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“Wildwood” has been set as the closing night film for the Animation Is Film Festival, which runs Oct. 16-19 in Los Angeles.
Laika’s animated epic will screen Oct. 19 at the Academy Museum’s Geffen Theater. Following
the screening, “Wildwood” director and Laika president and CEO Travis Knight will hold a conversation with filmmaker Jason Reitman.
“Wildwood” follows headstrong teenager Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) on a desperate mission to rescue her brother after he is abducted by a murder of crows. Her rescue takes her into the Impassable Wilderness, an enchanted forest hidden just beyond Portland, Oregon. Joining Prue is her classmate Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay), and the two enter a world of talking animals, bandits and powerful figures driven by grief and ambition. As the pair is drawn into a conflict threatening the balance of the forest itself, Prue must find a way to save her brother while confronting forces that could determine Wildwood’s future.
The cast also features 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.
Directed and produced by Knight, “Wildwood” opens in theaters on Oct. 23. Fathom Entertainment is distributing the film theatrically in the United States, with FilmNation Entertainment handling international sales. The film is inspired by Colin Meloy’s 2011 novel of the same name and illustrated by Carson Ellis in Laika’s classic stop-motion style. The production took 15 years to complete and is Laika’s most ambitious project to date.
“Each year, Animation Is Film returns to Hollywood to champion the notion that animation, as an art
form, repeatedly redefines what we think cinematic storytelling is capable of,” said Animation is Film
director Matt Kaszanek. “We can think of no greater example of that mission than Travis Knight’s
‘Wildwood.’ A new Laika film is a reason to celebrate for every person who loves great films, and we are
so proud to be part of its journey.”
“Animation Is Film and Laika share a belief that animation is cinema in its fullest sense, capable of telling
stories with extraordinary emotional and artistic ambition,” said Laika Chief Marketing & Operations
Officer David Burke. “’Wildwood’ represents 15 years of imagination, craftsmanship and commitment
from hundreds of artists, so there could be no more fitting place to celebrate its journey to the screen
than with AIF.”
The ninth edition of AIF Festival runs Oct. 16-19, with the main program hosted at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood. Premiering at this year’s festival are Louis Clichy’s “Iron Boy,” Leah Nelson’s “Tangles” and “Julián.”
