Laika’s Wildwood follows a Portland girl named Prue into a hidden forest after her baby brother is carried away by crows. Adapted from the book by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis, the film is directed by Travis Knight and written by Chris Butler.
Prue and her classmate Curtis discover talking animals, competing authorities and a dangerous ruler beyond the familiar city. Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Jacob Tremblay voice the young leads, with Carey Mulligan and Mahershala Ali among the supporting cast.
The Guardian’s review welcomed the physical character of the stop-motion animation while raising questions about parts of the story’s motivation. It described a family quest rather than a repetition of Coraline’s scarier approach. After screening at the London film festival, the film is scheduled for release on 22 October in Australia and 23 October in the UK and US.
