Laika, the animation studio behind "Coraline," has optioned Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis' "Wildwood" and will make it a stop-motion animation project, the company has announced.
Meloy is the lead singer and songwriter for the band the Decemberists, which has sold more than 1.5 million albums worldwide. "Wildwood," his first novel, is a fantasy story set in an alternate version of modern-day Portland. It's about Prue McKeel, who embarks on a series of adventures while attempting to rescue her brother from kidnapping crows.
Laika is run by Travis Knight, the son of Nike founder Phil Knight.
The book "is a marvel, an exquisite, staggering and lyrical work of art," Knight said in a statement. "It's an uncannily perfect fit for Laika, commingling the time-honored qualities of classic fantasies and fairy tales with a bold, contemporary sensibility."
Laika is now making its second 3D stop-motion animated feature, "ParaNorman," which is set for an Aug. 17, 2012 release.
