LAIKA’s Full ‘Wildwood’ Trailer Finally Arrives Ahead of October Release

Stop-motion filmmaking has become an increasingly rare theatrical event, and few studios have earned that reputation more than LAIKA. Known for meticulously crafted worlds in films like ‘Coraline’ and ‘ParaNorman,’ the Oregon-based studio has spent over a decade quietly building toward what may be its most ambitious project yet.

That ambition is finally coming into full view. Following a brief teaser released just days earlier, LAIKA has now dropped the complete trailer for ‘Wildwood,’ giving fans their most detailed look yet at the studio’s long-awaited return to stop-motion storytelling.

The trailer reveals the full scope of the film’s central story, following Prue McKeel as she ventures into the Impassable Wilderness, an enchanted forest hidden just outside Portland, Oregon, on a mission to rescue her baby brother after he’s kidnapped by a murder of crows. Prue is joined on her journey by classmate Curtis Mehlberg, and the pair find themselves pulled deep into a hidden world filled with talking animals, shifting alliances, and a conflict that threatens to upend the forest’s fragile balance.

‘Wildwood’ is directed by LAIKA CEO Travis Knight, working from a screenplay by longtime collaborator Chris Butler, and adapts the beloved novel series written by Colin Meloy, frontman of The Decemberists, with illustrations by his wife Carson Ellis. The story has been in development at LAIKA since 2011, with production formally confirmed back in 2021, making its arrival in theaters a decade-plus effort finally coming to fruition.

Peyton Elizabeth Lee leads the film as Prue, with Jacob Tremblay voicing Curtis. The two young leads are surrounded by a stacked supporting ensemble that includes Carey Mulligan, Richard E. Grant, Awkwafina, Tom Waits, Charlie Day, Angela Bassett, and Mahershala Ali, giving the film one of the more eclectic voice casts of any animated release this year.

LAIKA has described ‘Wildwood’ as its most technically ambitious production to date, citing a staggering scale that includes 136 distinct locations, 231 practical puppets, and 54 hero characters, all brought to life through the studio’s signature frame-by-frame stop-motion process. Six-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Caleb Deschanel also joined the production, adding further visual pedigree to a film already generating buzz for its craftsmanship.

‘Wildwood’ marks LAIKA’s first stop-motion feature since 2019’s ‘Missing Link,’ continuing the studio’s streak of five Oscar-nominated films dating back to 2009’s ‘Coraline.’ Rather than partnering with a traditional major studio for distribution, LAIKA has taken a more customized approach, working with Fathom Entertainment for its U.S. theatrical release and FilmNation Entertainment for international sales.

LAIKA’s chief marketing and operations officer, Dave Burke, has described that strategy as a deliberate choice to chart the studio’s own course rather than relying on external distribution partners. It’s a notable bet for an independent animation studio, especially given how competitive the fall theatrical calendar tends to be for family-friendly releases.

With the full trailer now out and the film’s October 23 release date rapidly approaching, LAIKA appears to be building toward one of its most significant theatrical rollouts in years. Given how much time and craftsmanship has gone into bringing Meloy and Ellis’s fantasy world to the screen, expectations are understandably high heading into the film’s debut.

For longtime fans of LAIKA’s meticulous, handcrafted style, ‘Wildwood’ looks poised to deliver exactly the kind of immersive, visually distinct experience the studio has built its reputation on.

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