^{Credit: Laika, Fathom Entertainment} 

Few animated features releasing in 2026 have ignited more curiosity than Laika’s Wildwood. Part of that’s because Laika has shared little about the film beyond some promotional stills and a couple of behind-the-scenes featurettes. Anticipation has been rising with every announcement, reaching a new high with the release of Wildwood’s first official teaser trailer. Set to the M83 song “My Tears are Becoming a Sea,” the trailer offers a deeper dive into the story, which follows protagonist Prue (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) as she longs to take her baby brother Mac beyond their house. She gets more than she bargained for when crows whisk away her brother. Along with her classmate Curtis (Jacob Tremblay), Prue ventures into a magical forest near Portland (Laika is fittingly an Oregon-based studio).

Throughout her travels, Prue encounters the bandit king Brenden (Mahershala Ali), the mysterious Alexandra (Carey Mulligan), and the majestic giant golden eagle the General (Angela Bassett). In addition to the aforementioned names, the voice cast includes Awkwafina, Jemaine Clement, Charlie Day, Rob Delaney, Maya Erskine, Richard E. Grant, Jake Johnson, Amandla Stenberg, and Tom Waits, among others. For all the new footage showcased in the trailer, Wildwood is still very much clouded in mystery. The teaser hints at a society of humanoid animals, Lord of the Rings-esque battles, and a touching tale of sibling bonds.

Directed by Travis Knight, Wildwood marks the sixth feature from the stop-motion studio. The seventh, if you count Corpse Bride, which was a co-production with Tim Burton’s company. Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Missing Link followed, with all scoring Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature. Kubo also got nominated for Best Visual Effects, while Knight picked up that year’s Best Animated Feature BAFTA. Missing Link went on to win the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature. Yet, Laika remains one of the most-nominated animation studios without an Oscar win.

Laika seems to have something special with Wildwood, with the trailer suggesting a tear-jerking story with an epic scale. The project has been in the studio’s pipeline since 2011, when they optioned to adapt author Colin Meloy and illustrator Carson Ellis’s fantasy book. Laika even worked on a trailer for the husband and wife’s book. The project lingered for nearly a decade, until 2021, when Wildwood was announced as Laika’s next feature, with Knight directing and Chris Buttler writing. Even then, it’s taken another five years for Wildwood to come in for a landing. Laika is slated to hit theaters on October 23, 2026, with Fathom Entertainment distributing.

Fathom Entertainment has handled the rereleases of multiple Laika films. Last year, Fathom brought ParaNorman back to theaters with a new CGI short, The Thrifting. Wildwood marks the first original Laika film that Fathom has distributed, however. If Wildwood continues Laika’s hot streak, the film could score Fathom their first Oscar nomination. Can Wildwood go a step further, bringing Laika and Fathom their first Oscar wins? We’ll have a better idea when Laika previews more footage at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival this June.

Although Laika has made one banger after another, they’ve continually lost to Disney and Pixar come Oscar time. The Mouse already has one Best Animated Feature contender this year with Hoppers, while Toy Story 5 and Hexed are waiting in the wings. The Oscar race has branched out beyond Disney since Laika was last in contention, however. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio won in 2023, proving that stop-motion can soar above the CG competition. With the Academy’s taste potentially shifting in Laika’s favor, birds of a feather may flock together.

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1, 2, and 3. Available Now!