Entertainment · 19 August, 2026 · 2 min read
Black Bear and LAIKA Unveil Wildwood Trailer Set Beyond Portland, Oregon
Laika releases full Wildwood trailer for its stop-motion fantasy. Set in a mysterious wilderness beyond Portland, Oregon, with talking animals.
Most outlets agree on the plot beats and stop-motion focus.
2 of 4 outlets skipped it: specific Portland landmarks are recreated/featured in the trailer.
15outlets compared
Same story, two versions
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IndieWire
“teases Alexandra’s tragic backstory involving the son she lost, and her quest for vengeance”Read the original ↗
reactormag
“In a letter published in Empire, Wildwood director Travis Knight wrote:”Read the original ↗
IndieWire foregrounds tragedy and vengeance; reactormag pivots to director messaging and mood.
Wildwood Trailer Unveiled
Black Bear and LAIKA unveiled the first full trailer for ‘Wildwood,’ a handcrafted stop-motion fantasy adventure set in a mysterious wilderness just beyond Portland, Oregon.
“Black Bear and LAIKA have unveiled the first full trailer for ‘Wildwood,’”
Directed and produced by Travis Knight, the film follows headstrong teenager Prue McKeel, whose baby brother is abducted by a murder of crows and carried deep into the Impassable Wilderness.
Prue ventures into the forest with her loyal but hapless classmate Curtis Mehlberg, and what begins as a rescue mission becomes an extraordinary journey through talking animals, dangerous bandits, ancient powers and rival factions.
The voice cast is led by Peyton Elizabeth Lee as Prue McKeel and Jacob Tremblay as Curtis Mehlberg, joined by Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Awkwafina, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits and Richard E. Grant.
‘Wildwood’ will be released in UK cinemas on 23 October 2026, and opens in theaters nationwide on October 23, 2026.
Cast, Creators, and Plot
Variety’s trailer coverage describes Prue (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) launching a desperate rescue mission with Curtis (Jacob Tremblay) to save her baby brother from a murder of crows.
In the footage, Prue says, “I promised I’d take care of him,” as the quest takes her into a forbidden forest outside Portland, Oregon filled with talking animals, bandits and powerful figures.
Variety also quotes LAIKA’s scale details, including “136 locations in the feature,” and “231 practical puppets, 54 hero characters,” each engineered and costumed like a bespoke work of art.
Deadline frames the release as Laika’s first stop-motion animated movie since 2019’s The Missing Link, with Travis Knight directing and producing and Chris Butler adapting the book series by Colin Meloy.
Deadline adds that the film opens in theaters October 23 via Fathom Entertainment, and highlights that the trailer is backed by the M83 song “My Tears are Becoming a Sea.”
Release Plans and Trailer Tone
Collider says Laika has unveiled a new trailer with a jaw-dropping look at stop-motion visuals, spotlighting the main villain standing between Prue and her brother, the Dowager Governess Alexandra (Carey Mulligan).
“soon swallowed by crows”
Collider describes a flashback in which Alexandra’s happy memory of riding horses with her child is “soon swallowed by crows,” setting up her determination to tear apart the woods.
IndieWire places the story in Portland, Oregon and says Prue and Curtis are “two 12-year-olds” drawn into a magical world hidden in a forest outside the city.I
IndieWire also notes that Fathom Entertainment will release “Wildwood” in theaters nationwide October 23, and that the trailer is set to a cover of “Wake Me Up” by Avicii.I
HeyUGuys adds that ‘Wildwood’ promises to be one of LAIKA’s biggest and most visually ambitious productions yet, bringing an expansive world of talking animals, bandits, ancient powers and rival factions to life through stop-motion artistry.