The studio that brought you ‘Coraline,‘ ‘ParaNorman,’ ‘Missing Link,’ and more, gave TIFF audiences a special sneak preview ahead of their upcoming October release, ‘WildWood.’
WildWood, like all of LAIKA‘s previous releases, is brought to life through the use of stop motion animation. Directed by Travis Knight and based on Colin Meloy’s 2011 novel of the same name, WildWood tells the story of a young girl named Prue McKeel who, after her infant brother is abducted by a murder of crows, embarks on a fantastical adventure into the nearby forbidden forest, in an attempt to bring him home. Peyton Elizabeth Lee provides the voice of Prue, and Jacob Tremblay is Curtis Mehlberg, Prue’s sort-of friend, and a victim of circumstance–he himself swept up in this adventure too, entirely due to forces beyond his control.
Onstage in the Metro Toronto Convention Center’s John Bassett theater, moderator Simon Thompson brought out LAIKA’s Head of Animation and Wildwood Animation Supervisor Brad Schiff, lead animator Rachelle Lambden, and Tom Carey, another animator on the film. Later, Tremblay would join them onstage to talk about his own experiences making the film.
Photo by The Knockturnal.
“Travis is an incredible director,” Said Lambden, “He’s also a very talented stop-motion animator…He has a deep understanding of the medium.”
Travis Knight, who serves as CEO of LAIKA, has producing credits on almost all of their previous films, and directed the studio’s 2016 release Kubo and the Two Strings–and it shows. The audience at the Wildwood: Inside the Performance panel enjoyed an extended trailer, and about ten minutes of additional footage–key moments from the film.
WildWood takes place in Portland, Oregon, where LAIKA studios is located. The world this team (very literally) built pays homage to their home by showcasing some of the city’s most notable landmarks-St. John’s Bridge, the famous White Stag sign, and even their local Voodoo Donuts franchise. The attention to detail did not go unnoticed, and audiences couldn’t look away as LAIKA studios all but perfected this historic animation technique.
Across town, the studio hosted a mixer that same evening at the Wildwood: Inside the Performance exhibit, located at (an appropriately named,) Portland Square on festival street in Toronto. A select few received an advanced look at the exhibition, which is now open to the public. The installation is free to visit, and will remain open through September 19th.
Photo by The Knockturnal.
“It feels very real. It feels like I’m looking at a real person,” Tremblay said, “Watching it back is a completely different experience [Than that of watching CG animation,]”
Onstage, the animators spoke of how they have continued to expand the medium. The puppets used in this film are equipped with “Breathers,” internal mechanisms that allow the diaphragms to expand and contract.
“I grew up watching LAIKA’s films…I never really realized the scale,” Tremblay said, thoughtful. “It’s immaculate.”
WildWood: Inside the Performance exhibition runs through September 19.
WildWood hits theaters October 23.
