If you’ve seen 2009’s Coraline or 2012’s ParaNorman, then you know the kind of top-notch stop-motion animation work that Laika Entertainment can deliver. With their next feature, The Boxtrolls, they of course aim to set the bar higher.

While we can watch, enjoy, and appreciate a movie for what it is, not always do we really see what goes into making it. This is especially the case for stop-motion films, which require an unfathomable amount of work and detail to pull off successfully. With The Boxtrolls set to hit theaters this Friday, distributor Focus Features has unveiled a pair of new videos that will give you a greater appreciation of the art of stop-motion.

You can check them out below.

ParaNorman has been getting a lot of positive buzz lately, but just in case you don’t know that a stop-motion animated film about a misunderstood kid who can communicate with the dead is coming out tomorrow, Laika Studios is releasing one more trailer to remind you that there is one.

This is an Internet special trailer and it won’t be released anywhere else. Check it out below.

Putting together a full-length stop-motion animated feature is perhaps the most tedious thing to watch. Every movement has to be just right, it may be a long process, but it will all pay off in the end. So now a new featurette for ParaNorman shows just how important it is to get things right. Check out the video below.

The production process for a stop-motion animated feature is just amazing. Watching the ParaNorman animators piece together all the characters, design the set pieces, and make the puppets move is something that future filmmakers and animators will truly enjoy. But if you’re of the group that just loves these behind-the-scenes footage, then I suggest you watch the video below.

THIS JUST IN! One of our lucky West Coast readers is about to win a pair of tickets to the Los Angeles, CA premiere of the newest stop-motion effort from LAIKA, ParaNorman! This lucky winner will be attending the glitzy & glamourous L.A. premiere with the stars of ParaNorman, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Leslie Mann, Tempestt Bledsoe, Jeff Garlin, and Tucker Albrizzi.

ParaNorman is premiering in Hollywood, CA this Sunday afternoon, and if you’re the type of geek who can make your own way to/from the the screening, we’re the geeks to provide you with the pair of tickets.

One (1) winner will receive:

• One (1) Pair of tickets to the ParaNorman premiere in Los Angeles, CA

Note: This giveaway is open to Los Angeles-based fans that can provide their own transportation to/from this event on Sunday 8/5. Will Call information will be provided to the winners.

TO ENTER: There’s just two simple steps:

(1) Go LIKE Geeks of Doom on Facebook. If you’re not a Facebook user, alternately, you can follow us on twitter, or subscribe to the Geeks of Doom email digest. Click here to sign up.

(2) Fill out the entry form here below and submit. (Form is here after the jump.)

Good luck!

Longtime readers probably already know this, but we here at Geeks of Doom are huge fans of both Neil Gaiman‘s and Henry Selick‘s work. We’ve read all the books, seen all the movies, and geek out every chance we get while having discussions about them all. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve seen The Nightmare Before Christmas or reread American Gods, but needless to say the answer is A LOT. Don’t worry, we’ve got a point here…

Thanks to the awesome people at Focus Features and Laika, we’ve been given the super-cool opportunity to give away some exclusive games and gear from Coraline, Henry Selick’s upcoming stop-motion animated 3-D movie based on the awesome Neil Gaiman book, and whoa are we super excited! Man, we love running this site.

Anyhooo… go ahead and enter for the chance to be one of six lucky winners — those are images of the prizing here at right (click for larger view) and check out the movie trailer, stills, and poster images and info about Coraline below the entry form. Weeeeee!

Three (3) Grand Prize winners will receive:

• One (1) Coraline Video Game (Wii or PS2 [formats TBA])
• One (1) Coraline Book
• One (1) Coraline Button Key
• One (1) Coraline Movie Tie-in Book
• One (1) Coraline Button set
• One (1) Coraline Pen
• One (1) Coraline T-shirt
• One (1) Coraline Alphabet Collector Cards
• One (1) Coraline Bookmark

Three (3) First Prize winners will each receive:

• One (1) Coraline Movie Tie-in Book
• One (1) Coraline Button set
• One (1) Coraline Pen
• One (1) Coraline T-shirt
• One (1) Coraline Alphabet Collector Cards
• One (1) Coraline Bookmark

TO ENTER: Fill out the form below and submit. Entry form is here after the jump.