LAIKA's Stop-Motion Epic 'Wildwood' Opens October 23: Director Travis Knight on Its 16-Year Journey
Wildwood, the new stop-motion feature from LAIKA, opens in U.S. theaters nationwide on October 23, 2026, distributed by Fathom Entertainment, with FilmNation Entertainment handling international sales. The film is directed by LAIKA president and CEO Travis Knight, written by Chris Butler, and based on the 2011 novel by Colin Meloy and illustrator Carson Ellis.
The story follows a girl whose desperate quest to save her baby brother, abducted by a murder of crows, becomes a high-stakes journey into a forbidden forest filled with enchanted creatures, unlikely allies and formidable adversaries, with an entire hidden realm hanging in the balance. The voice cast includes Carey Mulligan, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett and Awkwafina. LAIKA's official release calls it the studio's most ambitious film yet, combining human-crafted artistry with large-scale cinematic storytelling.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Knight said in a long-form interview ahead of the release that Wildwood has been part of his life for more than half his career, with production spanning 231 weeks. He described stop-motion as a medium in which everything is designed, built and manipulated by an artist's hand, in an era when entire worlds can be generated with a click, and called the film a celebration of empathy and humanity. Wildwood held its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 11, and its U.S. premiere as the opening-night selection of the 40th AFI Fest on October 21.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：定格动画木偶展品（资料图）。照片：Chemical Engineer，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Stop-motion animation puppets on display (file photo). Photo: Chemical Engineer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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