Dozens of ‘Coraline’ cat sculptures to appear in Downtown Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- After months of planning, a certain group of six-foot tall "curious" cats will be unveiled to the public this Friday at Portland's South Waterfront.

Hillsboro-based LAIKA Animation Studios is partnering with Visit Downtown, Downtown Portland Clean & Safe, Wild in Art and more on “Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail."

This is a project involving 30 sculptures of “Cat” from the film, all painted by area artists and placed around downtown. The film centers on a brave and blue-haired young girl who finds herself in an alternate universe at her family’s new home in Ashland, Ore. The unveiling of the sculptures also coincides with the 15th anniversary of the movie's release.

City leaders told KOIN 6 News back in February they’re excited for the partnership.

“We are now known for having Laika Studios here. The world knows that this is a Portland thing. It’s beyond just the economic impact, it’s the cultural awareness of how talented our community is and how creative our artistry is and we can turn it into award-winning shows and movies,” said Andrew Hoan, president of the Portland Metro Chamber.

Hoan added that they also hope this will bring visitors back to downtown.

"People love a comeback story. Portland’s been through some really hard times. We’ve faced a marathon of crises,” Hoan said, adding, “People are going to come out in droves to our center city, they’re going to take selfies next to this cat, they’re going to give generously to OHSU and then they’re going to go out and have the best meal that they’ve ever had.”

The sculptures will be displayed through Downtown Portland for eight weeks starting Friday and there will be a map to follow Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail.

At the end, all 30 sculptures will be auctioned off with proceeds going to OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.