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LAIKA has released a first look at its new dark fantasy film “Wildwood” – and it looks just as stunning and otherworldly as we expect from the stop-motion animation studio.
The short but epic teaser is currently being screened ahead of “Coraline,” which has been remastered and re-released in honor of its 15th anniversary. “Wildwood” is based on Colin Meloy’s 2011 novel of the same name and will introduce two new protagonists to LAIKA’s roster: Prue McKeel and Curtis Melhberg, both of whom can be seen in silhouette at the end of the clip.
The promo film, which you can watch above, contains few plot reveals but instead sets the visual tone of the film, which looks to us like a combination of some of the best Switch games, such as Oxenfree, Night in the Woods, Ori and the Blind Forest, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
It begins with a montage of LAIKA’s previous works, including Coraline, ParaNorman and Kubo: The Brave Samurai, as a voice-over says, “There are places in the world that humans should never enter. Dark forests whose trees hide even darker secrets. When the first settlers came here, they called these forests the Impassable Wilderness,” it continues, as glowing-eyed wolves stalk the screen and a bearded man with an axe steps into the frame. It was a warning to stay away.”
Then the camera pans back before stopping behind our tiny heroes with “Wildwood” written above them.
Set in Portland, Oregon’s “Wildwood,” seventh-graders Prue and Curtis venture into a hidden, magical forest to rescue the seventh-grader’s little brother, who has supposedly been kidnapped by a flock of crows. Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, Amandla Stenberg, Carey Mulligan, Jake Johnson, Mahershala Ali, Richard E. Grant and Angela Bassett lend their voices to the film directed by Travis Knight.
Wildwood will hit theaters sometime in 2025. While we wait, you can check out our list of the best animated movies or our roundup of all the upcoming movies.
