LAIKA reveals behind-the-scenes look at Wildwood for 2026

LAIKA unveiled a behind-the-scenes teaser for Wildwood on Thursday, offering the first substantial look at the Portland-set stop-motion film and highlighting the studio’s extensive practical effects ahead of a planned 2026 release. The footage mixes finished animation with production sequences to showcase the scale of the adaptation of Colin Meloy’s novel and the technical efforts behind a central character, the General, a massive golden eagle voiced by Angela Bassett.

Wildwood follows Prue McKeel, voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee, who ventures into an enchanted forest known as the Impassable Wilderness to rescue her infant brother Mac after he is taken by a murder of crows and a woman named Alexandra. Prue is joined by her classmate Curtis, voiced by Jacob Tremblay, and an ensemble cast that includes Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits and Richard E. Grant.

Directed by Travis Knight from a script by Chris Butler, Wildwood adapts Meloy’s Wildwood Chronicles with visual contributions from six-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Caleb Deschanel. The teaser emphasizes...