Wildwood (film)

Wildwood
Teaser poster
Directed byTravis Knight
Screenplay byChris Butler
Based on
Wildwood
by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyCaleb Deschanel
Music byDario Marianelli
Production
company
Distributed byFathom Entertainment
Release date
  • October 23, 2026 (2026-10-23)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Wildwood is an upcoming American 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 features an ensemble voice cast consisting of Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits, and Richard E. Grant.

Development began in September 2011, weeks after the release of the 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 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.

Wildwood is scheduled to be released in the United States by Fathom Entertainment on October 23, 2026.

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

Production

Development

In September 2011, weeks after the release of Wildwood, Laika optioned the novel for a stop motion animated feature film, after producing the trailer for the book.[1][2] 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.[3]

Casting

In August 2022, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits, and Richard E. Grant were all announced as part of the ensemble voice cast of the film.[4][5]

Filming

The film began production in September 2021, with Caleb Deschanel serving as the cinematographer.[3] 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.[4] 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.[6] 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 liquid water, with VFX providing additional touch-ups.[7]

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).[8]

Release

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.[9]

Marketing

A title reveal was shown before 15th anniversary showings of Coraline (2009),[10][11] and a three-minute behind the scenes video was shown before 13th anniversary showings of ParaNorman (2012).[12] A book detailing the making of the film was released on March 10, 2026.[13] An art installation, Wildwood: Follow the Crows, is slated to be installed in Portland, Oregon, in 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.[14][15][16][17]

See also

References

  1. ^ Debruge, Peter (September 7, 2011). "Laika to adapt The Decemberists singer's Wildwood". Variety. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  2. ^ Manny (January 31, 2015). "LAIKA Studios comes to Wizard World Portland!". Screen Invasion. Archived from the original on February 6, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (September 15, 2021). "Laika Finds Its Next Movie in Travis Knight-Helmed Adaptation of Colin Meloy Novel Wildwood". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Hipes, Patrick (August 25, 2022). "Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Peyton Elizabeth Lee Among Voice Cast For Laika's Wildwood; See First-Look Image". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  5. ^ Desowitz, Bill (August 25, 2022). "Laika Sets Voice Cast for Wildwood: Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, and More". IndieWire. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  6. ^ Travis, Ben (July 27, 2024). "Wildwood Is The 'Hardest' Film Laika Studios Has Ever Made: 'It's Incredibly Ambitious'". Empire. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  7. ^ How Epic ‘Wildwood’ Is Pushing Laika Into More Innovative Techniques and With Bigger Scope and Scale
  8. ^ "Dario Marianelli to Score Travis Knight's Wildwood". Film Music Reporter. May 24, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  9. ^ Trangcay, Jazz (January 20, 2026). "'Wildwood' Sets October Release Date; Laika Partners With Fathom for Domestic Distribution and Filmnation Entertainment for International Sales". Variety. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  10. ^ "Wildwood - LAIKA Studios". laika.com. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  11. ^ Manalo, Mike (August 16, 2024). "First Teaser and Title for Laika's Wildwood Finally Revealed". The Nerds of Color. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  12. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
  13. ^ "Book". Rizzoli New York. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  14. ^ "Dozens of giant crows are about to take over downtown Portland this summer". The Oregonian.
  15. ^ Corser, Bobby (March 5, 2026). "Portland officials announce 'Wildwood: Follow the Crows' art trail downtown in August". KATU. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  16. ^ "Flocks of giant crows are coming to Portland with studio LAIKA's new citywide art trail". KGW. March 5, 2026. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  17. ^ Ybarra, Vince (March 5, 2026). "Art trail expected to debut in downtown Portland summer 2026". KPTV. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.