Wildwood

How far would one go to save a loved one? What lengths would one take? The latest production by stop-motion animation company Laika Studios, the studio behind successes such as Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings, builds its storyline grounded on these questions. Based on the bestselling novel by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis, Wildwood follows Prue (Peyton Elizabeth Lee), a teenager who lives in Portland, Oregon with her bohemian parents (Jake Johnson and Maya Erskine) and her little brother Mac. After ignoring her parents’ orders to not take her brother outside, Prue and her classmate Curtis (Jacob Tremblay) find themselves relentlessly chasing a murder of crows who have kidnapped Mac and taken him into the woods that borders their town. Once inside, Prue and Curtis quickly discover that the forest is actually a hidden realm filled with magic and anthropomorphic talking animals, and they must try to rescue Mac from Alexandra (Carey Mulligan), a once benevolent ruler driven mad by grief, who wants to use Mac for devastatingly, nefarious purposes.

Plainly put, Wildwood is an artistic triumph. The plot is loaded with sophisticated emotional themes. Through the character of Alexandra, the audience is shown how bereavement can cause a downward spiral from any sense of rationality as well as the delusional and terrifying extremity of acting in the name of love. Curtis’s arc is simple but established brilliantly. His earnest but naïve wish to be a hero and the sacrifice of innocence that is required to achieve such a dream is one of the highlights of the feature. The production also has many ambitious sequences which are extraordinarily well-executed. The climax in the third act is notably strong, aided by the music of Dario Marianelli. Often, the success of a good score lies in the composer’s distinct ability to wholly grasp the film’s vision and then create the perfect accompaniment. In Wildwood’s final act, the stakes are high and the battle is intense, visceral and moving, and that can both be seen, heard and felt.

The film’s animation is magnificent and a testament to dedicated labour and craftsmanship. In an era where the usage of artificial intelligence to generate content is constantly increasing, it is encouraging to see a film built on human creativity. The sheer volume of hours, expertise, determination and commitment to develop the feature can be seen through the attention to detail to the Wildwood world and its characters. The project spent seven years in active production and was worked on by over 1,000 animators, artists and designers who collectively brought a range of bespoke skills. The outdoor scenes are some of the most visually impressive elements; the woods and the trees feel natural and authentic thanks to both the aesthetic design and the lighting choices of cinematographer Caleb Deschanel.

Wildwood’s runtime is the longest for a Laika film, and certainly some scenes could’ve been more tightly constructed. Additionally, the narrative would’ve benefitted from a clearer introduction into the different factions that live within the wooded magical realm to fully appreciate the conflicts that had formed. Nonetheless, the film is a marvel in stop-motion animation; a medium that can feel somewhat unsettling and uncanny, but when done well and paired with a story that is fundamentally human and relatable, can be beautiful and affecting. Once again, Laika have meticulously crafted another eerily wonderful addition to animation cinema.

Sunny Morgan

Wildwood is released nationwide on 23^rd October 2026.

Read more reviews from our London Film Festival 2026 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the London Film Festival website here.

Watch the trailer for Wildwood here: