Laika’s ‘Wildwood’ Brings Portland Magic to the Big Screen—And It’s a Must-See for Aurora Animation Fans
If you’ve ever marveled at the handcrafted detail of Coraline or the epic scope of Kubo and the Two Strings, mark your calendar for October 23. Travis Knight and the Hillsboro-based wizards at Laika Studios are dropping their most ambitious stop-motion feature yet: “Wildwood.”
Based on the bestselling fantasy novel by Colin Meloy (frontman of The Decemberists) and illustrated by his wife, Carson Ellis, Wildwood plunges viewers into the Impassable Wilderness—a dense, magical forest hiding just outside Portland, Oregon. When seventh-grader Prue McKeel’s baby brother is kidnapped by a murder of crows, she ventures into the woods and discovers a secret world at war, populated by bandits, coyote soldiers, and talking birds.
For Aurora film lovers, this isn’t just another animated flick. It’s a masterclass in practical effects happening right in our backyard—well, a short flight away. Laika continues to push the boundaries of what’s physically possible in animation, blending 3D-printed replacement faces with massive, hand-painted sets. The voice cast is stacked, too: Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, and Awkwafina bring the woodland to life.
Why see it in theaters? Stop-motion texture—the fuzz on a sweater, the glint in a glass eye—gets lost on streaming compression. Catch it at AMC Southlands 16 or Regal Aurora & IMAX for the full, tactile experience.
Pro tip: Make a night of it. Grab a pre-show bite at Stanley Marketplace—maybe tacos at Comida or a pint at Ursula Brewery
