After Reinventing Two Beloved ‘80s Franchises, This Director’s Masterpiece Is a 2026 Oscar Contender

The story of Travis Knight is an interesting one that has led us to enjoy the work of a talented filmmaker who has rejuvenated two classic franchises from the ’80s and is now behind a major Academy Awards contender. The Portland, Oregon native had a short music career as a rapper named Chilly Tee in the early ’90s before he graduated from Portland State University. His father, Phil, the CEO of Nike, invested in Will Vinton Studios and convinced them to hire Travis as an intern. A few years later, Phil became a controlling shareholder in the company, which was ultimately turned into Laika, where Travis is now the CEO.

Travis Knight has used the impressive funds of the studio to put out passion projects in the world of stop-motion animation, even though they don’t turn a profit at the box office. The films are mostly great, including the studio’s latest release, Wildwood, which was directed by Knight and is getting a ton of Oscar buzz. Knight has also branched out to direct some live-action projects, with the most notable being two films from the past decade that gave us a new look at some ’80s franchises that many of us grew up with.

Bumblebee Is The Peak Of Live-Action Transformers

Travis Knight’s directorial debut came with the outstanding 2016 stop-motion animated film, Kubo and the Two Strings. A couple of years later, in 2018, he entered the live-action world as he helmed Bumblebee. This marked the first Transformers film after the much-maligned (but wildly profitable) Michael Bay era. This movie had the opposite effect, as the box office was solid, yet nowhere near Bay’s films, while the critical reception was extremely positive. In fact, Bumblebee is easily the best live-action Transformers movie to date.

The 91% Rotten Tomatoes rating for Bumblebee is more than 30 points higher than the next-closest installment. A lot of that is down to Knight’s work as director. He made sure to include the action that the series is known for, but the success of the project came from its heart. The bond between Bumblebee and Hailee Steinfeld’s Charlie gets you emotionally invested in the story, while the opening scene on Cybertron is exactly what longtime fans had wanted to see on the big screen for years. Knight gave us the best of Transformers to that point.

Travis Knight Also Breathed New Life Into He-Man

2026 has been a massive year for Travis Knight and it started with his second live-action directorial effort. Again, he was tasked with giving the world a new take on a classic ’80s franchise in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. On paper, the movie was a flop that failed to gross back its $200 million budget. However, Masters of the Universe was a lot like Bumblebee, as it was simply a fun flick. One of the elements that received the most praise was Knight’s direction, managing to blend the action with character moments especially well.

The look of Masters of the Universe is vibrant and feels like it was done by someone who was a fan of the series in the ’80s. Those visuals stood out at a time when so many films utilize muted tones. Again, though, what really grabbed people was the heart of the story. Relationships between Adam, Teela, and the others were well done without being heavy-handed. Knight also coaxed strong performances out of the cast, including the villains Skeletor and Evil-Lyn, who were a blast. We might never get a sequel, but at least fans from the ’80s got a good movie about a franchise they adore.

Wildwood Is Travis Knight’s Greatest Work

Months after Masters of the Universe, Travis Knight returned to his true passion, which is stop-motion animation. Laika released Wildwood, which is a true labor of love. The film was in production for 16 years as the most ambitious project in the studio’s history. They used more than 200 puppets and over 100,000 3D-printed faces, which is just the start of it. There are also intricately crafted sets, giant birds, and so much more. The filmmakers noted that the animators who spent a day working led to about three seconds of on-screen time, showcasing how detailed everything is.

It has proven to be worth it, as Wildwood is receiving widespread acclaim. It sits at 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and is already the favorite to win Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards next year. It is the longest stop-motion animated movie ever made and the scale goes even beyond that. The film includes an epic battle sequence that has hundreds of characters and rivals the kind of stuff we saw in The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, while being even more impressive due to the animation style.

Travis Knight and Laika have shown how great they can be, yet Wildwood is their greatest achievement. At a time when so many are trying to create worlds at the touch of a button, the fact that Wildwood was made by human hands is especially important. That’s what Travis Knight and Laika bring to the table.

Which Travis Knight film is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!