Laika spent 15 years completing the stop-motion fantasy film Wildwood, utilizing 142,000 3D-printed face models and 728 hand-molded trees across 1,155 production days. This level of meticulous craft makes the project the longest and most ambitious movie of its kind ever made. The production required thousands of individual shots, dozens of sets, and over 200 puppets. Fathom Entertainment scheduled the theatrical release for Wednesday, October 21, following an initial festival screening at the 2026 London Film Festival.
Portland Forest Backdrop Sets Off Prue and Curtis’s Rescue Mission
The story opens in Portland, Oregon, where Prue (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) lives with parents who warn her never to take her baby brother Mac outside the house. Prue scoffs at tales of the “Impassable Wilderness” surrounding the city and takes Mac out into the yard. A murder of crows swoops down from a playground slide to abduct the infant. Terrified, Prue ventures into the forest alongside her classmate Curtis (Jacob Tremblay). Deep in the woods, the pair encounters a group of battle-ready coyotes discussing orders from their violent and unhinged leader, the Dowager Governess Alexandra (Carey Mulligan).
Travis Knight Directs Adaptation of Colin Meloy Novel
Travis Knight directed the stop-motion epic, adapting the 2011 fantasy novel written by Colin Meloy, frontman of the band The Decemberists. Carson Ellis created the illustrations that originally defined the book’s world. Screenwriter Chris Butler partnered with Knight to shape the narrative about the blurred boundaries between reality and imagination. Studio owner and Nike co-founder Phil Knight owns the Oregon-based studio.
Technical Scale of Laika Production
Production teams utilized more than 715 miles of brass wire throughout the shoot. Artisans hand-molded 728 individual trees and constructed a miniature replica of Powell’s City of Books to anchor the film’s local setting. The movie features a “Braveheart”-style battle sequence animated frame by frame. Background details include Decemberists posters in the heroine’s bedroom and a Drag Queen Story Hour sign near the miniature Portland bookstore set.
Rated PG-13 for violence, scenes of death, and coarse language, Wildwood runs for two hours and 10 minutes in theaters. The narrative explores themes including grief, courage, and knowing who to trust as characters navigate an enchanted kingdom.
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