIKA exhibit. We enjoyed it all so very much! We had a fabulous time visiting the Portland Art Museum and hope that LAIKA decides to come back there again at some point. I highly recommend to go see the LAIKA exhibit if you can. The last day is the 20th of May!

This exhibit is organized by the Portland Art Museum and the Northwest Film Center in collaboration with LAIKA.

Follow LAIKA on Social Media:

• Website: https://www.laika.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laikastudios
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/laikastudios
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBnyjFhOn23xjsqOUW4j6OQ
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laikastudios
  

Follow Portland Art Museum on Social Media:

• Website: https://portlandartmuseum.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/portlandartmuseum
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/PDXArtMuseum
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/PortlandArtMuseum
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/portlandartmuseum

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for doing this review.

Crayola's Big Colorful Birthday Adventure

To celebrate their 110th birthday, the 8 original crayons are throwing a birthday bash at the new fun-omenal Crayola Experience, the world's only interactive Crayola family attraction. Right now, they're out on a colorful adventure to spread the news, and you're invited to join the fun!

How can you join in on the fun? You can FOLLOW the crayons on their adventure, LEARN more about each color and enter to WIN a trip for 4 to celebrate their birthday and the Grand Opening of the all new Crayola Experience this coming May, 2013!

Visit the Crayola Facebook page and click "enter now" for your chance to be first in line when the Crayola Experience reopens.

The new Crayola Experience features four floors of new interactive exhibits and one-of-a-kind attractions that will bring the magic of color and your child's creativity to life! The winner will be among the first to experience the fun, along with a three- night, all-expenses paid stay. It's an experience your kids will never forget - and neither will you!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Crayola provided this information to me to share with you. I will receive a box of the limited edition 110th birthday pack because I posted.

Oregon Zoo Participating in Boo At The Zoo: Eco-Friendly Halloween Celebrations Hosted By Zoos Nationwide

I just got word that the Oregon Zoo (which is one of my favorite places to hang out with my family) is participating in Boo At The Zoo, an Eco-Friendly Green Halloween Celebration, during their Howloween event. Other zoos are also participating in the Boo At The Zoo event. This is a nationwide initiative to make Halloween healthier and more eco-friendly.

The zoos hand out contributions from any number of these organic and healthy product partners Larabar, Cascadian Farms, Stretch Island Fruit, Unreal Candy, Honest Tea, Endangered Species Chocolate, Plum Kids, Applegate, Surf Sweets, Bitsy Brainfood, Brainard's Natural Remedies, Glee Gum, Kiwi Magazine, and CelebrateGreen.net. In addition, the Oregon Zoo is going one step further in being eco-friendly in having all of the prize bags be fully compostable!

Here is the Oregon Zoo lineup of events:

• Squishing of the Squash: in which some of the world's largest land animals demolish some of the area's largest pumpkins provided by Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers, will be held Friday, Oct. 26, at 10:30 am.
• Howloween: Best suited for children 3-12. Goodie bags filled with candy and prizes will be given out for completed scavenger hunts at the zoo's exit, Saturday October 27, 2012 and Sunday October 28, 2012 - 11:00am to 04:00pm.
•  Tiger Birthdays & Trick or Treat Party: Best suited for toddlers. Happy Growloween! The two Amur Tigers are having a birthday and then a toddler's trick-or-treat party. With fun and acyivities sponsored by PDX Kids Calendar, Tears of Joy Puppets, and Oregon ZooGuides, Wednesday October 31, 2012 - 09:00am to 02:00pm.

All this is free with Paid Admission.
Zoo admission runs $7.50 to $10.50 and is free for those 2 and younger.

If you do not have a participating zoo or aquarium in your area you could instead pass out eco-friendly things to trick-or-treaters.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Since I am in the Cascadia Connect group of bloggers I became aware of this event and was also emailed about this. I can receive free tickets if I am available to go. Thanks to the zoo and others involved for this opportunity. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting about this promotion. The above photo is provided by the Oregon Zoo Facebook page cover photo.

Oregon Zoo and Radio Disney's Madagascar 3 DVD Release Party Recap

It was my youngest daughter, Zari's birthday on Friday October 19th and we wanted it to be extra special. We had already celebrated it with her Babu and Papa (my parents) on Friday the 12th and then on Saturday the 13th we went to the screening of Secret of the Wings a new Tinker Bell movie. Then we were offered the chance to hang out at the Oregon Zoo for free to experience Oregon Zoo and Radio Disney's Madagascar 3 DVD Debut Release Party we all did the Afro Circus dance. It seemed like another perfect opportunity to celebrate Zari's 2nd birthday, especially since the zoo event was the day after her actual birthday.

The weather in Oregon this time of year is well, rainy. But since it is rainy a lot in Oregon it usually doesn't stop us from having fun. We packed for the weather, made some lunches and headed out for the zoo. Our drive to the zoo was very pleasant and we were greeted happily by some sunshine peeking through the clouds when we arrived. We got our tickets and made our way to the elephants where we were told that Radio Disney would be.

When we got there we saw that Radio Disney had three covered booths. One booth had their music speakers and bins of things to win, the other had swag bags that you could take and load with stuff from the table and another had coloring activities, crafts and a photo op where you could put your head through a hole in Melman's face. Also the zoo had placed their covered booth in the same square for getting your face painted.

We met my long time friend, Erin, and her family there. Erin has been my friend since about 1997. We met online and role played back and forth with each other. She lived in Maine at that time and I in Utah. It is really neat that we would end up both in Oregon.

Erin brought her family to the event and we all hung out at the beginning of the zoo day. Radio Disney provided us with a lot of fun activities, games, and prizes. My kids colored pictures, made zoo masks, danced with the music, played some hoops with inflatable balls and got rainbow colored wigs like Marty wore in the Madagascar 3 movie. My son Jaedan got his face painted like a tiger and both of my boys won Madagascar 3 t-shirts to take home with them.

After that we headed over to Pacific Shores in Steller Cove and it is a good thing we all did because it started pouring rain and then hailing. We all hung out and ate our lunches watching the sea lions swim. We waited for the rain to let up a bit and then Erin and her family parted ways with us.

Next we went to the Great Northwest because that is the area we missed last time we were at the zoo. At Black Bear Ridge we saw Black Bears and Bobcats. Then we went though Eagle Canyon and saw the magnificent Bald Eagles and different kinds of salmon. After that we went to Cascade Stream and saw beavers, river otters, waterfowl, fish, reptiles and amphibians. Then we went to Cougar Crossing and saw the cougars. They were going up and down a long log in their habitat. When we came out we saw goats and chickens on the Trillium creek Family Farm.

Then we headed back towards Pacific Shores to see the penguins and polar bears. One of the Polar bears yawned right when I took a picture and then he rolled over and I got a great shot of his gigantic paws. We also saw a leopard as we were heading out of the zoo and got pictures of the kids on the mountain goat sculpture.

As we left in our car and got home I got some more cute pictures of the kids. We had so much fun at this event!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Since I am in the Cascadia Connect group of bloggers I became aware of this event and was given free tickets to go. Thanks to the zoo and others involved for this opportunity. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this promotion.

Oregon Zoo - Sunset at the Zoo Event #sunsetzoo

My family of 6 got to go to the Oregon Zoo for free on July 11th as part of their Sunset at the Zoo promotion for some of us local bloggers. We have been many times to the Oregon Zoo before but never really in the evening hours so this was somewhat new to us.

The zoo is very family, handicapped and breastfeeding friendly. They have all sorts of activities and fun things that are geared towards kids. My kids love all the extracurricular activities they can do while they are there. We love to use the zookeys and bring them every time we go to the zoo. They unlock 16 stations around the zoo that say information about the animals there. All buildings and indoor facilities are handicapped and stroller accessible. My husband had a bad side effect with an antibiotic and he needed to stay off his feet and so it was a good thing we had a powered wheelchair at home to bring with us to the zoo. They also have designated outdoor nursing areas located on the zoo map so that you can enjoy your little one in peace and privacy. I am so glad these are available because it makes breastfeeding Zari easier.

Since it is summer time it can get really hot, but while we were at the zoo during the evening hours it was very pleasant because the temperature had dropped by then. Also, we got to see more of the critters called crepuscular animals that are active primarily during twilight (dawn and dusk). I am so happy we got to go because we had so much fun!

Plus members and above can attend Sunset at the Zoo concert series for free and also experience a whole lot of fun activities while there. The fun will be happening 4 Wednesday evenings (July 11 and 25, Aug. 8 and 22) from 5 pm-8 pm. Besides concerts, each night will feature live bird shows onstage, storytelling, face-painting, crafts and games for kids, as well as self-guided night hikes, animal talks and a bat-house building station.

We arrived at the Oregon Zoo and first went through Steller Cove in Pacific Shores. We saw the Steller Sea Lions, sea otters, kelp forest and tide pool while we were there. When we exited Steller Cove we heard sweet music from Boka Marimba, a local African-style 10 piece band that is comprised of marimbas, gourd shakers, thumb piano, and drums. While passing we had to stop and dance to the upbeat music. Then we went to see the penguins and Polar Bears, but the penguins were no where to be found. The Polar Bears were lounging around and taking naps.

Next we went to the Fragile Forest where we saw chimpanzees, mandrills, orangutans and other primates. We also saw some very large fish in the Amazon Flooded Forest that is also a part of the Fragile Forest. As we were coming out we saw that they had a live bird show going, on the stage by the concert lawn, so we stayed a bit to watch that. While there we saw a Red-Tailed Hawk, ibis and a Bald Eagle fly overhead.

Then we headed towards Asia where we saw Sun Bears, warthogs and Asian Elephants. The elephant that is pictured above is the one that loves to paint :) The zoo keeper also told us that they sometimes love to sway their long trunks to the music.

After the elephants we backtracked a bit because we craved some Elephant Ears, a crispy cinnamon-sugar flat fried bread confection, and stopped to see Laura Veirs playing on stage. During the Summer Concert there was an area up front where the kids could dance and get wiggles out. My blogger friend at Sweet Deals 4 Moms called it a toddler "mosh pit", LOL!

We also saw Chef/Chez Tse put on a cooking show and she was great! My kids stood front and center and she interacted with them back and forth. I loved her tips on how to "use the claw" hand position while using knives so you don't get cut and how she stacked and rolled fresh herb leaves before dicing them to make ribbons, a technique called chiffonade, to top the delicious Red and Yellow Pepper Pasta Salad she invited us to try. Here is the recipe courtesy of Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon. Click on it to make it larger.

Then we headed to Africa where we saw a mermaid??, rhinos, hippos, zebras, gerenuk, pygmy goats, giraffe, etc. in the Savanna. We also saw Colobus Monkeys and fruit bats, etc. in the rainforest. We then went to the African Goat Kraal and the kids pet the goats in the petting zoo. During this section I was babywearing Zari and loving her snuggles.

By that time it was getting late and we needed to get home and rescue our dog from being home all this time. Unfortunately we didn't get to go see the Predators of the Serengeti and the large cats and we also didn't get to see the whole of the Great Northwest. But we did see quite a lot while we were there. As we were driving home I also saw one of my blogger friends, Beeb of Super Coupon Girl and Contest Corner as she was leaving the zoo and said hi out the window of my van. I live in Rainier, Oregon so the car ride home from Portland is a bit long, but Mother Nature made it all worthwhile with a spectacular sunset to end a perfect evening at the Oregon Zoo "Sunset at the Zoo".

You can check out the Sunset at the Zoo too if you are in the Portland area during an event. The events are happening these other upcoming Wednesdays too: July 25, August 8 and August 22. Click on the links for more information about each days happenings.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Since I am in the Cascadia Connect group of bloggers I became aware of this event and was given free tickets to go. Thanks to the zoo and others involved for this opportunity. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this promotion.