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Wildwood is set to be the latest film from Laika studios and there's been some exciting news about the cast, story, and more. Laika has been responsible for some of the best animated movies in recent years, specializing in stop-motion. Laika movies tend to be meticulously designed, perfectly animated, and feature stories that resonate with older viewers as well as they do with younger ones. This niche art style means Laika films are not always box office smashes, but each one has received its fair share of critical acclaim.

Dark family movies like Coraline; epic, mystical adventures like Kubo and the Two Strings; and heartwarming comedies like The Missing Link make up just a part of the wide spectrum of Laika movies. The difficulty of stop-motion and the size of the studio means a Laika film only comes out every few years, and any announcement about one naturally causes a stir in Hollywood.

With the current re-release of Henry Selick’s Coraline netting a rather staggering $11.3 million at the U.S. box office, Laika is back in the conversation. The Oregon-based animation studio isn’t just hanging on its laurels, however, as they are in production on their next feature Wildwood, which is set for a release in 2025, marking the longest break they’ve had between features as it’s been six years since 2019’s Missing Link.

Directed by the company’s CEO Travis Knight (who also directed Kubo and the Two Strings and Bumblebee) and written by Chris Butler, it’s based on the 2011 novel from The Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy, which featured illustrations by Carson Ellis. Featuring a voice cast of Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits, and Richard E. Grant,...

“Wildwood” is a new stop motion animated fantasy feature, directed by Travis Knight, based on the 2011 novel -by Colin Meloy and illustrator Carson Ellis, starring Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits and Richard E. Grant, releasing April 11, 2025 in theaters:

“…’Prue McKeel’ and her best friend ‘Curtis’ are drawn into a hidden, magical forest, after Prue's baby brother ‘Mac’ is kidnapped by crows, led by a mysterious woman named ‘Alexandra’…”

Click the images to enlarge….

With Coraline back in theaters for its 15th anniversary, Laika Studios has revealed the first Wildwood teaser. While the film has no release date yet, it is expected to open in theaters in 2025.

In addition to the Wildwood teaser, we’ve also included Laika’s recent video that takes you behind the scenes of the stop-motion animated film and a video featuring Coraline introducing the company’s newest hero, Prue McKeel.

Wildwood is based on the series of novels by Colin Meloy, lead singer for The Decemberists, and illustrator Carson Ellis. The film is currently in production at Laika Studios outside Portland, Oregon.

The cast includes Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman), Oscar winner Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Peyton Elizabeth Lee (Andi Mack), Jacob Tremblay (Room), and Awkwafina (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings).

Also on board are Oscar nominee Angela Bassett (What’s Love Got to Do With It...

The impassable wilderness beckons. Laika Studio, the team behind stop-motion animated hits ParaNorman and Coraline, are back with their sixth stop-motion movie, Wildwood. The studio has released the title reveal for the epic fantasy, and it looks dark.

Wildwood is written by Chris Butler, based on the novel written by Colin Meloy, the lead singer/songwriter for The Decemberists, and illustrated by artist Carson Ellis.

In the film, “Beyond Portland’s city limits lies Wildwood. You’re not supposed to go there. You’re not even supposed to know it exists. But Prue McKeel is about to enter this enchanted wonderland. Her baby brother Mac has been taken by a murder of crows into the forest’s depths, and she – along with her hapless classmate Curtis – is going to get him back. Prue might think she’s too old for fairytales, but she’s just found herself at the center of one.

Coraline takes viewers through the doorway to the world of Wildwood in a new animated cover for Empire magazine created by Laika Studios.

Laika Studios is truly an iconic production house if ever there was one, with such beloved animated classics as Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Missing Link. Now they are unveiling a glimpse into their sixth animated feature film, Wildwood. Based on the book by Colin Meloy, the film will feature a lush wilderness that acts as the backdrop to the story of Prue McKeel, the film's protagonist. Laika unveiled their new hero--and the stunningly vibrant world she will inhabit--in an all-new original animation created by Laika Studios themselves for the magazine cover of Empire.

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A week after the release of the Decemberists’ first album in six years, the long-running Portland-based band visited CBS Mornings’ Saturday Sessions to play three tracks from As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again.

For the in-studio performance, Colin Meloy and company performed “Burial Ground,” “Long White Veil,” and “All I Want Is You” from their new double album, the Decemberists’ first LP since 2018’s I’ll Be Your Girl.

Additionally, Meloy sat down with correspondent Jeff Glor to discuss As It Ever Was, So It Will Be...

Exclusive: Oregon studio Laika has brought in new talent, hiring director Pete Candeland, along with Victor Maldonado & Alfredo Torres, the Annie Award-winning duo together known as Headless, to develop new animated features.

The appointments are effective immediately, though there’s no word yet on what the projects are.

Maldonado and Torres are an L.A.-based team that landed their Annie for the helming of “Win, Lose or Draal,” an episode of the Guillermo del Toro series Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia, produced by DreamWorks Animation and Double Dare You Productions. The duo also directed three episodes of the Emmy-winning Netflix animated series Love, Death & Robots, additionally partnering on the 2007 fantasy Nocturna which won Best Animated Feature at the Goya Awards, Spain’s equivalent of the Oscars. Maldonado directed that title alongside Adrià García, with Torres serving as production designer and tackling numerous other creative responsibilities.

Maldonado and Torres also...

Laika, the Oregon-based stop-motion animation studio behind modern classics “Coraline” and “ParaNorman,” is getting serious about entering the live-action space. The studio just named longtime Netflix executive Matt Levin as President, Live-Action Film & Series, a new role at the company. The first live-action project is a film based on John Brownlow’s thriller novel “Seventeen.”

Levin served as Director, Original Independent Film at Netflix from 2014 to 2022. He co-founded the Original Independent Film department growing it into a full-scale mini-major with 20+ executives. Levin oversaw projects like Macon Blair’s “I Don’t Feel At Home in the World Anymore,” underrated Elizabeth Winstead-led action movie “Kate,” and Charlie Kaufman’s puzzling “I’m Thinking of Ending Things.” Levin also worked on Tom Hardy’s upcoming “Havoc” from director Gareth Evans (due out sometime later this year).

Levin reports directly to President and CEO Travis Knight (director of Laika’s “Kubo and the Two Strings...

Laika’s planned expansion into the realm of live-action was furthered on Tuesday, with the announcement that longtime Netflix executive Matt Levin will be joining the studio in the newly created role of President, Live-Action Film & Series.

The venerated Oregon animation studio’s hire comes amidst development on its first live-action project — a feature adaptation of the action-thriller novel Seventeen by screenwriter John Brownlow.

Levin joins the stop-motion specialist following eight years at Netflix, where he most recently served as Director, Original Independent Film. He co-founded that department and is credited with helping it grow into a full-scale mini-major. His direct report at Laika is President & CEO Travis Knight, who also helmed the company’s acclaimed 2016 feature, Kubo and the Two Strings.

Knight remarked in a statement that “Matt Levin is an awesome dude. Both a steely-eyed pragmatist and a starry-eyed dreamer, Matt is the perfect partner...

Exclusive: Longtime Laika executive Jeff Stringer has been upped to the post of Chief Technology Officer at the Portland, Oregon-based animation studio.

Stringer’s promotion comes following his more than 13-year run as the company’s Director of Production Technology. He will now head up its newly reorganized Technology Group, which combines the creative talent and resources of the formerly independent It, Production Technology and Business Systems departments. The restructuring reinforces the strategic role of the Technology Group as active partners with Production and Business Operations and will help Laika establish studio-wide technology standards, thereby helping it to scale up production, modernize operations, and usher in new innovations. Stringer reports directly to the studio’s President and CEO, Travis Knight.

Said Knight: “The fusion of art and technology has been essential to our company since its founding and since 2008 Jeff has been central to that creative effort. As our studio grows,...

Laika, the animation studio behind “ParaNorman” and “Coraline,” has announced a six-part series exploring the costumes, props and sets from its iconic films.

Titled “Laika Archives,” the series will be released on Sept. 13 via the company’s YouTube channel and features artisans like costume designer Deb Cook, head of model-making Keith McQueen and writer-director Chris Butler.

Says Butler, “There’s something truly magical about walking into a room and seeing a table full of gorgeous sculpts, gorgeous artwork that’s been created by very talented people.”

David Burke, Laika chief marketing officer and SVP of operations, adds: “Laika creates movies that matter. It takes a community of talented artists, artisans and technologists to make a Laika film. Because they are crafted in the stop motion animation medium, the studio has many physical assets from each film.”

The puppets, sets, props and materials are created in-house at the studio’s headquarters in Portland,...

Updated: Laika president Travis Knight has set the voice cast for the animation house’s stop-motion feature “Wildwood,” which he also directs: Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits, and Richard E. Grant.

Earlier: Laika has begun production on its sixth stop-motion feature, “Wildwood,” the studio’s first fantasy adventure set in the natural beauty of hometown Portland, Oregon. Laika President & CEO Travis Knight directs, and legendary cinematographer Caleb Deschanel (“The Right Stuff”) makes his first foray into stop-motion. The six-time Oscar nominee brings his naturalistic style to handcrafted animation after lensing the virtual world of Jon Favreau’s “The Lion King.”

“Wildwood” is based on the first in a trilogy of YA fantasy novels by Colin Meloy, lead singer and songwriter for Portland-based The Decemberists, and illustrated by artist Carson Ellis.

Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Andi Mack‘s Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits and Richard E. Grant make up the voice cast for Wildwood, the latest movie from Laika Studios.

The pic, directed by Laika’s Travis Knight, was originally announced in September, with the main cast revealed Thursday. It is being adapted from the series of novels by Colin Meloy, lead singer of The Decemberists, and illustrator Carson Ellis. Chris Butler, who wrote and directed the Laika pics ParaNorman and Missing Link, penned the script.

It marks the first film from Laika since 2019’s Missing Link. All five of the studio’s previous films have gotten Oscar Animated Feature nominations.

No release date has been set for this one, and roles for the voice cast remain under wraps.

Knight in a release announcing...

“Wildwood” is getting wilder.

The latest stop-motion animated feature from Laika, based on the series of novels by Colin Meloy, lead singer for The Decemberists, and illustrator Carson Ellis, is assembling a murderer’s row of vocal talent. The studio announced that Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits and Richard E. Grant.

“Wildwood” will be directed by Laika President & CEO Travis Knight (who last helmed “Kubo and the Two Strings” and also directed “Bumblebee”) from a script by Chris Butler. Caleb Deschanel is the cinematographer with Arianne Sutner, Laika’s Head of Production, producing alongside Knight. “Wildwood” is currently in production.

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“That is one helluva cast,” said Knight in an official statement. “Collaborating...

Click here to read the full article.

Laika has revealed the voice cast for its next stop-motion and CG animated feature, Wildwood.

It’s led by Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman), Oscar winner Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Peyton Elizabeth Lee (Andi Mack), Jacob Tremblay (Room) and Awkwafina (Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings).

The expansive cast also includes Oscar nominee Angela Bassett (What’s Love Got to Do With It), Jake Johnson (Jurassic World), Charlie Day (Horrible Bosses), Amandla Stenberg (Bodies Bodies Bodies), Jemaine Clement (The Flight of the Conchords), Maya Erskine (Pen15), Tantoo Cardinal (Wind River), Tom Waits and Oscar nominee Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?).

Directed by Laika president and CEO Travis Knight (Laika’s Oscar-nominated Kubo and the Two Strings, Paramount’s Bumblebee), Wildwood’s script was written by Chris Butler (Laika’s ParaNorman and Missing Link), based on the novel by Colin Meloy,...

Laika studios has announced its sixth stop-motion movie, “Wildwood.”

The feature is based on the novel written by Colin Meloy, lead singer and songwriter for The Decemberists, and illustrated by artist Carson Ellis. The announcement was made Wednesday by Travis Knight, President & CEO of the award-winning animation studio, who will direct the film. “Wildwood” is currently in production at Laika’s facility outside Portland, Oregon.

The synopsis for the film reads: “Beyond Portland’s city limits lies Wildwood. You’re not supposed to go there. You’re not even supposed to know it exists. But Prue McKeel is about to enter this enchanted wonderland. Her baby brother Mac has been taken by a murder of crows into the forest’s depths, and she – along with her hapless classmate Curtis – is going to get him back. Prue might think she’s too old for fairytales, but she’s just found herself at the center of one.

Laika President & CEO Travis Knight is directing the studio’s next animated feature, Wildwood—an adaptation of the bestselling novel written by The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy, and illustrated by Carson Ellis.

The film penned by Chris Butler (Missing Link) is set beyond Portland’s city limits, in Wildwood. You’re not supposed to go there. You’re not even supposed to know it exists. But Prue McKeel is about to enter this enchanted wonderland.

Her baby brother Mac has been taken by a murder of crows into the forest’s depths, and she – along with her hapless classmate, Curtis – is going to get him back. Prue might think she’s too old for fairytales, but she’s just found herself at the center of one. One filled with strange talking animals, roguish bandits, and powerful figures with the darkest intentions.

Ariane Sutner is producing Laika’s latest, which marks Oscar...

Stop-motion animation studio Laika has announced what will be their sixth animated feature film: “Wildwood.” And Travis Knight, the company’s president and CEO, is making his return to animated films and will direct the project for the studio.

“Wildwood” is based on a book by the lead singer and songwriter for The Decemberists, Colin Meloy, which also features illustrations by artist Carson Ellis. Production is underway now at the Laika facility outside Portland, Oregon.

The film also has something of a hometown tie for Laika, as it’s the story of an enchanted world called Wildwood that exists just outside Portland’s city limits. When one girl finds her way there after her baby brother has been taken by a murder of crows into the forest’s depths, she finds herself at the center of a fairy tale encountering strange talking animals, roguish bandits and powerful figures with dark intentions.

Portland studio Laika announced that its next stop-motion and CG hybrid animated feature film release will be Wildwood, based on the bestselling novel written by Colin Meloy, which the company optioned in 2011.

Travis Knight, the Academy Award-nominated director of Kubo and the Two Strings and Laika’s president/CEO, is helming the movie, which is currently in production.

Six-time Oscar nominated cinematographer Caleb Deschanel (Fly Away Home, The Patriot) is serving as director of photography.

Based on the book written by Meloy, the lead singer and songwriter for The Decemberists, and illustrated by Carson Ellis, Wildwood is a Portland-set story that follows Prue McKeel, who enters ...

Portland studio Laika announced that its next stop-motion and CG hybrid animated feature film release will be Wildwood, based on the bestselling novel written by Colin Meloy, which the company optioned in 2011.

Travis Knight, the Academy Award-nominated director of Kubo and the Two Strings and Laika’s president/CEO, is helming the movie, which is currently in production.

Six-time Oscar nominated cinematographer Caleb Deschanel (Fly Away Home, The Patriot) is serving as director of photography.

Based on the book written by Meloy, the lead singer and songwriter for The Decemberists, and illustrated by Carson Ellis, Wildwood is a Portland-set story that follows Prue McKeel, who enters ...

The Mysterious Benedict Society, starring Veep’s Tony Hale, is on the move – going from Hulu to Disney+.

The series, which is based on Trenton Lee Stewart’s best-selling YA books, originally was developed for Hulu but will now premiere on Disney’s streaming service in 2021.

It marks the first example of a show moving in that direction, though titles such as High Fidelity and Love, Victor have previously moved in the other direction.

The decision appears to be related to the tone of the content. Dana Walden, chairman of Entertainment at Walt Disney Television, said Mysterious Benedict Society is “fun for the whole family” and calling it a “perfect fit” for Disney+.

This comes after Walden was handed a new title earlier this week as part of a restructure at the media conglomerate that saw it separate content creation and distribution. Walden oversees development and production operations of Disney TV Studios,...

Kristen Schaal, MaameYaa Boafo, Ryan Hurst, Gia Sandhu, Mystic Inscho, Emmy DeOliveira, Seth Carr and Marta Timofeeva (Welcome to Mercy) are set as series regulars opposite Tony Hale in The Mysterious Benedict Society, Hulu’s adventure drama series based on the best-selling Ya novel by Trenton Lee Stewart. The series hails from Sonar Entertainment, 20th Century Fox TV and Jamie Tarses’ Fanfare.

Written by Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay, The Mysterious Benedict Society is the tale of four gifted orphans who are recruited by a eccentric, benefactor (Hale) to go on a secret mission. Placed undercover at a boarding school known as The Institute, they must foil a nefarious plot with global ramifications,...

Hulu is nearing a deal for a straight-to-series order for “The Mysterious Benedict Society,” based on the best-selling young adult novel of the same name by Trenton Lee Stewart, TheWrap has learned.

The show will be written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, the writers behind Amazon’s “The Boys” series and the “Ride Along” films.

“The Mysterious Benedict Society” is described as the tale of four gifted orphans who are recruited by an eccentric benefactor to go on a secret mission. Placed undercover at a boarding school known as The Institute, they must foil a nefarious plot with global ramifications, while creating a new sort of family along the way.

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Sonar Entertainment will co-produce with 20th Century Fox TV (part of Disney TV Studios) and Jamie Tarses’ Sony Pictures Television-based production company Fanfare.

Hulu is finalizing deals for a straight-to-series order to The Mysterious Benedict Society, an adventure drama based on the best-selling Ya novel by Trenton Lee Stewart.

The project hails from Sonar Entertainment, which is expected to co-produce with Disney TV Studios’ 20th Century Fox TV, and Jamie Tarses’ Fanfare.

Written by writing duo Matt Manfredi and and Phil Hay (Ride Along movie franchise), The Mysterious Benedict Society is the tale of four gifted orphans who are recruited by a eccentric, benefactor to go on a secret mission. Placed undercover at a boarding school known as The Institute, they must foil a nefarious plot with global ramifications, while creating a new sort of family along the way.

Former Shadowhunters showrunners Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer serve as showrunners, James Bobin is set to direct the pilot episode. The trio executive produce with Manfredi, Hay, Tarses and Karen Kehela Sherwood (Frost/Nixon).

The Mysterious Benedict Society,...

Colin Meloy didn’t mean for his first novel to seem like a concept album, but it’s hard not to imagine the rollicking adventure tale set in the woods of Portland, Oregon as a kind of forgotten Decemberists CD. Meloy, the frontman of the indie-rock group, released “Wildwood,” a young adult novel, earlier this month.

The book tells the story of Prue, a young girl living on the fringes of Portland with her parents and baby brother, Mac. When...