Laika, the award-winning studio well-known for its stop-motion animation, has what’s expected to be another visually stunning addition in the genre with Wildwood, which is set to hit theaters next year.
The film is based on the children’s book series of the same name, written by Colin Meloy, a multi-talented artist who also fronts the indie rock band The Decemberists. The story centers on Prue McKeel and her friend Curtis, who embark on an adventure into Wildwood, an enchanted forest hidden somewhere around the city of Portland, Oregon, to rescue her kidnapped baby brother.
Though we’ve only seen a digital cover, albeit the first stop-motion digital cover for a magazine, that itself was such a delight, especially in the way it was introduced: Coraline, Laika’s first female protagonist, appears first as we see her open a door that leads into the Wildwood forest where the camera zooms through visions of yellow-eyed wolves and a murder of crows, until we settle upon the back of a lone figure – new hero Prue – who turns around to face the viewer with a curious, somewhat determined, look on her face.
Additionally, Wildwood will include a big battle scene, something that has yet to be seen in Laika’s stop motion films, so it’s a daunting task, but aims to be an eyegasm of a sequence.
Beyond Portland’s city limits lies Wildwood. You’re not supposed to go there. You’re not even supposed to know it exists. But Prue McKeel is about to enter this enchanted wonderland. Her baby brother Mac has been taken by a murder of crows into the forest’s depths, and she — along with her hapless classmate Curtis — is going to get him back. Prue might think she’s too old for fairy tales, but she’s just found herself at the center of one…filled with strange talking animals, roguish bandits, and powerful figures with the darkest intentions.
The film stars an impressive cast of talent, including Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Carey Mulligan (Saltburn), Mahershala Ali (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse), Awkwafina (The Little Mermaid), Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Amandla Stenberg (The Acolyte), Jacob Tremblay (The Little Mermaid) as Curtis, and Peyton Elizabeth Lee (Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.) as Prue.
Wildwood is directed by Laika CEO Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings, Bumblebee) and is set to be released in theaters in 2025.