Bringing Laika's latest animated feature, Wildwood, to the screen was a monumental undertaking that spanned 16 years, a challenging period that director Travis Knight likens to the arduous production of the studio's earlier film, Coraline. Knight, who also directed Bumblebee, described the process of developing Wildwood as a testament to Laika's willingness to take on ambitious, risky projects that major studios often avoid.
A Long Road to Animation
Laika acquired the rights to Wildwood in 2010, but the sheer scale and complexity of the source material presented significant obstacles. "It was too challenging. It was too ambitious. It was too sweeping in scale," Knight explained. "There were so many set pieces, so much world building, so many characters. We had no way of bringing that world to life in the way that the book demanded." Over the subsequent years, Laika focused on developing new technologies and refining their craftsmanship to meet the demands of the film. It wasn't until seven years prior to the interview that the film officially moved into pre-production, a phase that still required the invention of new tools and techniques during the shooting process.
Knight detailed one specific innovation: the creation of the General puppet, a massive golden eagle with a five-foot wingspan. Animating flight in stop-motion is notoriously difficult due to gravity and inertia. To overcome these challenges, the team developed an advanced motion base. Furthermore, the puppet itself had to be constructed differently. Instead of the usual silicone, which would have made the large puppet too heavy for animators to handle, the General was made from fabric. This was just one of many examples of the novel solutions the team devised.
The Artistry of Stop-Motion
While the production of Wildwood is exceptionally polished, Knight maintains that the inherent human element of stop-motion animation leaves its mark. "There's imperfection everywhere because what you're seeing is something that's been crafted by hand," he stated. Laika intentionally blends stop-motion, hand-drawn, and CG animation, aiming for an artful integration rather than a digital imitation of traditional techniques. Knight believes that the handmade nature of the art imbues the final product with a unique beauty and charm, enhancing the audience's experience rather than distracting from it.
He also noted that at the end of each film, Laika offers a glimpse behind the scenes to show "how the magic trick was done," a deliberate choice to underscore the hard work, craftsmanship, and artistry involved, which he feels can make the film even more beautiful for some viewers.
A Risky Distribution Strategy
After its extensive development, Wildwood is being released in a less conventional manner, distributed by Fathom Events domestically. Knight acknowledged that Hollywood studios are typically risk-averse, especially with films that don't fit neatly into predictable market categories. He recalled that Coraline faced similar distribution challenges two decades prior, with executives expressing skepticism about its appeal to a broad audience.
"It's challenging material. You're not ticking all these boxes, and you can't look at all these comparable movies to say why it's going to succeed," Knight said of Wildwood. He expressed confidence in Fathom's ability to create event cinema experiences, asserting that Wildwood is a film that "deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible, in the biggest rooms possible." The director emphasized that the movie is meant to be experienced communally in a cinema, not on a phone.
Wildwood is now playing in theaters.