The crows are flying, the forest is stirring and Laika’s Wildwood is ready to leave the nest. The stop-motion studio has unveiled the final trailer for its hand-crafted fantasy adventure, with tickets now on sale ahead of its 23 October theatrical release through Fathom Entertainment, the leading specialty content distributor in the theatrical space. Select screenings will also roll out in 4DX, D-Box and Dolby Cinema formats.
Wildwood marks Laika’s sixth feature and its first since Missing Link in 2019. The studio’s previous five films Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings and Missing Link, all earned Academy Award nominations for best animated feature.
The latest trailer takes viewers deeper into the hidden world of Wildwood, following headstrong teenager Prue McKeel as her desperate mission to rescue her kidnapped baby brother grows increasingly perilous.
When a murder of crows abducts her brother, McKeel ventures into the Impassable Wilderness, an enchanted forest tucked just beyond Portland, Oregon. Joined by her hapless but loyal classmate Curtis Mehlberg, she finds herself amid talking animals, bandits and powerful figures driven by grief and ambition. As the pair become caught in a conflict that threatens the forest’s delicate balance, McKeel must save her brother while confronting forces that could shape Wildwood’s future.
Peyton Elizabeth Lee voices McKeel, with Jacob Tremblay as Mehlberg. The ensemble also features Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Awkwafina, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits and Richard E. Grant.
Travis Knight, whose credits include Kubo and the Two Strings and the upcoming Masters of the Universe, directs and produces the film from a screenplay by Chris Butler, who also wrote ParaNorman. The film adapts the novel by the indie folk-rock band The Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy, illustrated by Carson Ellis. Knight has been developing Wildwood for 16 years, dating back to the completion of Laika’s Coraline in 2009.
Before its nationwide release, Wildwood will make its US premiere on 21 October as the opening night selection of the 40th AFI Fest. FilmNation Entertainment, a leading independent entertainment company is handling international sales.
With the final trailer out and the tickets available now, Laika is opening the gates to Wildwood and this forest looks set to be anything but a walk in the park.
