Wildwood featurette lifts the veil on building its stop-motion world

Color us officially intrigued by Wildwood , director Travis Knight’s forthcoming stop-motion animated fantasy film. Laika Studios released an extended teaser back in May, which has racked up nearly 90 million views. A full trailer is likely coming, but in the meantime, the studio has released a fascinating behind-the-scenes featurette showcasing how the animation team built out the elaborate fantasy world piece by piece. (Some spoilers for the 2011 novel below.) The film is an adaptation of the 2011 novel by Colin Meloy—frontman of indie folk rock band The Decemberists—and his wife, illustrator Carson Ellis. Meloy and Ellis live in Portland, Oregon, right by Forest Park, where they often hike the trails. In Wildwood , they transformed that local landmark into a magical hidden world filled with talking animals and lurking threats, only accessible to people of The Wood—and select Outsider “half-breeds.” Twelve-year-old Prue McKee discovers the forest while out walking with her baby brother, Mac. A murder of crows swoops down and carries him away, and Prue discovers the Wilderness while hunting for him. Her schoolmate, Curtis Mehlberg, follows her, and both are able to enter that magical world. Fantastical adventures ensue as the pair encounter a mysterious woman, Alexandra, who has lost her son, along with coyotes, bandits, and some pretty big secrets.