Laika’s “Wildwood” is nearly here.
The latest stop-motion marvel from the Portland, Oregon-based studio arrives on Oct. 23, thanks to a unique partnership with Fathom Entertainment. And a new teaser has arrived for the epic fantasy, based on the book series by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis, which gives you the first real glimpse at the wonderful world of “Wildwood.” Watch it below.
Directed by Travis Knight, who helmed “Kubo and the Two Strings” and serves as the lead animator and CEO of Laika, and written by Laika regular Chris Butler, “Wildwood” follows young Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) who heads into a fantastical realm just outside of Portland, Oregon, after her baby brother is whisked away by a murder of crows.
“Joined by her hapless but loyal classmate Curtis Mehlberg, Prue navigates a world of talking animals, bandits, and powerful figures driven by grief and ambition. As the pair is drawn into a conflict threatening the balance of the forest itself, Prue must discover strength and belief she never knew she possessed. If she hopes to save her brother and protect Wildwood’s fragile future, she will have to risk everything,” reads the official synopsis.
As the teaser trailer suggests, the scope and scale of “Wildwood” looks absolutely staggering – this is a proper fantasy epic, stuffed with dozens of characters and gargantuan battles. It’s big.
Carey Mulligan, Jacob Tremblay, Richard E. Grant, Awkwafina, Amandla Stenberg, Tom Waits, Charlie Day, Blythe Danner, Arthur Knight, Maya Erskine, Jake Johnson, Tantoo Cardinal and Rob Delaney also star in “Wildwood” alongside Angela Bassett and Mahershala Ali.
“Wildwood” marks the first Laika feature since 2019’s “Missing Link.” Since then, they have made a number of deals for both animated features and stop-motion projects, including a feature Butler described at Annecy last year as “Dracula meets ‘Mary Poppins.’”
Knight and Butler also recently collaborated on “Masters of the Universe,” a live-action fantasy based on the Mattel property that will be released from Amazon MGM Studios on June 5.
“Wildwood” arrives in theaters nationwide on Oct. 23.
