Ever since LAIKA Studios teased its most ambitious stop-motion animated film to date with Wildwood, fans of the Portland-based studio have been anticipating a more in-depth look at the adaptation of Colin Meloy’s 2011 dark fantasy novel. Today, the wait is officially over, because a new trailer for Wildwood is ready to welcome everyone into the Impassable Wilderness, where a thrilling adventure awaits!
This morning, LAIKA Studios dropped the full trailer for Wildwood, depicting an exciting rescue mission in a forbidden realm. Inside, talking animals and wilderpeople prepare for war while a mysterious power threatens to destroy everything.
In case you’re new to Wildwood, here’s the film’s official synopsis:
“After her baby brother is abducted by a murder of crows, headstrong teenager Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) launches a desperate rescue mission into the Impassable Wilderness—an enchanted forest hidden just beyond Portland, Oregon. Joined by her hapless but loyal classmate Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay), Prue navigates a world of talking animals, bandits, and powerful figures driven by grief and ambition. As the pair is drawn into a conflict threatening the balance of the forest itself, Prue must discover the strength and belief she never knew she possessed. If she hopes to save her brother and protect Wildwood’s fragile future, she will have to risk everything. From Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning LAIKA, Wildwood is a sweeping adventure about love, sacrifice, and the magic that reveals itself when we dare to look beyond the familiar.”
Set to Tommee Profitt & Fleurie’s haunting cover of “Wake Me Up”, the new trailer for Wildwood takes on a somber tone as it explores the origins of Alexandra the Dowager Governess, her broken heart, and her determination to keep Prue’s brother from escaping the Impassable Wilderness. Determined to bring her brother home and help Wildwood escape Alexandra’s wicked grasp, Prue and Curtis join a cause that aims to end Alexandra’s reign for good before she can summon a power so terrible it destroys everything in her path.
Travis Knight directs Wildwood from a screenplay by Chris Butler (ParaNorman, Missing Link), with an all-star cast joining Lee and Tremblay for an unforgettable odyssey into the unknown, including Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Awkwafina, Maya Erskine, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Tom Waits, Richard E. Grant, Amandla Stenberg, Tantoo Cardinal, Len Cariou, and Marc Evan Jackson.
We’ll have lots more to share about Wildwood in the coming weeks, as I’ve recently returned from visiting the studio for an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at LAIKA’s latest masterpiece. I’m extremely excited to share much of what I’ve learned about the film, and urge you all to see Wildwood when it arrives in theaters on October 23, 2026.