Wildwood is an upcoming American epic stop-motion animated dark fantasy film directed by Travis Knight, and written by Chris Butler, based on Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis's 2011 novel. Produced by Laika, the film stars an ensemble voice cast including Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Len Cariou, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits, and Richard E. Grant. In the film, a teenage girl named Prue (Lee) and her classmate Curtis (Tremblay) travel into an enchanted forest in search of her infant brother after he is kidnapped. They find a manor and learn about a coming war from a mysterious woman who tragically lost her son.
Development began in September 2011, just weeks after the release of Meloy's novel, when Laika announced plans to adapt Wildwood as an animated feature. Production was confirmed in September 2021, with Knight directing and co-producing with Arianne Sutner, and Butler writing the script. Most of the cast was revealed in August 2022. Production of the feature took place at Laika's facility studio in Hillsboro, Oregon, with Caleb Deschanel serving as the cinematographer. With a theatrical runtime of 132 minutes, Wildwood is the longest stop-motion animated film by runtime.
Wildwood will have its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 11, 2026, and is scheduled to be released in the United States by Fathom Entertainment on October 23, 2026. It is also Laika's first film to receive a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Association.
Contents
Premise
Prue McKeel and her classmate Curtis Mehlberg are drawn into a hidden magical forest near Portland in an attempt to save Prue's kidnapped infant brother Mac from the crows, who are led by a mysterious woman named Alexandra.
Voice cast
In addition, Rob Delaney, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, and Blythe Danner have been cast in undisclosed roles.
Production
Development
In September 2011, weeks after the release of the book Wildwood, Laika optioned the novel for a stop-motion animated feature film, after producing the trailer for the book. No further development on the film was announced until in September 2021, when Laika announced their next film would be Wildwood with Travis Knight set to direct, Arianne Sutner to produce, and Chris Butler writing the screenplay for the film.
Casting
In August 2022, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Len Cariou, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits, and Richard E. Grant were all announced as part of the ensemble voice cast of the film. In May 2026, the rest of the cast was revealed.
Filming
The film began production in September 2021, with Caleb Deschanel serving as the cinematographer. Production of the stop-motion animated feature took place at Laika's facility studio outside in Portland, Oregon, the first film set in its hometown. In 2024, Knight revealed the project was the most ambitious film that Laika had ever made: "We've had to build up the creative tools, the technology and our storytelling muscles to do this book justice." Examples of unique challenges included staging epic battles, aerial sequences, and crafting the eagle character.
The production features 136 sets and 231 practical puppets. In addition to facial components, 3D printing was employed to create armatures, puppet musculature, and simulated water, with VFX providing additional touch-ups.
Music
In May 2022, Dario Marianelli was announced to compose the film's musical score. It is his third score for a Laika film, following The Boxtrolls (2014) and Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), and his third collaboration with Knight, following Kubo and Bumblebee (2018).
Release
The film will have its world premiere at the 70th BFI London Film Festival on October 11, 2026. It was also programmed at the 59th Sitges Film Festival.
In January 2026, Laika announced that it would be partnering with Fathom Entertainment on the domestic release of Wildwood, and FilmNation Entertainment for handling international sales. The film is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on October 23, 2026. Beta Fiction Spain secured Spanish theatrical distribution.
Marketing
A title reveal was shown before 15th anniversary showings of Coraline (2009), and a three-minute behind the scenes video was shown before 13th anniversary showings of ParaNorman (2012). A book detailing the making of the film was released on March 10, 2026. An art installation, Wildwood: Follow the Crows, was installed in Portland, Oregon, on August 7, 2026. Similar to the 2024 installation Coraline's Curious Cat Trail, Wildwood: Follow the Crows is a collaboration between Laika, Oregon Health and Science University's Doernbecher Children's Hospital, Wild in Art, the Portland Metro Chamber, and Downtown Portland Clean and Safe, and is supported by the Visit Downtown Campaign. An official teaser trailer was released on May 13, 2026, and a new full-length trailer for the film was released on August 19, 2026. It had 178 million views on both trailers altogether, becoming the biggest trailers launch ever for a fully stop-motion animated film.
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