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- Fathom Entertainment to lead U.S. release for Wildwood
- FilmNation manages international sales
- What this means for Laika’s distribution approach
- Wildwood: the film and its theatrical premiere
- Cast and creative team bringing Wildwood to life
- Why Laika insists on theatrical events
- Live-action expansion and projects in development
- Industry context: Laika’s comeback after Missing Link
Laika has quietly reshaped its comeback strategy, choosing new partners to carry its next stop-motion epic into theaters. The studio best known for Coraline and ParaNorman is betting on a mix of boutique and global distributors to reintroduce its handcrafted films to moviegoers.
Fathom Entertainment to lead U.S. release for Wildwood
Laika announced that Fathom Entertainment will handle the U.S. theatrical release of Wildwood. The Denver-based distributor has been expanding beyond event cinema into full theatrical windows.
This marks another collaboration between the two companies after Fathom helped re-release Coraline and staged a limited run of ParaNorman.
FilmNation manages international sales
For markets outside the United States, Laika tapped FilmNation Entertainment to oversee global sales. FilmNation brings established relationships across territories.
Laika says this split approach is tailored to the film’s needs, pairing Fathom’s domestic reach with FilmNation’s worldwide network.
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What this means for Laika’s distribution approach
The move signals a more customized release plan. Rather than a single studio handling everything, Laika is assembling partners by region.
- U.S. strategy: Fathom’s operational strength and event-experience underpin the domestic rollout.
- International reach: FilmNation offers scale and market expertise abroad.
- Independence preserved: Laika keeps creative control while leveraging outside infrastructure.
Wildwood: the film and its theatrical premiere
Wildwood is billed as a handcrafted fantasy built around a secret, living forest. The story follows a girl who ventures into a forbidden realm to save her baby brother. Encounters with enchanted beings and dangerous rivals shape her journey.
The film will open in U.S. theaters on October 23, 2026.
Cast and creative team bringing Wildwood to life
Principal voice actors
- Carey Mulligan
- Peyton Elizabeth Lee
- Jacob Tremblay
- Mahershala Ali
- Angela Bassett
Notable supporting voices
- Awkwafina
- Jake Johnson
- Charlie Day
- Amandla Stenberg
- Jemaine Clement
- Maya Erskine
- Tantoo Cardinal
- Tom Waits
- Richard E. Grant
Travis Knight directs, bringing his long-standing vision for the project. Studio leaders describe Wildwood as Laika’s most expansive world yet and deeply personal in theme.
Why Laika insists on theatrical events
Laika emphasizes the communal experience of seeing a film on a big screen. The studio argues that handcrafted animation benefits from a theater setting.
Their message stresses artistry and the tactile quality of stop-motion, positioning Wildwood as a film designed to surprise and delight in a darkened cinema.
Live-action expansion and projects in development
Laika’s ambitions go beyond animation. The studio’s live-action arm has multiple projects underway:
- An adaptation of the thriller novel Seventeen, scripted by John Brownlow.
- Crumble, an original screenplay by Brian Duffield, produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
- A new original feature from screenwriter Jon Spaihts.
- An adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Atmosphere, to be written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.
- Lucy Liu and Charles Melton attached to Lulu Wang’s film version of Katie Kitamura’s Audition, produced with Higher Ground.
Industry context: Laika’s comeback after Missing Link
After Missing Link underperformed, Laika paused to rethink distribution and marketing. Wildwood represents a renewed push to reclaim audience attention.
Partnering with specialists for different regions is part of that recalibration. Fathom’s event expertise and FilmNation’s sales network create a hybrid path aimed at broader theatrical success.
