Best known for “Coraline” and “Kubo and the Two Strings,” Laika has spent years innovating and refining the famously meticulous, time-consuming art of stop-motion animation. And after six years of production, it’s ready to release perhaps its most gorgeous-looking film, “Wildwood.”
Set in Portland, Oregon, “Wildwood” is a fantasy adventure film in the vein of “Narnia,” where ordinary children are suddenly transported into a magical world. The film follows Prue (voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee) and Curtis (Jacob Tremblay), two 12-year-olds who are drawn into a magical world hidden in a forest outside of the city where talking animals and humans exist side-by-side. There, Prue must go on a journey to save her younger brother Mac from crows led by a woman named Alexandra (Carey Mulligan), who captures Curtis and attempts to corrupt him for her own mysterious purposes. The trailer, set to a cover of “Wake Me Up” by Avicii, teases Alexandra’s tragic backstory involving the son she lost, and her quest for vengeance against the rest of the denizens of the forest.
The story is adapted from the 2011 children’s fantasy novel of the same name. Written by Colin Meloy, best known as the frontman of the band The Decemberists, the book featured illustrations from his wife and children’s book illustrator, Carson Ellis. Meloy has contributed a song to the film.
“Wildwood” is directed by Travis Knight, the lead animator and CEO of Laika, from a screenplay written by Chris Butler. The two previously worked together this year on the live-action “Masters of the Universe” film, after making “Kubo and the Two Strings” in 2016. The film’s large ensemble voice cast includes Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits, Richard E. Grant, Len Cariou, Marc Evan Jackson, and Rob Delaney. Caleb Deschanel serves as the film’s cinematographer, while Dario Marianelli composed the score.
Fathom Entertainment will release “Wildwood” in theaters nationwide October 23. The film notably serves as one of the company’s first non-event releases. Watch the full trailer for “Wildwood” below.