Another Inside Look Featurette for ‘Wildwood’ – ‘Where Mystery Dwells’

by Alex Billington
January 15, 2026
Source: YouTube

“There’s magic in the world… if you’re willing to look for it.” Laika has debuted another fascinating 2-min making of featurette for their next stop-motion animated movie called Wildwood – expected to release sometime later in 2026. They’ve been developing it for years and it’s finally finishing up. The marketing has been clever so far, slowly showing us more of the film each time and the characters & settings within. It’s an original project and it takes a lot of work to build up the mystique & intrigue. This seems like something really special. The character of Prue was revealed in the first look – Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) and her friend Curtis are drawn into a hidden, magical forest near Portland after Prue’s baby brother Mac is kidnapped by crows, led by a mysterious woman. The full cast includes Jacob Tremblay as Curtis, Carey Mulligan, Awkwafina, Mahershala Ali, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Jemaine Clement, Amandla Stenberg, Tom Waits, and Richard E. Grant. This promo focuses on the iconic Pittock Mansion in Portland, Oregon (found here) as the film is set in the PNW and is infused with the mystery of this luscious region. The more they show from this, the more stunning it looks! Hopefully a final release date is set soon.

Here’s the “Where Mystery Dwells” featurette for Travis Knight’s film Wildwood, from Laika’s YouTube:

You can rewatch the 2024 promo video for Laika’s Wildwood movie right here or the eagle featurette here.

Step inside Laika’s Wildwood, where a powerful golden eagle commands the skies and magic takes flight. Wildwood – based on Colin Meloy’s illustrated book series – will see Prue McKeel leave behind her home of Portland, Oregon, venturing into Wildwood on a dark quest to save her baby brother, who’s been pilfered by a murder of crows. Wildwood is once again directed by filmmaker Travis Knight, who is also CEO of Laika, and director of the the movies Kubo and the Two Strings and Bumblebee previously. The screenplay is written by Chris Butler (ParaNorman, Kubo and the Two Strings, Missing Link). Based on the graphic novel series written by Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis. Produced by Arianne Sutner and Travis Knight. Made by Laika Entertainment’s animators based in Portland, Oregon. There’s no final release date for Wildwood yet – expected to release sometime in 2026. Stay tuned for more – visit the film’s official site.

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