Wildwood (2026)

The 40th Annual AFI Fest will kick off on October 23 with the world and U.S. premiere of Laika’s new animated feature, Wildwood, at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. The opening night slot underscores the festival’s tradition of showcasing bold, imaginative cinema. Wildwood follows a determined young girl named Prue as she plunges into a forbidden forest outside Portland to rescue her baby brother from a murder of crows. Joined by her classmate Curtis, she encounters talking animals, bandits and other enchanted beings. The film is helmed by Travis Knight, who also produces, and boasts a voice cast that reads like a who’s‑who of talent: 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. Knight has spent sixteen years nurturing the story, guiding hundreds of artists and craftspeople through a painstaking stop‑motion process that brings the strange, beautiful world of Wildwood to life. He describes the film as a handcrafted realm finally emerging into daylight, a sentiment echoed by AFI President Bob Gazzale, who praised the movie’s “handcrafted, endlessly imaginative world” as a timely source of artistic inspiration. AFI Fest runs from Oct. 21‑25, featuring a curated mix of red‑carpet premieres, documentaries, world cinema and shorts, with last year’s highlights including Bugonia, Christy and The Testament of Ann Lee. Wildwood’s opening night placement signals the festival’s continued commitment to ambitious, distinctive filmmaking.

Laika’s newest animated adventure, “Wildwood,” will kick off the 40th edition of AFI Fest on Oct. 21, marking its U.S. premiere. The Portland‑based studio’s signature stop‑motion craftsmanship is on full display under the direction and production of Travis Knight, the visionary behind the studio’s recent hits. The story follows brave young Prue (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) and her classmate Curtis (Jacob Tremblay) as they plunge into a forbidden forest outside Portland to rescue Prue’s baby brother from a murder of crows. Along the way they encounter talking animals, bandits and a host of enchanted creatures, all voiced by an all‑star lineup that includes 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. Knight, who has shepherded the project for sixteen years, says the film was “built slowly, painstakingly, by hundreds of extraordinary artists and craftspeople.” AFI President Bob Gazzale lauds the film as a “handcrafted, endlessly imaginative world that both dazzles and delights,” noting the festival’s tradition of championing audacious, distinctive filmmaking. The opening night slots “Wildwood” into a week of red‑carpet premieres, special screenings and documentaries, positioning the film as a bold statement of Laika’s enduring creative ambition.

Travis Knight’s latest stop‑motion marvel, Wildwood, finally lands on October 23 after a marathon production that survived pandemics, tech shifts and countless twists. Adapted from Colin Meeloy’s bestselling 2011 novel, the film follows Prue (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) as she storms the Impassable Wilderness to rescue her brother, teaming up with Jacob Tremblay’s Curtis in a story that balances fantastical wonder with grounded performances. What sets Wildwood apart is its love‑letter to Portland. Production designer Nelson Lowry built the biggest Laika sets ever—full‑scale recreations of the historic Pittock Mansion, Powell’s City of Books, a two‑decade‑old farmers’ market and even a dog hotel. Hidden throughout are illustrations by Carson Ellis, the book’s original artist, and sly nods to Laika’s past hits, turning the city itself into a treasure trove for eagle‑eyed fans. The technical wizardry is equally staggering. Each character’s face is 3‑D printed in a process called voxels, yielding 24 unique expressions per second of screen time—no recycled facial kits. Over the film’s 132‑minute run, that means thousands of bespoke faces, each touched by an artist’s hand. The sets were engineered for strength so animators can stand on them, while water fountains were fabricated to bubble realistically for on‑screen passersby. And then there’s The General, the towering eagle voiced by Angela Bassett. Animation supervisor Brad Schiff reveals the bird sports roughly 3,000 individually crafted feathers, a leap from the foam‑latex puppets of yesteryear. The new materials make the puppet far more durable, letting animators capture up to 20 frames a day and see their work instantly on camera. All of this makes Wildwood not just a film, but a monumental feat of stop‑motion craftsmanship.

The new trailer for Laika’s stop‑motion adventure Wildwood plunges viewers into the Impassable Wilderness, where teenage Prue McKeel must rescue her brother from a mob of ravenous crows. Accompanied by the clumsy but lovable Curtis Mehlberg, she navigates a world of talking animals, scheming bandits, and mysterious figures, all while the very fate of the enchanted forest hangs in the balance. Visually, the film dazzles with hand‑crafted animation that makes every frame feel alive—from bioluminescent fungi lighting shadowy paths to the exquisitely rendered feathered eyes of fey creatures. That visual splendor is matched by an all‑star voice roster: Carey Mulligan as a wise forest guardian, Angela Bassett as an elder keeper of lore, Mahershala Ali, Richard E. Grant, Awkwafina, Amandla Stenberg, Tom Waits, Charlie Day, Madeline Danner, and a host of other talents lend depth and humor to the cast of characters. Tickets are already on sale for the October 23 theatrical debut, and Laika is pairing the release with a line of collectible figurines that echo the on‑screen designs. The studio hints the film could become the longest stop‑motion feature ever made, underscoring its ambition to push the medium further. Fans of family fantasy and meticulous craft alike are buzzing, eager to see whether Wildwood will set a new benchmark for whimsical cinema.