- LAIKA’s animated fantasy Wildwood, directed by Travis Knight and adapted by Chris Butler, delivers a dark, mature coming-of-age story set just beyond the borders of Portland, Oregon.
- The massive stop-motion production features 132 sets, 233 unique character puppets, and an ambitious 12-minute, 411-shot battle sequence billed as the largest in stop-motion animation history.
- Following its screening at the BFI London Film Festival, the film showcases an expansive voice cast including Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, and Angela Bassett ahead of its October 23 cinema release.
Into the Impassable Wilds: LAIKA Reimagines Dark Fantasy
Stop-motion powerhouse LAIKA is returning to the uncanny, atmospheric realm of fantasy with Wildwood, directed by the studio’s creative chief Travis Knight. Adapted by screenwriter Chris Butler from the novel by The Decemberists’ frontman Colin Meloy and illustrator Carson Ellis, the production signals a deliberate pivot away from traditional children’s fairy tales. Beginning with a gothic tragedy involving governess Alexandra (Carey Mulligan) and her son that evokes Tim Burton’s Wednesday vignette “Tale of the Skull Tree,” the narrative establishes high stakes rooted in grief and dangerous magic.
The core story centers on Portland teenager Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee), who is rapidly leaving childhood fantasies behind despite the whimsical encouragement of her parents (Maya Erskine and Jake Johnson). Her reality abruptly collides with the supernatural when her infant brother Mac (voiced by Arthur Knight) is snatched from a local park by a Hitchcockian murder of crows. The birds flee into the Impassable Wilds, a forbidden territory situated just across the St. Johns Bridge. Venturing across the mist-shrouded divide alongside game-loving peer Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay), Prue enters an uncharted expanse caught in the throes of escalating civil unrest.
Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) and Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay) navigate the perils of the Impassable Wilds. (Credit: LAIKA)
Geopolitical Strife, Mercenaries, and a Star-Studded Cast
Once inside the forest, the quest to recover baby Mac quickly becomes entangled in deep territorial conflict between the North and South Woods. A brutal coyote mercenary army clashes with displaced populations labeled as “bandits,” threatening factions ranging from an avian principality to a commune of forest mystics dismissively tagged by Prue as “hippies.” The perilous landscape spares no one, presenting genuine mortality risks for its inhabitants while an insidious, moving network of ivy spans the wilderness under the direction of an enigmatic figure consumed by loss.
Navigating this war-torn wilderness, Prue and Curtis encounter a sprawling ensemble cast of allies and adversaries. The vocal lineup includes Mahershala Ali as Brendan the Bandit King, Angela Bassett as the golden eagle General—marking LAIKA’s largest puppet constructed to date—and Awkwafina as a wise-cracking rat. Additional vocal performances feature Tom Waits as the fiery coyote lieutenant Maksim, Richard E. Grant as the anxious yet learned Owl Rex, Tantoo Cardinal as mystic leader Iphigenia, Amandla Stenberg as the combatant Niamh, Jemaine Clement as the scheming functionary Roger, and Charlie Day as the reluctant soldier Dmitri.
Groundbreaking Tactile Craftsmanship and Unprecedented Scale
Visually, Wildwood represents LAIKA’s most intricate technical undertaking. Supported by a soaring musical score from composer Dario Marianelli, the film relies on stunning, handcrafted worldbuilding overseen by production designer Nelson Lowry, principal character designer Thibault Leclercq, and costume designer Deb Cook alongside head of costume Anja Poland. Character and practical effects head Oliver Jones, animation director Brad Schiff, and specialized divisions led by Brian McLean (Rapid Prototype) and Benoit Dubuc (CG Facial Animation) populated 132 individual sets with 233 unique character puppets.
Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and editor Christopher Murrie-Green capture a lived-in, visceral ecosystem where human figures coexist alongside animal constables, lumberjacks, and military commanders. The film’s technical pinnacle arrives in a climactic, 12-minute woodland battle sequence comprising 411 individual shots—the largest continuous confrontation ever achieved within the stop-motion medium. Every nuance, from stop-motion animated tears running down a protagonist’s cheek to individual moving leaves on predatory vines, reinforces the studio’s commitment to physical animation in an era dominated by generative digital workflows.
The General (voiced by Angela Bassett) stands as the largest stop-motion puppet constructed in LAIKA history. (Credit: LAIKA)
Portland as a Living, Eccentric Narrative Anchor
Rooting the narrative’s fantastical brutality is its authentic portrayal of Portland, Oregon. The city serves as an essential backdrop rather than mere window dressing, peppered with regional touchstones that frame the transition into magical realism. The visual landscape incorporates nods to local culture ranging from Voodoo Doughnut and drag queen story hours at Powell’s City of Books to street performers like the famed unicycling, bagpipe-playing Darth Vader.
The cultural details extend into Prue’s home, where band posters spotlight The Decemberists—whose track “The Better Part Of Bravery,” appears on the film’s official soundtrack—and her parents humorously lean into regional counterculture tropes. By grounding the characters in the distinct reality of the Pacific Northwest, Wildwood amplifies the shock of the violence and sorcery existing merely across the Willamette River, illustrating how proximity to the unknown shapes a child’s reluctant journey into maturity.
Why This Matters
At a time when modern cinema increasingly shifts toward artificial intelligence and algorithmic, cost-cutting digital animation techniques, LAIKA continues to expand the physical possibilities of tactile storytelling. Wildwood marks another major technical leap for the Oregon-based studio, pushing boundary thresholds in puppet scale, crowd staging, and stop-motion combat choreography. Screened out of the BFI London Film Festival, the ambitious dark fantasy serves as an essential counterpoint to homogenized studio animation, demonstrating that adult themes, visceral stakes, and physical artistry maintain a viable, high-profile place in theatrical distribution ahead of its wide launch on October 23.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is LAIKA’s Wildwood scheduled for theatrical release?
Following its screening at the BFI London Film Festival, Wildwood is scheduled to release in movie theaters on October 23.
What source material inspired the movie?
The film is adapted from the bestselling fantasy novel Wildwood, written by The Decemberists’ frontman Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis, with a screenplay by LAIKA veteran Chris Butler.
What makes the animation in Wildwood unique for stop-motion film?
The production features LAIKA’s largest puppet to date (the General, voiced by Angela Bassett) and introduces the biggest battle sequence in stop-motion animation history, spanning 12 minutes and 411 individual shots across 132 practical sets.
