LAIKA Studios' Wildwood is attracting attention for its ambitious stop-motion animation, but its box-office performance is also raising questions about the cost of making the film. Released in cinemas on October 23, 2026, the fantasy adventure follows a young girl named Prue McKeel, who enters an enchanted forest to rescue her kidnapped baby brother.
The film reportedly carries an estimated production budget of $100 million, although LAIKA has not officially confirmed the figure. According to The Numbers, Wildwood has earned approximately $21.2 million worldwide so far, including $18.36 million in North America.
One of the most impressive things about Wildwood is the amount of handmade work behind it. The production involved 223 handcrafted puppets, 132 physical sets and more than 142,000 replacement faces used to create the characters' expressions. More than 1,000 people worked on the film.
Directed by Travis Knight, Wildwood is based on the fantasy novel by Colin Meloy, who is also known as the lead singer of the band The Decemberists. The film features voice performances from Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali and Angela Bassett.
The movie is also notable for its PG-13 rating, making it a more mature animated adventure than many family animation releases. With a runtime of 132 minutes, it takes viewers into a fantasy world filled with magical creatures, talking animals and dangerous adventures.
