LAIKA Studios brought its latest stop-motion animated epic, Wildwood, to the 70th BFI London Film Festival on Sunday, inviting audiences into a dark, handcrafted world of mystery, danger, and emotional storytelling. During the event, director and LAIKA CEO Travis Knight, alongside members of Wildwood’s cast and crew, explained the painstaking process of making one of the studio’s meticulous films, saying, “Basically we build thousands and thousands of this tiny little objects, we put them in front of a camera and set lights and we take a picture, we move them a microscopic distance, we take another picture, we move them another microscopic distance, we take another picture,” he said. “And we repeat that process over and over until either the film emerges or society collapses.”
16 Years of Meticulous Craftsmanship
Development for Wildwood began 16 years ago, with production beginning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Talking more about the film, Knight said, “This movie took us 16 years to make,” Knight explains. “When we started, Barack Obama was a fresh-faced president in his very first term. I could have become a medical doctor twice in the time it took us to make this movie. A child who was born when we started this could have driven me to the premiere.”
“A Masterpiece”: Critics Rave Over LAIKA’s Latest
After screening the film for a lucky audience, attendees flocked to social media to share their reactions:
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Laika’s Ambitious Stop-Motion Epic Is Both a Technical and Emotional Triumph.” You can read their review here.
Meanwhile, Matt Neglia of Next Best Picture wrote, “WILDWOOD is a masterpiece of stop-motion animation. The kind of cinematic achievement that takes your breath away with each painstakingly handcrafted scene, culminating in a gigantic battle sequence that rivals the work seen in “Game of Thrones” or “The Lord Of The Rings.” It’s the peak of everything LAIKA has been building over the past 20 years and the crown jewel in their remarkable, ever-growing legacy. An exquisitely conceived and wildly imaginative fantasy adventure that plays out like a warm, cozy bedtime story your parents used to read to you when you were a kid, filled with darkness, wonder, humor, enthusiasm and a tender emotional core that makes you care about its characters. I was left speechless when it concluded, in awe of everything each department accomplished from the immersive sound design, to Dario Marianelli’s majestic score, the seamless visual effects and the astonishing production and costume design. It represents a new pinnacle for the medium and stands firmly as the finest animated film of the year.”
Popped also had glowing things to say about Wildwood, writing, “Travis Knight and Laika’s latest film is their best and most ambitious collaboration to date. With flairs of epics like NARNIA and THE LORD OF THE RINGS, the film builds up to a sensational final act, all presented as impeccable stop-motion.”
Mia of Digital Spy said, “WILDWOOD is a staggering feat of creativity and imagination. Travis Knight’s extraordinary vision brings an entire fantasy universe to life with breathtaking detail, boundless ambition and unparalleled craftsmanship. A testament to the limitless possibilities of animation.”
Mia also wrote, “WILDWOOD is the kind of magic that speaks to the child in all of us, no matter our age. Travis Knight and LAIKA have poured so much love, imagination and extraordinary craftsmanship into every frame. A breathtaking fantasy adventure that rekindles the wonder of childhood.”
George Aldridge of Cinema Savvy perhaps made the boldest statement of all when he said, “With Wildwood, Laika have arguably crafted the most innovative animated film since Toy Story, but also a fantasy epic that people will speak of and revisit for years to come… Excited to see more behind the scenes and to visit the exhibition when it opens!”
Even Variety, which was surprisingly harsh on Brad Bird’s Ray Gunn, said Wildwood is “Laika’s Most Ambitious Feature to Date Is a Richly Textured, Transportive Fairytale Epic.”
Gavin Spoors of Film Hounds Mag wrote, “Wildwood is Laika’s magnum opus. A cinematic achievement with incredible craft and immense love for creative storytelling filling every frame. Through an astonishing fantasy epic that pulls no punches, Laika asks us to fight for human creativity and believe in its magic.”
Finally, Movies with Epicz said, “WILDWOOD is a momentous achievement, you will never see anything like this. The combination of cinematic factors, constructed to their prime form to create its astounding nature. I knew it would show us the next evolved stage of animation storytelling, it accomplished even more.”
Why ‘Wildwood’ Matters in the Age of AI
Unsurprisingly, I’ve not been able to find a single negative comment about Wildwood following the film’s premiere. Having visited the studio over the summer for a behind-the-scenes look at the film, I know exactly how epic and grand it will be. LAIKA is a studio like no other, and I hope people show up for Wildwood. At a time when AI is running rampant in animation, we need to support the projects lovingly made by real people. Get your tickets for Wildwood today! The film comes to theaters on October 23rd.
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