Laika Announces Wide Release of “Wildwood” After Seven-Year Hiatus

Laika Studios will launch its sixth stop-motion feature, *Wildwood*, in theaters on October 23 2026. The U.S. rollout targets over 2,000 screens, its first wide release since *Missing Link* (2019).

Laika’s ‘Wildwood’ Gets Its First Trailer, And It Looks Like Pure Magic

*Missing Link* underperformed, prompting Laika to reassess its outreach. The studio’s reputation for hand-crafted animation—exemplified by 9,000 feathers on a single eagle prop—remains a core attribute, yet leadership stresses prestige alone will not secure box-office success.

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The film is directed by Travis Knight, Laika president and CEO, with a screenplay by Chris Butler. It adapts Colin Meloy’s *Wildwood* novel series. Voice talent includes Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina and Angela Bassett. Laika’s five previous features have each earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature. U.S. distribution is by Fathom Entertainment, which re-issued *Coraline* (2024) to $52.3 million worldwide; FilmNation handles international markets.

Laika’s ‘Wildwood’ Gets Its First Trailer, And It Looks Like Pure Magic

Chief Marketing Officer David Burke frames the campaign as “building it for people who may not know [Laika] yet,” emphasizing urgency and cultural presence over prestige. Laika will stage activations at Annecy, San Diego Comic-Con, the London Design Museum, and immersive events in Portland. The Fathom partnership enables a wide release complemented by a festival circuit.

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Within 24 hours of the teaser’s debut, Laika reported 115 million global views, a No. 6 ranking on YouTube’s trending trailer list, and 100 million total views across platforms. A separate source cited 75 million views on Laika’s official channel and “over 100 million” overall. The trailer features an M83 anthem; the story follows Prue McKeel’s quest to rescue her brother from an enchanted forest near Portland.

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Den of Geek notes that computer-generated and AI-assisted animation dominate the market, making Laika’s stop-motion a distinctive alternative that must generate “real presence” to compete culturally.

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Sources differ on view counts: 115 million (Laika), 100 million (IndieWire), and 75 million on the official channel with “over 100 million” total (Sci-Fi Now). The article records each figure without selecting a definitive total.

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• “Prestige alone isn’t enough. You need urgency, and in order to have urgency, you need to have a really strong cultural presence,” — David Burke, Chief Marketing Officer, Laika

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• “We’re not just building the campaign for only for people who love Laika, we’re building it for people who may not know it yet,” — David Burke, Chief Marketing Officer, Laika

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• “We can play at this marquee level. We can compete culturally far more than what people assume for animation. You’ve seen that in the market with independent animation over the last couple of years,” — David Burke, Chief Marketing Officer, Laika

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• “It’s not enough for us to kind of lean into being prestige animation or stop motion animation. We need to drive urgency, and there needs to be real presence,” — David Burke, Chief Marketing Officer, Laika

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Laika will present *Wildwood* at Annecy in June, followed by a Comic-Con showcase in July. The worldwide theatrical debut is set for October 23 2026, with further festival screenings in the fall.

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