HouseSpecial

HouseSpecial is an independent animation and creative production studio based in Portland, Oregon. Its work spans commercial advertising, branded storytelling and narrative shorts, combining character development with stop-motion, computer animation and moving illustration. The studio creates both practical and digital worlds, from fabricated puppets and miniature environments to CG characters and mixed-media productions that combine animation with live action.

Established as an independent business in July 2014, HouseSpecial emerged from LAIKA/house, Laika’s commercial production division, when Laika shifted its focus to feature-length animated films. Its creative lineage extends through that division to Will Vinton Studios and Portland’s longstanding tradition of stop-motion and character animation. That history informs its emphasis on expressive characters and handcrafted production, while its current work incorporates a broad range of animation techniques.

From concept to finished animation

The studio manages production from early creative development through final delivery. Its process encompasses storytelling strategy, character design, visual development, storyboards and animatics, followed by animation, practical fabrication, editorial and finishing. Puppet armatures, miniature sets and tabletop cinematography sit alongside CG production, compositing, color grading and Flame finishing within its production capabilities.

HouseSpecial serves advertising agencies and brands across food and beverage, consumer products, technology, apparel and other markets. Its commercial portfolio includes M&M’S character campaigns, work featuring Planters’ Mr. Peanut, a Canadian launch spot for Uncrustables and miniature architectural environments for Airbnb. These projects reflect an approach that adapts the medium to the character, setting and demands of each story.

Commercial characters and narrative filmmaking

Alongside advertising, HouseSpecial produces animation for entertainment and independent film. Its narrative credits include stop-motion production for the first season of Adult Swim’s The Shivering Truth, as well as the shorts Armor del Amor, A Tale of Momentum & Inertia and Brim Broome Boulevard. Across these formats, the studio combines character performance, visual design and animation craft to build stories at both commercial and short-film scale.