Aug. 02, 2024

By

Kristi Turnquist | The Oregonian/OregonLive

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Artists, sponsors and supporters showed up on a hot Friday morning at a plaza outside the OHSU South Waterfront to officially launch “Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail,” a collection of 30 feline statues inspired by the movie, “Coraline,” and decorated by artists who put their own distinctive touches on their creations.

“Coraline’s Curious Trail” consists of statues installed at various locations in Portland. The cat figures are inspired by the Cat character in “Coraline,” the 2009 feature that was the first release from Laika studio, in Hillsboro.

The installation is a joint effort from Laika, the Visit Downtown Campaign, OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, and Wild in Art, a U.K.-based art installation producer that has worked on such projects as public art trails for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

The cat trail marks the 15th anniversary of “Coraline,” the Oscar-nominated stop-motion animated feature that tells the story of Coraline, an 11-year-old girl (voiced by Dakota Fanning) who comes across a portal to another world, one that at first looks ideal. But as the Cat character (voiced by Keith David) helps Coraline discover, that supposedly perfect world is far more dangerous than it seems.

Related: ‘Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail’ artists hope installation will restore Portland ‘sparkle’

A highlight of the Friday launch was the unveiling of a cat creation that was a joint effort by Katy Hughes, a lead scenic painter at Laika, and Rosie Chambers, a 9-year-old who is a patient at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

The cat decorated by Hughes and Chambers is colored in bright shades of blue, with a bold pink nose and pink ears. The cat’s huge eyes are pink roses, with small black spots that were inspired by the eerie button eyes of the “Other Mother” character in “Coraline.”

The installation, "Coraline's Curious Cat Trail," was officially launched Friday at a plaza at OHSU South Waterfront. Pictured at right is Katy Hughes, Laika lead scenic painter, and to her left, Rosie Chambers, a 9-year-old who collaborated with Hughes on designing their cat statue.Kristi Turnquist/The Oregonian

Chambers, who sported fuzzy black cat ears and a cat tail at the event, loves cats, and shared that the names of her family’s six cats are Radish, Turnip, Wee-Wee, Phoebe, Bindi and Little One.

“Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail” runs through Oct. 13, and will culminate with an auction of the statues, as a benefit for OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

A map of the cats’ locations can be downloaded from the “Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail” app, which costs $1.49 in the App store. Visitors can “collect” cats as they go, unlock rewards, learn cat facts and more.

Cat locations include several spots in downtown Portland, including Pioneer Courthouse Square, Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Salmon Springs on the westside waterfront, World Trade Center, Jamison Square, Skidmore Fountain, North Park Blocks, the Portland Art Museum, Director Park, Pioneer Place, Saturday Market and City Hall. Cats can also be found at Pittock Mansion and the International Rose Test Garden.