Brian McLeanis thedirector of rapid prototypeat LAIKA.Known for his works on acclaimed stop motion films such asCoraline(2009),ParaNorman(2012),The Boxtrolls(2014) andKubo and the Two Stringsfor which he received aAcademy Award for Best Visual Effectsnomination atthe 89th Academy Awards in 2017,that he shared withSteve Emerson,Oliver Jones, andBrad Schiff.

In 2016, he was awarded a Scientific and Engineering Award – an Academy plaque!at theAcademy Scientific and Technical Awardsfrom the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science that he shared with Martin Meunier for pioneering the use ofrapid prototypingand3D printingincharacter animation–stop motionfilm productions.

He was named by "Variety" as one of 2012's "Animation Elite." Prior to LAIKA, Brian worked as a traditionally trained sculptor creating large scale characters for Warner Bros.and Disney.He also hand-built toy prototypes and numerous scale models for TV and print ads while working at M5 Industries, best known for the TV show "MythBusters." He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture in 1999 from Boston University.