Laika, Phil Knight's Hillsboro animation studio, plans to build a 105,000-square-foot addition onto its production facility, increasing its size by 70 percent.

Laika had been exploring the possibility of acquiring a new production facility somewhere else in Washington County, but had apparently been unable to find a suitable building.

Its current facility, a former warehouse near Hillsboro Stadium, is 150,000 square feet.

The company makes its movies using an old-fashioned filmmaking technique called stop-motion animation, which requires animators to manipulate miniature puppets frame-by-frame to simulate motion.

Although the puppets are small, they require large, custom-built sets to create the world around the characters. So Laika needs a large soundstage to make its films.

And the studio wants more space as it accelerates its release timetable, moving from putting a new movie in theaters every two years to an annual schedule.

Plans submitted to the city of Hillsboro describe a two-story facility on the west side of Laika's existing studio. The project would obliterate much of the studio's existing parking, so Laika plans to add 408 parking spaces elsewhere along with nearly 90,000 square feet of new landscaping.

The company did not have immediate comment on its growth plans. In the past, Laika has said it had occasionally explored the possibility of moving to Portland but had been unable to find facilities on the scale it requires.

Nike's chairman acquired the former Vinton Studios in 2003 and set about turning it from a commercial animation house into a feature filmmaker. He put his son, animator Travis Knight, in charge in 2009.

Travis Knight is currently directing Laika's fourth feature, "Kubo and the Two Strings," which is due for release August 19, 2016.

Laika's first three films, "Coraline," "ParaNorman" and "The Boxtrolls" each landed an Oscar nomination for best animated feature.

Hundreds of people work on each of Laika's films -- current headcount is 394, with production on "Kubo" in full swing.

Laika's neighborhood is increasingly popular, with the recent addition of the Ron Tonkin Field, just across Northwest 229th Avenue, and ongoing expansion at Intel's Ronler Acres campus nearby.

Transportation planners have been working on ways to alleviate congestion in the area.

For example, Washington County and the Oregon Department of Transportation plan to coordinate traffic signals to better manage traffic flow.

The Highway 26 interchange at Brookwood Parkway and Helvetia Road is being rebuilt. And planners hope to find funding to widen Highway 26 between Cornelius Pass Road and 185th Avenue.

Oregonian reporters Elliot Njus and Luke Hammill contributed to this report.

-- Mike Rogoway

mrogoway@oregonian.com

503-294-7699

@rogoway