'Wildwood' Review: LAIKA Delivers a Once-in-a-Generation Animated Masterpiece
By Dan Bremner - October 12, 2026
The sixth film from stop-motion powerhouse LAIKA studios, arriving after sixteen years of development in spectacular fashion. Stop-motion is the form of animation I hold nearest and dearest to my heart, so naturally this was one of my most anticipated films of the year. After years of teasers and waiting, it looks like it was worth every second of that long wait.
Wildwood is not just one of the best animated films of the year, but one of the best films full-stop. Travis Knight and LAIKA pull out all the stops to deliver the most ambitious, darkest and most mature release the studio has ever handled with this handmade masterpiece.
What Wildwood feels like more than anything else is the sort of fantasy-adventure you would get in the ’80s, evoking classics like The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and Narnia, with a heavy dose of big-scale spectacle closer to The Lord of the Rings, all done with the glorious animation work only LAIKA is capable of. It follows a pair of siblings drawn into the "Impassable Wilderness" after a personal tragedy, where talking animals, military coyotes, giant birds of prey, sorceresses and bandits collide in a gothic fairy-tale world that sits right on the edge of their ordinary Portland lives. The story of grief, growing up and how far you will go for the people you love unfolds with genuine emotional weight while still making room for wonder, danger and the kind of mythic scale that feels epic.
The ambition pays off in what is factually the longest stop-motion film to date, and every moment of those sixteen years of development is visible in every last frame. The film is brimming with soul, effort and passion. I cannot emphasise enough how insane some of the images on display here are. It was almost distracting during the third-act major battle sequence because I spent the entire thing thinking to myself, “How the hell did they pull this off?” It is some of the most breath-taking and remarkable filmmaking I have ever seen put to screen, made even more impressive by the thousands of hours that went into perfecting every split second. This is simply the most complex attempt at animation ever attempted, and somehow those maniacs pulled it off with flying colours.
The stop-motion craftsmanship is stunning and tactile on an unprecedented scale. It is a lovingly thumb printed feat of artistry that stands out sharply against almost any digital animation. There are roughly 200 practical puppets and 130 practical sets, with meticulous attention paid to every tiny detail: the feathers on a giant golden eagle, individual ivy leaves, characterful coyote jaws, glistening tears on cheeks, and the shifting seasonal foliage on a holy tree. The handmade quality feels organic, immediate and alive in a way CGI, or even worse, AI just cannot compete with. You can feel the human fingerprints all over it, and that is exactly the point. It's one of the most remarkable endeavours of hand-crafted artistry of the century.
This is LAIKA’s most ambitious and largest-scale film to date. At around 132 minutes, it expands the medium into sweeping epic territory of a gothic fairy tale mixed with visceral fantasy warfare, while still retaining the studio’s signature intimacy and quirkiness. It succeeds both as a formal achievement and as a generation-crossing crowd-pleaser that never loses the personal touch.
The fantasy world is immersive and richly realised. The "Impassable Wilderness" (and the surrounding Portland setting) is built with endless fascinating detail. There are distinct societies of military coyotes, intelligent giant birds of prey, bandits, sorceresses, bureaucrats and talking animals. Each new domain offers fresh tones, textures, creatures and mythological references. Long stretches create such strong immersion that you can almost forget you are watching stop-motion at all.
Veteran cinematographer Caleb Deschanel (in his stop-motion debut) provides gorgeous lighting and framing. Crepuscular glows in enchanted glades, spindly witching-hour shadows, and an overall visual beauty elevate every single frame. The action and spectacle are exciting and well-staged too. There are thrilling sequences (including a horror-tinged crow abduction), propulsive chases with cause-and-effect action, and a large-scale climactic battle with armies, burning forests and thousands of moving parts that is breathlessly executed. The camera work mixes grounded coverage with more dynamic, almost gonzo movement that keeps the energy high at all times.
At its heart Wildwood has a strong emotional core and real thematic depth. The story of grief, loss, growing up, family bonds and how far one will go for love is handled with genuine feeling and maturity. The villain, the Dowager Governess, is multi-layered rather than cartoonish, driven by her own traumatic loss. Themes of sacrifice, secrets, and finding magic close to home resonate throughout, and the film balances its darkness with hope and whimsy without ever becoming oppressive. It's also surprisingly violent, with more than a few bloody stabbings, deaths and decapitations that go all-out for the epic final battle. It might be animated, but this is not a kids film.
The voice cast is excellent and delivers varied, nuanced performances. The all-star ensemble of Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Awkwafina, Richard E. Grant, Charlie Day, Jake Johnson, Tom Waits and many others bring complex and emotionally authentic work rather than just comic asides. Supporting characters (bandits, an owl king, a spunky rat, a giant eagle general and more) add tremendous colour and personality. Chris Butler script, based on Carson Ellis and Colin Melody’s novel of the same name is full of witty, sparky dialogue and humour. The lively lines, quick-drawn but felt relationships, character comedy and well-timed jokes feel earned with the darker elements for something that's fully-rounded and something for everyone.
Above all, Wildwood has a transportive sense of wonder and magic. It is arresting, enchanting and rapturous, one of the most astonishing animated films ever made, especially because the Herculean handmade effort is so visible and felt. In an era of AI and digital shortcuts it feels like a celebration of pure human artistry, and for many it will deliver the closest thing to real magic you can still experience in a cinema. Will be an absolute crime if this bombs while low-effort Disney and Pixar sequels walk away with easy billions.
Wildwood is a handmade masterpiece of stop-motion ambition, emotional depth and unreal visual spectacle. The longest, darkest and most mature film LAIKA has ever made, and one of the greatest animated achievements of the century so far. Every frame is packed with craft, the world-building is immersive, the action is massive in scale, and the themes of grief and love land with real weight. A perfect, once-in-a-generation masterpiece of stop-motion craft and heart.
'Wildwood' releases in cinemas on October 23, 2026.
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Dan Bremner
Writer
Dan is a writer from Guildford with a love for all things genre, schlocky, and thoroughly '80s, and a part-time philanthropist.
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