What to Know Before You Watch Wildwood

The short version: Wildwood is LAIKA's stop-motion adaptation of Colin Meloy's 2011 novel, directed by Travis Knight. Prue McKeel follows her baby brother into the forest outside Portland after a murder of crows carries him off, and finds a world of rival kingdoms on the other side. You do not need to have read the book. The film runs a little over two hours, it is LAIKA's first film rated PG-13, and it opened in US theaters on October 23, 2026.

The story going in

Prue McKeel lives in Portland, Oregon, with her parents and her baby brother, Mac. Her father's bedtime stories warn her away from the woods at the edge of the city, which the first settlers called the Impassable Wilderness. One afternoon, while Prue has Mac with her, the crows take him and fly into those woods. Prue goes after him. Curtis Mehlberg, a boy whose games she thinks she has outgrown, follows her in.

Who's who

Prue McKeel. Voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee, she is the girl who goes after her brother.

Curtis Mehlberg. Voiced by Jacob Tremblay, he follows Prue into the woods.

Mac. Prue's baby brother, the one the crows take.

Mr. and Mrs. McKeel. Jake Johnson and Maya Erskine voice Prue's parents.

Alexandra, the Dowager Governess. Voiced by Carey Mulligan, she commands an army of coyote soldiers.

The General. Voiced by Angela Bassett, the great eagle who guards the border of the Avian Principality.

Owl Rex. Voiced by Richard E. Grant, an owl in a waistcoat and the crown prince of the Avian Principality.

Brendan. Voiced by Mahershala Ali, the leader of the bandits.

The voice cast also includes Awkwafina, Amandla Stenberg, Tom Waits, Charlie Day, Blythe Danner and Tantoo Cardinal.

The factions of the forest

The woods are divided, and Prue has to work out whom to trust. The Avian Principality is a kingdom of birds that takes its borders seriously. The crows broke away from it years ago. Alexandra's coyote soldiers patrol their own ground and treat strangers as suspected bandits, and bandits do roam between the territories. There is a governor, whom Owl Rex considers too blind to see the trouble coming. To the north live the mystics, who look for guidance to a great council tree.

The book behind it

Colin Meloy, the singer and songwriter of the Decemberists, wrote Wildwood, and his wife, Carson Ellis, illustrated it. It was published in 2011 as the first of the three Wildwood Chronicles, followed by Under Wildwood (2012) and Wildwood Imperium (2014). The film adapts the first book. Its Impassable Wilderness is Meloy's fantastical version of Forest Park, the large wooded park inside Portland. You do not need to read the book first, though readers will want to know that a novel of more than 500 pages became a script of about 120.

Why it took 16 years

Travis Knight, LAIKA's president and CEO, began talking with Meloy about an adaptation soon after Coraline came out in 2009. He waited until the studio had the tools to make it. "After five films I finally felt we were ready," he told Animation World Network. The scale shows on screen. The General's eagle puppet stands 34 inches tall with a 64-inch wingspan, covered in 3,794 feathers placed one at a time, chosen from more than 16,500 made for the character. A miniature of Portland's Pittock Mansion took 45 to 50 artists more than 11 weeks to build.

After five films I finally felt we were ready.

Before you take younger viewers

Wildwood is rated PG-13, the first LAIKA film rated above PG, and TVI places it at 13 and up. The rating cites strong fantasy violence and bloody images, thematic material, suicide-related material, brief partial nudity and language. If you are deciding for a child, our parent guide explains each of those, with questions to ask before you decide and a few things to say before you watch.

After you watch

Our review, Two Paths Diverge in a Wildwood, discusses the whole story, including the ending, and closes with questions to talk about afterward. To see where the film is playing or streaming, check the where-to-watch list on its title page.

Common questions

Do you need to read Wildwood before watching the film?

No. The film tells the story of the first book on its own. The novel, by Colin Meloy with illustrations by Carson Ellis, was published in 2011 and is the first of three Wildwood Chronicles.

Who voices the characters in Wildwood?

Peyton Elizabeth Lee voices Prue McKeel and Jacob Tremblay voices Curtis Mehlberg. Carey Mulligan voices Alexandra, the Dowager Governess, Angela Bassett the General, Richard E. Grant Owl Rex and Mahershala Ali the bandit leader Brendan.

How long is Wildwood, and what is it rated?

A little over two hours. It is rated PG-13, LAIKA's first film rated above PG, and TVI places it at 13 and up.

Why did Wildwood take 16 years?

Travis Knight began talking with Colin Meloy about an adaptation soon after Coraline in 2009, and waited until LAIKA had the tools to make it, which he has said took five films.