Brian McLean (visual effects artist)

Brian McLean is an American visual effects artist and director, primarily known for his work in stop-motion animation at the studio LAIKA.

McLean's career began in the field of computer graphics and transitioned to stop-motion. He joined LAIKA in 2005 and has since been instrumental in developing innovative techniques for stop-motion puppet design and animation, particularly focusing on the use of 3D printing to create replacement faces for character animation. This technique allows for a far greater range of nuanced expressions than traditional stop-motion methods.

He served as Animation Technical Director on Coraline (2009) and ParaNorman (2012), overseeing the technical aspects of the animation process. He was the Director of Rapid Prototyping on The Boxtrolls (2014), leading the team responsible for creating the thousands of 3D-printed faces used in the film. McLean served as Director of Rapid Prototyping on Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), further refining the technology and expanding its possibilities. He made his directorial debut, along with Arjan Sahi, with the animated short film Missing Link (2019) for which they won a Golden Globe Award.

McLean's work has been recognized with numerous awards and nominations, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects for Kubo and the Two Strings (2017). His contributions have been vital to pushing the boundaries of stop-motion animation and its integration with digital technologies.