Animation studio Laika (Coraline, Kubo & the Two Strings) has released a trailer for Wildwood, adapted from the 2011 children's fantasy novel by Colin Meloy--best known as the frontman of the band the Decemberists--with illustrations by Carson Ellis. IndieWire reported that Laika "has spent years innovating and refining the famously meticulous, time-consuming art of stop-motion animation. And after six years of production, it's ready to release perhaps its most gorgeous-looking film, Wildwood."
Set in Portland, Ore., the fantasy adventure movie "follows Prue (voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee) and Curtis (Jacob Tremblay), two 12-year-olds who are drawn into a magical world hidden in a forest outside of the city where talking animals and humans exist side-by-side."
The project is directed by Travis Knight, lead animator and CEO of Laika, from a screenplay written by Chris Butler. The ensemble voice cast includes Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits, Richard E. Grant, Len Cariou, Marc Evan Jackson, and Rob Delaney. Caleb Deschanel serves as the film's cinematographer, while Dario Marianelli composed the score. Fathom Entertainment will release Wildwood in theaters nationwide October 23.