Again and again we’ve gone over just how incredible Laika’s new movie, Wildwood, looks. The visuals would be stunning in any medium, but the fact that they’re done in stop-motion animation almost doesn’t make sense. It all looks too beautiful for words. And yet, if those looks don’t advance an emotional story, it will all be for nothing.
The final trailer for Wildwood was just released, and it sure looks like everything is coming together. Director Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings, Masters of the Universe) has put together a stunning voice cast to help breathe life into this magical world. And here, in the final trailer, we see that world through the eyes of the characters as they go on the adventure of a lifetime.
“After her baby brother is abducted by a murder of crows, headstrong teenager Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) launches a desperate rescue mission into the Impassable Wilderness—an enchanted forest hidden just beyond Portland, Oregon,” Laika’s official description reads. “Joined by her hapless but loyal classmate Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay), Prue navigates 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.”
So who are behind some of those “talking animals, bandits, and powerful figures”? Well, there’s Carey Mulligan, Angela Bassett, Mahershala Ali, Richard E. Grant, Awkwafina, Amandla Stenberg, Tom Waits, Charlie Day, Blythe Danner, Maya Erskine, Jake Johnson, Rob Delaney, Jemaine Clement, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, and many, many more. Not too bad.
The trailer also announces that tickets are now on sale for the film, which is coming to theaters on October 23. Head to wildwoodmovie.com for more on that, and check io9 later today for your exclusive first look at some of the film’s upcoming collectibles.
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