# Wildwood (film)
*Wildwood* is a 2026 American stop-motion animated fantasy film directed by [Travis Knight](https://www.edgepedia.org/travis-knight), produced by Laika Studios, and based on the 2011 novel *Wildwood* by Colin Meloy, frontman of the band [The Decemberists](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-decemberists), with illustrations by Carson Ellis. It follows Prue McKeel, a Portland teenager who enters a vast enchanted forest to rescue her baby brother Mac after he is kidnapped by a murder of crows.[1](https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2026/10/23/laika-wildwood-movie-review-oregon) The film was released in the United States on October 23, 2026, by Fathom Entertainment, rated PG-13, with a running time of 2 hours 12 minutes.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wildwood) It is Laika's sixth stop-motion feature and its first new release in seven years, following *Missing Link* (2019).[3](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/why-travis-knight-waited-16-years-make-wildwood) • [4](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/wildwood-laika-studios-stop-motion-animation-film-review-2026)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / studio | Travis Knight, CEO of Laika (Hillsboro, Oregon); the studio's sixth stop-motion feature[3](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/why-travis-knight-waited-16-years-make-wildwood) |
| Source | 2011 novel by Colin Meloy, illustrated by Carson Ellis; screenplay by frequent Laika collaborator Chris Butler[5](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-10-23/wildwood-review-laika-stop-motion-animation-travis-knight-chris-butler) |
| Release | October 23, 2026 (US), Fathom Entertainment; PG-13; 2h 12m[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wildwood) |
| Principal cast | Peyton Elizabeth Lee (Prue McKeel), Jacob Tremblay (Curtis), Carey Mulligan (Alexandra), Mahershala Ali (Brendan), Angela Bassett (The General)[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wildwood) |
| Scale | More than 1,000 artists, 230 puppets, and 132 sets per Axios; the AP reports 136 sets and 231 puppets[1](https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2026/10/23/laika-wildwood-movie-review-oregon) • [6](https://apnews.com/article/d40b9525dd58371a11fc32ac2f645b90) |
| Record | At 132 minutes, described by The Hollywood Reporter's Frank Scheck as the longest stop-motion movie[7](https://www.filmaffinity.com/en/film119235.html) |
| Critical score | 100% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 20 reviews shortly after release[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wildwood) |
| Development time | Laika optioned the property in 2011; Knight said he waited 16 years because the studio was not yet ready to make it[8](https://www.slashfilm.com/2294693/wildwood-director-travis-knight-interview/) • [3](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/why-travis-knight-waited-16-years-make-wildwood) |
## Spoilers
### Story and source material
The film adapts the first book of Meloy and Ellis's Wildwood series, set in an enchanted forest called the Impassable Wilderness that lies just outside [Portland, Oregon](https://www.edgepedia.org/portland-oregon). Prue's baby brother is carried off by crows, and her rescue mission brings her into contact with talking animals, bandits, dark magic, and a world on the brink of war.[1](https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2026/10/23/laika-wildwood-movie-review-oregon) Production designer Nelson Lowry designed the Impassable Wilderness to replicate Portland's Forest Park.[9](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/wildwood-laika-studio-visit-268246.html)
Meloy and Ellis sold *Wildwood* to [HarperCollins](https://www.edgepedia.org/harpercollins) at auction in spring 2010, before the book was finished, and the bidding attracted the attention of several film studios; Laika optioned it in 2011.[10](https://www.pdxmonthly.com/arts-and-culture/2026/09/laika-film-wildwood) • [8](https://www.slashfilm.com/2294693/wildwood-director-travis-knight-interview/) Knight, who had been lead animator on Laika's *Coraline* (2009), read the still-unpublished manuscript and waited 16 years to direct it, saying the studio needed to develop the tools, techniques, and production expertise the book's scale demanded.[11](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/2026/10/24/wildwood-director-travis-knight-its-the-stupidest-way-to-make-a-movie-but-it-gives-the-final-film-a-soul/) • [3](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/why-travis-knight-waited-16-years-make-wildwood)
## Production and craft
**Handmade at scale.** The production employed more than 1,000 artists and, by the AP's account, 231 practical puppets and 136 sets; Axios and the Spanish press give 230 puppets and 132 sets.[1](https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2026/10/23/laika-wildwood-movie-review-oregon) • [6](https://apnews.com/article/d40b9525dd58371a11fc32ac2f645b90) • [12](https://elpais.com/us/entretenimiento/2026-10-23/una-visita-a-laika-el-estudio-de-animacion-donde-cada-detalle-se-hace-a-mano-pajaros-de-3000-plumas-y-mas-de-100-escenarios.html) The AP counted more than 142,000 3D-printed replacement faces for the puppets, 3,800 feathers crafted for a single giant eagle, and 85 "production babies" born to crew members during the long build.[6](https://apnews.com/article/d40b9525dd58371a11fc32ac2f645b90) Lowry's team spent four years on one battle scene.[13](https://www.creativebloq.com/inspiration/quote-of-the-day-by-laikas-nelson-lowry-when-the-challenges-are-that-raw-you-just-make-mistakes-and-you-learn-from-them)
The film combines traditional stop-motion with practical effects, miniatures, and digital visual effects, which Laika treats as augmentation of the handcrafted imagery rather than a replacement for it.[3](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/why-travis-knight-waited-16-years-make-wildwood) • [14](https://www.creativebloq.com/news/new-wildwood-video-reveals-the-painstaking-beauty-of-laikas-handcrafted-animation) Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, who had never worked in stop-motion, took physical assets Laika had built into Forest Park and photographed them under varied lighting conditions as reference for the film's lighting.[9](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/wildwood-laika-studio-visit-268246.html) Knight has said Laika will not use generative AI, calling it "theft" and "larceny".[15](https://theplaylist.net/wildwood-travis-knight-ai-laika-interview-20261023/)
The film's scale surpasses all of the studio's previous features. *Kubo and the Two Strings* (2016), Knight's directorial debut, had featured the largest stop-motion puppet built to that point, an 18-foot Skeleton Demon, and 60 different exteriors; *Wildwood* exceeds it on every level, according to Screen and Lowry.[16](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/wildwood-review-animation-studio-laika-break-new-ground-with-dazzling-stop-motion-adventure/5221279.article) • [10](https://www.pdxmonthly.com/arts-and-culture/2026/09/laika-film-wildwood) Spanish coverage highlighted the final battle, built from 400 shots, and noted it as the first stop-motion production to animate birds that open their wings.[17](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2026/10/21/el-estudio-laika-se-supera-con-wildwood-una-aventura-fantastica-que-es-un-hito-para-el-cine-de-animacion-cadena-ser/)
## Release and reception
*Wildwood* premiered at the [BFI London Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/bfi-london-film-festival) on October 11, 2026, and opened in US theaters on October 23.[18](https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2026/10/11/wildwood-earns-rave-reviews-oscar-frontrunner-for-animated-feature) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wildwood) It is Laika's first PG-13 film, rated for "strong fantasy violence/bloody images, thematic material, suicide-related material, brief partial nudity and language", a rating reviewers read as aiming the film at an older audience than typical animated features.[6](https://apnews.com/article/d40b9525dd58371a11fc32ac2f645b90) • [19](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2026-10-21/laika-wildwood-pg-13-animation-box-office-test)
**Critical response.** The film held a 100% Tomatometer score from 20 reviews in its opening days, which would be the first perfect critics' score for a Laika film if maintained.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wildwood) • [20](https://tollbit.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2026/10/11/wildwood-nabs-perfect-rotten-tomatoes-critics-score-in-early-reviews/) Reviewers singled out the craft: Variety's Guy Lodge called it "a spectacular success" as both formal achievement and crowdpleaser, and TheWrap's William Bibbiani called it one of the most astonishing animated films ever produced.[21](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2056785/criticreviews/) [The Daily Beast](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-daily-beast) argued it should be the first animated film to win Best Picture, and Tom's Guide named it the best animated movie of the year.[22](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/wildwood-should-be-the-first-animated-film-to-win-best-picture) • [23](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/movies/wildwood-review-laikas-new-fantasy-epic-is-the-best-animated-movie-of-the-year) Dissent came from IndieWire's David Ehrlich, who wrote that it is the first Laika film that does not feel as special as it looks, and The Guardian gave 3/5.[21](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2056785/criticreviews/) • [18](https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2026/10/11/wildwood-earns-rave-reviews-oscar-frontrunner-for-animated-feature) The AP found the handcrafted world more impressive than the story itself.[6](https://apnews.com/article/d40b9525dd58371a11fc32ac2f645b90) At the 2026 Film Festival of Catalonia the film won the Audience Award.[7](https://www.filmaffinity.com/en/film119235.html)
## Distribution and box office context
Distribution differs from Laika's earlier films. Its first four features were marketed by Universal's Focus Features, while *Missing Link* went through [Annapurna](https://www.edgepedia.org/annapurna) via [United Artists](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-artists); *Wildwood* is a Fathom Entertainment release, a company better known for re-releases and limited theatrical runs.[24](https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2026/10/22/laika-wildwood-critical-success-box-office-bomb.html) Before release, the Portland Business Journal reported predictions that the film could underperform commercially despite its critical acclaim, noting the general industry rule that a film must earn roughly twice its production budget to be profitable.[24](https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2026/10/22/laika-wildwood-critical-success-box-office-bomb.html)
## References
1. [We review Laika's "Wildwood" in 6 words, Axios Portland](https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2026/10/23/laika-wildwood-movie-review-oregon)
2. [Wildwood, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wildwood)
3. [Why Travis Knight Waited 16 Years to Make 'Wildwood', Animation World Network](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/why-travis-knight-waited-16-years-make-wildwood)
4. [Wildwood review: Laika is back with a gorgeous fairy tale, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/wildwood-laika-studios-stop-motion-animation-film-review-2026)
5. ['Wildwood' review: Laika's stop-motion animation impresses, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-10-23/wildwood-review-laika-stop-motion-animation-travis-knight-chris-butler)
6. [Movie Review: In 'Wildwood,' tons of stop-start work build a world the story can't match, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/d40b9525dd58371a11fc32ac2f645b90)
7. [Wildwood (2026), FilmAffinity](https://www.filmaffinity.com/en/film119235.html)
8. [Wildwood Director Travis Knight Interview: Stop-Motion Innovations Explained, /Film](https://www.slashfilm.com/2294693/wildwood-director-travis-knight-interview/)
9. [Inside Laika's Studio, Where Artists Bring 'Wildwood' To Life, Cartoon Brew](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/wildwood-laika-studio-visit-268246.html)
10. ['Wildwood' Is Laika's Most Ambitious Film Project Yet, Portland Monthly](https://www.pdxmonthly.com/arts-and-culture/2026/09/laika-film-wildwood)
11. ['The stupidest way to make a movie': Travis Knight on Wildwood, The Irish Times](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/2026/10/24/wildwood-director-travis-knight-its-the-stupidest-way-to-make-a-movie-but-it-gives-the-final-film-a-soul/)
12. [Una visita a Laika, el estudio de animación donde cada detalle se hace a mano, El País](https://elpais.com/us/entretenimiento/2026-10-23/una-visita-a-laika-el-estudio-de-animacion-donde-cada-detalle-se-hace-a-mano-pajaros-de-3000-plumas-y-mas-de-100-escenarios.html)
13. [Quote of the Day by LAIKA's Nelson Lowry, Creative Bloq](https://www.creativebloq.com/inspiration/quote-of-the-day-by-laikas-nelson-lowry-when-the-challenges-are-that-raw-you-just-make-mistakes-and-you-learn-from-them)
14. [New Wildwood video reveals the painstaking beauty of Laika's handcrafted animation, Creative Bloq](https://www.creativebloq.com/news/new-wildwood-video-reveals-the-painstaking-beauty-of-laikas-handcrafted-animation)
15. ['Wildwood' Director Travis Knight Calls AI "Theft," Says LAIKA Will Never Use It, The Playlist](https://theplaylist.net/wildwood-travis-knight-ai-laika-interview-20261023/)
16. ['Wildwood' review: Animation studio Laika break new ground, Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/wildwood-review-animation-studio-laika-break-new-ground-with-dazzling-stop-motion-adventure/5221279.article)
17. [El estudio Laika se supera con 'Wildwood', Cadena SER](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2026/10/21/el-estudio-laika-se-supera-con-wildwood-una-aventura-fantastica-que-es-un-hito-para-el-cine-de-animacion-cadena-ser/)
18. ['Wildwood' Earns Raves, World of Reel](https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2026/10/11/wildwood-earns-rave-reviews-oscar-frontrunner-for-animated-feature)
19. [Laika's 'Wildwood' is rated PG-13. Here's how animation is changing, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2026-10-21/laika-wildwood-pg-13-animation-box-office-test)
20. ['Wildwood' Nabs Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Critics' Score In Early Reviews, Forbes](https://tollbit.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2026/10/11/wildwood-nabs-perfect-rotten-tomatoes-critics-score-in-early-reviews/)
21. [Wildwood (2026) - Metacritic reviews, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2056785/criticreviews/)
22. [This Should Be the First Animated Film to Win Best Picture, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/wildwood-should-be-the-first-animated-film-to-win-best-picture)
23. ['Wildwood' review: Laika's new fantasy epic is the best animated movie of the year, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/movies/wildwood-review-laikas-new-fantasy-epic-is-the-best-animated-movie-of-the-year)
24. [Laika's 'Wildwood' predicted to bomb despite critical acclaim, Portland Business Journal](https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2026/10/22/laika-wildwood-critical-success-box-office-bomb.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Animated and short films › Animated films by source material and subject › Films based on novels and books*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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