Laika’s ‘Wildwood’ brings its handcrafted forest fantasy to theaters

A Portland girl enters the Impassable Wilderness

Laika’s stop-motion fantasy Wildwood opened in U.S. theaters Friday, Oct. 23, bringing the Oregon studio’s adaptation of Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis’s 2011 book to the big screen. Directed by Laika chief executive Travis Knight, the film follows Portland teenager Prue McKeel after a flock of magical crows carries away her infant brother. Prue ventures into an enchanted forest to find him, joined by classmate Curtis and drawn into a conflict that reaches beyond her family. The story’s setting takes inspiration from Portland’s Forest Park, while its hidden realm is populated by talking animals, strange communities and formidable adversaries. ^{[1] [2]}

Peyton Elizabeth Lee voices Prue and Jacob Tremblay voices Curtis. Carey Mulligan plays Alexandra, the mysterious figure at the center of the forest’s power struggle. The ensemble also includes Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits and Richard E. Grant. Laika’s official film page lists the cast and confirms the theatrical release; Reuters also spoke with Knight about adapting the book’s distinctive world. ^{[1] [2]}

A large-scale stop-motion undertaking

The production’s scale is unusually expansive for a frame-by-frame animated feature. Reuters reports that the film used 231 puppets, 54 central characters and 136 locations. Laika’s process combines hand-built sets and animated puppets with 3D printing and digital effects, but the physical detail remains central: each movement must be staged and captured frame by frame. The studio describes Wildwood as its most ambitious project to date, a claim reflected in the many distinct environments Prue crosses on her journey. ^[2]

The film has a darker edge than a conventional family adventure. A review by Decider praises its tactile settings and imaginative world, while noting that the story’s long, episodic journey does not always build toward a clear emotional arc. Axios Portland’s opening-weekend reaction also highlights the movie’s sometimes violent imagery alongside its visual craft. Those responses point to a release that may appeal most to viewers drawn to elaborate fantasy worlds and stop-motion detail, rather than to a light comedy. ^{[3] [4]}

Wildwood arrives after years of development and production, with its source novel’s Pacific Northwest landscape translated into a miniature world built for theatrical viewing. The film is the latest feature from a studio known for Coraline, ParaNorman and Kubo and the Two Strings, and gives Knight a new chance to pair handmade animation with an epic-scale adventure. Its opening weekend now brings that long-awaited project in front of audiences beyond festival screenings. ^{[2] [5]}