Coraline animators come back with stop-motion ‘Wildwood’

A new fantasy adventure is set to hit the big screen as LAIKA Studios, the creators behind the acclaimed Coraline, unveiled the teaser trailer for Wildwood on Friday, with the film scheduled to premiere in theaters on 23 October.

Based on the New York Times bestselling fantasy-adventure book series written by Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis, the stop-motion feature follows Prue, voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee, whose baby brother is abducted by crows. The incident leads her on an unexpected rescue journey into a magical and forbidden forest beyond Portland, a place filled with secrets, allies, adversaries, and challenges that test everything she believes in.

The film is directed by Travis Knight and written by Chris Butler. Its star-studded voice cast includes Carey Mulligan, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Richard E. Grant, Awkwafina, Amandla Stenberg, Tom Waits, Charlie Day, Blythe Danner, Arthur Knight, Angela Bassett, and Mahershala Ali.

LAIKA Studios also recently became the first recipient of the EMA Gold Seal for Sustainable Studios from the Environmental Media Association, which recognized the company for using environmentally friendly materials and reducing waste and consumption. The studio partnered with Fathom Entertainment for the release of Wildwood, following the successful theatrical rerelease of Coraline for its 15th anniversary and the remastered version of ParaNorman.

Animation fans online have also been buzzing over several upcoming animated releases this year, including Hoppers, Forgotten Island, Tangles, and Toy Story 5.