LAIKA released the final trailer for Wildwood on September 16, with tickets now on sale for the stop-motion fantasy's October 23 U.S. theatrical debut. The film will world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 11, then serve as the opening-night selection at the 40th AFI FEST on October 21.
Travis Knight, LAIKA's CEO and the director of Kubo and the Two Strings, returns to the director's chair. Wildwood is based on the 2011 novel by Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy and illustrator Carson Ellis, adapted by screenwriter Chris Butler. At 132 minutes, it is the longest stop-motion animated feature ever made by runtime.
The story follows teenager Prue McKeel, voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee, after her infant brother is kidnapped by crows. She ventures into the Impassable Wilderness, an enchanted forest hidden near Portland, Oregon, alongside her classmate Curtis Mehlberg, voiced by Jacob Tremblay. The voice cast also includes Mahershala Ali as Brendan the Bandit King, Angela Bassett as a golden eagle general, Awkwafina and Charlie Day as talking animals, Carey Mulligan, Tom Waits, Richard E. Grant, and Amandla Stenberg.
Production began at LAIKA's Portland facility in September 2021. The film required 136 practical sets and 231 handcrafted puppets. Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel shot the film. Composer Dario Marianelli wrote the score. Wildwood is distributed domestically by Fathom Entertainment and carries a PG-13 rating, the first LAIKA film to receive that designation.
