Tickets are on sale for early screenings of Laika's "Wildwood" on Monday, Oct. 19, four days before the stop-motion film opens wide.
The Hillsboro studio announced the Fan First Screenings at select theaters through a Fandango link, KOIN reported Saturday, Sept. 19. The film's official U.S. release is Friday, Oct. 23, with Fathom Entertainment handling distribution in premium formats including 4DX, DBOX and Dolby Cinema, according to Deadline.
"Wildwood" is Laika's sixth feature, produced by a crew of roughly 1,000 people. The film is set in Portland, following 12-year-old St. Johns resident Prue McKeel into an enchanted version of Forest Park after crows lift her baby brother into the sky. Portland landmarks including Pittock Mansion, Powell's Books, Old Town, Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park and the St. Johns Bridge all appear on screen.
Laika CEO Travis Knight directed and produced the film, adapted from the novel by Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis, a married Portland couple. The voice cast includes Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett and Awkwafina. The project spent roughly 15 years in development, Portland Monthly reported in a September feature, with COVID stalling production and pushing a fall 2025 release back a full year.
"It struck me as something that was breathing the same air as stories by J. R. R. Tolkien or L. Frank Baum, but it had a contemporary edge, and it was set in a place that I love: Portland," Knight told Portland Monthly about reading Meloy's early manuscript.
Laika's rapid prototyping team created approximately 140,000 3D-printed puppet faces for the film, surpassing the studio's own Guinness World Record set on "Missing Link," according to The Nerds of Color. Production designer Nelson Lowry counted 136 unique locations in the script, more than double the 60 exteriors in "Kubo and the Two Strings."
Follow the Crows art trail
The film's release coincides with a public art trail already winding through the city. "Wildwood: Follow the Crows" launched Aug. 7 and features 30 six-foot-tall crow sculptures made of fiberglass and steel. Each was cast from an identical mold and painted by a different local artist, according to Oregon ArtsWatch.
The sculptures span downtown and sites across the city. Portland artist Tristan Irving painted "The Shape of Us," displayed near the Shake Shack Plaza on West Burnside Street. Muralist Allison McClay's "A Murder Huddle" stands outside OMSI. Stephanie Hower Derheimer, an administrator in OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, painted "Stash," placed near the OHSU Knight Cancer Research Building.
Laika partnered with Wild in Art, Portland Metro Chamber and Downtown Portland Clean & Safe on the trail. Each artist received a stipend. Visitors can download a free app or pick up a printed map at the Portland Visitor Center to follow the route, according to Travel Portland.
The sculptures remain on display through Nov. 1. All 30 crows will gather at Darcelle XV Plaza for a Farewell Weekend on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. On Nov. 15, the sculptures will be individually auctioned, with proceeds benefiting OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital.
Key dates
- Monday, Oct. 19 — Fan First Screenings at select theaters (tickets on Fandango)
- Oct. 23 — "Wildwood" wide release
- Oct. 31–Nov. 1 — Farewell Weekend, all 30 crows at Darcelle XV Plaza
- Nov. 15 — Crow sculpture auction benefiting OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital
