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Listeners, we’re fully in fall vibes. In this episode, The Cinematic Schematic podcast heads over the river and into the woods to review LAIKA’s newest animated epic, Wildwood.
Wildwood Review Discussion At a Glance
While co-host Laron Chapman is away working on his movie, host Caleb Masters is joined by special guests Sara Michelle Fetters (moviefreak.com, The Seattle Gay News, the Seattle Film Critics Society), Julia Witcher (deadCenter Film Festival shorts programmer), and Josh Cain (What’s Up Fandom) to discuss:
- Our favorite non-LAIKA stop-motion animated films
- Spoiler-free reviews of the movie
- What to watch, read, or play next if you enjoy Wildwood
- How well the film explores the theme of “letting go”
- LAIKA’s stance on AI
Wildwood is LAIKA’s most ambitious creative swing yet
LAIKA is one of the film industry’s last great innovators in stop-motion animation. The Hillsboro, Oregon studio has produced animated films such as Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Missing Link.
After acquiring the rights to adapt Colin Meloy’s novel of the same name in 2011, the studio has spent fifteen years making Wildwood their most ambitious project yet. LAIKA Studios co-founder Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings, Masters of the Universe) returns to the director’s chair to tell Prue McKeel’s story.
The film stars a huge cast of beloved actors, including Peyton Elizabeth Lee as Prue, Jacob Tremblay as Curtis, Carey Mulligan as Alexandra, and Mahershala Ali as Brendan, among others.
The film has received widespread acclaim from audiences and critics. It’s currently at 99% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and 97% from audiences. It’s also one of the six nominees for the Seattle Film Critics Society’s Best Pacific Northwest Film of 2026. Sadly, that adoration hasn’t quite translated into box-office success. Wildwood has a reported $100 million production budget and is currently tracking toward an $11.6 million opening weekend.
Does Wildwood‘s story live up to its lofty ambitions?
Meet the Adventurers
Left: Caleb Masters (Top) and Sara Michelle Fetters (Bottom)
Right: Josh Cain (Top) and Julia Witcher (Bottom)
Special Guests
Julia Gill Witcher
deadCenter Film Festival Shorts Programmer
Follow Julia on Instagram @ santanasbandana or Letterboxd @ Jwitch
Sara Michelle Fetters
Editor-in-Chief and Senior Film Critic at MovieFreak.com,
Senior Film Critic for the Seattle Gay News
Seattle Film Critics Society Founding Member
Follow Sara on Bluesky or Letterboxd @ moviefreaksara
Josh Cain
Host of the What’s Up Fandom Podcast
Follow What’s Up Fandom on Instagram
About Wildwood
IMDb describes Wildwood as:
The adventures of Prue McKeel as she sets off to the forests outside Portland to find her kidnapped brother.
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