The stop-motion studio behind Coraline is returning with its most ambitious movie yet.
Laika has unveiled the first full trailer for it’s upcoming stop-motion animated filmWildwood, giving audiences a much closer look at the studio’s upcoming fantasy adventure. The movie is scheduled to arrive in theaters October 23, 2026, with Fathom Entertainment handling its U.S. theatrical release.
While Wildwood should appeal to older kids, tweens, teens and adults, its darker fantasy elements—including danger, mysterious creatures and a kidnapped child—make it better suited to older children rather than preschoolers. The film is based on Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis’ 2011 bestselling novel.
The trailer showcases an elaborate fantasy world filled with forests, talking animals, imposing architecture and Laika’s distinctive handmade puppets. Director Travis Knight has described Wildwood as “the most expansive, the most ambitious, the most epic film we’ve ever done.”
A Girl, a Missing Brother and a Mysterious Forest
Wildwood follows Prue McKeel, a Portland teenager whose baby brother is kidnapped by a gang of crows. Determined to find him, Prue ventures into the mysterious Wildwood forest with her classmate Curtis, encountering talking animals, rival groups and dangerous inhabitants along the way.
The movie features an impressive voice cast led by Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Jacob Tremblay, with Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Tom Waits and Richard E. Grant also lending their voices. Knight directs from a screenplay by Chris Butler, continuing the pair’s creative partnership from Kubo and the Two Strings.
From Coraline to Wildwood
For families unfamiliar with Laika, the Oregon-based studio has become one of the biggest names in modern stop-motion animation. Its feature-film résumé includes 2009’s Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings and Missing Link.
Wildwood is particularly notable because it is Laika’s first theatrical feature since 2019‘s Missing Link and represents years of work on an unusually ambitious production. Knight says the studio has progressed dramatically since Coraline, explaining that things that once seemed “virtually impossible” are now routine.
For parents looking for something different from computer-generated family animation, Wildwood could offer a spectacular alternative—while its darker story means families may want to consider their child’s age and tolerance for fantasy peril before heading to the theater.
