Info in Movie News | Wildwood, the latest stop-motion movie from LAIKA, which for years has been shrouded in mystery and bunkering down in the development process, now finally has its release date despite all the delays at the latest in 2026. Yes, you are correct, this project was still on the table for 2025, but it has been moved to the next year. As frustrating as that might sound, the delay makes sense once you realize just how massive and ambitious this production really is.
According to Collider, Wildwood is under the direction of LAIKA CEO Travis Knight, the same man who led the production of kubo and the two strings and the live-action Bumblebee in the past. The story comes from a children’s fantasy novel authored by Colin Meloy, the leader of The Decemberists, and accompanied by his wife Carson Ellis’s illustrations. It is the story of 12-year-old Prue McKeel, who dares to go much farther into a mystic dangerous forest at the edge of Portland, Oregon, to release her little brother from a flock of crows which were sent by an evil presence called Alexandra.
One reason for the long production time? The sheer complexity of the project. Stop-motion is already one of the most time-consuming forms of animation, and Wildwood is reportedly even more intricate than LAIKA’s previous titles like Coraline or Missing Link. There’s even a massive battle sequence that Knight has described as the most challenging scene they’ve ever attempted. “We’ve started chipping away at it,” he told Empire Magazine last year, “but we’re definitely in the ‘Oh God, how are we going to pull this off?’ phase.”
If that’s not enough to get you hyped, just take a look at the cast. Peyton Elizabeth Lee voices Prue, with Jacob Tremblay as Curtis and Carey Mulligan as the villainous Alexandra. The ensemble also features Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Awkwafina, Tom Waits, and Jemaine Clement—just to name a few. With talent like that, this magical world is set to be more alive than ever.
Besides, LAIKA is recognized through its very strong cooperation with the well-known distributor Focus Features, which has also been responsible for the distribution of their former blockbusters namely Coraline, ParaNorman, and Kubo and the Two Strings. Given the studio’s reputation for quality and creativity, it wouldn’t be surprising if other major distributors also showed interest in bringing LAIKA’s unique brand of fantasy storytelling to audiences around the world.
Granted LAIKA’s stellar track record and that it may take a while, yet, the level of care they put into every project makes Wildwood a must-watch no matter how long it takes.
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