LAIKA Releases 'Wildwood' Teaser Trailer
We're now just a few short months away from the long (long long) awaited return of LAIKA to the big screen. Wildwood sees the stop-motion geniuses release their first film since 2019's The Missing Link. Based on the fantasy book of the same name by Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis, the film is directed by LAIKA CEO Travis Knight and written by Chris Butler, and will open in the US on October 23. The first official teaser trailer has now finally been released.
We have previously seen some stills and some very limited footage and behind-the-scenes content, but now we get our first proper look at the film, in the (very generous) teaser.
The film follows a young girl named Prue, whose little brother is kidnapped by crows. To save him, she must journey into the Impassible Wilderness, an enchanted forest located just outside Portland, Oregon. Joined by her classmate Curtis Mehlberg, she heads into the forest and encounters everything from talking animals and bandits to giant eagles and canine soldiers. Becoming caught up in a conflict that threatens the future of Wildwood itself, Prue must look within herself to find qualities she didn't even know she possessed.
Wildwood features the voices of Carey Mulligan, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Richard E. Grant, Awkwafina, Amandla Stenberg, Tom Waits, Charlie Day, Blythe Danner, Arthur Knight, Maya Erskine, Jake Johnson, Tantoo Cardinal, Rob Delaney, Jemaine Clement, Marc Evan Jackson, Len Cariou, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, with Angela Bassett and Mahershala Ali.
The film promises to set a new standard for stop-motion, and is definitely LAIKA's most ambitious film to date- by quite some way. The film has reportedly been in development for a decade, and you can definitely see where that time has gone. On a technical level, this is head and shoulders above anything any stop-motion studio has made to date.
Wildwood will be distributed in the United States by Fathom Entertainment, and FilmNation Events will handle the film in international territories. Tickets will go on sale this summer.
Check out the teaser trailer, below.
