Laika studio returns with "Wildwood," a stop-motion animated film that blends old-fashioned fantasy adventure with the Portland-based studio's distinctive visual style. The film adapts the bestselling book by Carson Ellis and Colin Meloy of the band The Decemberists, with a screenplay by Chris Butler and direction from Laika animator Travis Knight.
The story follows 12-year-old Prue, voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee, who lives in modern-day Portland with her hippie parents, voiced by Jake Johnson and Maya Erskine. When her baby brother Mac is taken into a mysterious forest park known as the "wildwood," Prue must venture into a hidden realm populated by strange creatures, talking animals and dangerous characters. She is joined by Curtis, a nerdy classmate with a crush on her, voiced by Jacob Tremblay.
The film draws inspiration from classic fantasy writers. According to the Guardian review, it presents "a forthright, exuberant, good-natured and old-fashioned children's tale which CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien might have recognised." The Portland setting serves as the earthly counterpart to the mythologised wilderness that occupies much of the film's narrative. The review notes that the city's hipster elements, including a coffee shop called Dripster, receive affectionate mockery, while the wildwood itself contains "fairytale nobility and wisecracking talking animals."
Laika previously earned recognition for "Coraline," another stop-motion feature that combined fantasy horror with meticulous craftsmanship. That film shared similar thematic ground with "Wildwood," centring on a young protagonist discovering hidden worlds and confronting dangerous forces unknown to adults. The new film applies the same animation philosophy to a more straightforwardly adventurous narrative.