Awesome ‘Where Rebels Gather’ Featurette for Laika’s ‘Wildwood’ Film​

“Choosing to make a stop-motion film feels like a quiet act of rebellion.” Yes! ✊🏻 I fully support this artistic rebellion. Make more movies by hand! Let people put their own personal creativity & ingenuity into crafting every little aspect of each movie. This is precisely what makes art real art. Laika has revealed another new behind-the-scenes featurette for their next stop-motion animated movie Wildwood – arriving into theaters in October this fall. They’ve been developing it for years and it’s finally finishing up. The more they reveal, the more phenomenal this looks. After multiple featurettes and behind-the-scenes looks, this latest “Where Rebels Gather” promo introduces us to another main character – Brenden, the Bandit King of Wildwood, as voiced by Mahershala Ali. Along with more glimpses of their making of process. The character of Prue was revealed in a 2024 first look – Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) and her friend Curtis are drawn into a hidden, magical forest near Portland after Prue’s baby brother Mac is kidnapped by crows and a mysterious woman. The voice cast includes Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Awkwafina, Jemaine Clement, Charlie Day, Jake Johnson, Amandla Stenberg, Tom Waits, and Richard E. Grant. I’m so excited for this film to debut! It looks truly astonishing in every way. Stay tuned for the main trailer later this week.

Here’s the “Where Rebels Gather” featurette for Travis Knight’s movie Wildwood, via Laika’s YouTube:

You can rewatch the first teaser trailer for Laika’s Wildwood movie right here and the eagle featurette here.

For more than a decade, Laika’s craftspeople have been shaping the world of Wildwood with meticulous craftsmanship, innovative animation, and boundless creativity. The Council Tree became more than a set. It became a living symbol of the Woods itself, a place where inhabitants gather, alliances are forged, and the fate of the forest begins to take shape. Step inside Wildwood, where a powerful eagle commands the skies & magic takes flight. Wildwood, based on Colin Meloy’s illustrated book series, follows Prue McKeel leave behind her home of Portland, venturing into Wildwood on a dark quest to save her baby brother, who’s been pilfered by a murder of crows. Wildwood is once again directed by filmmaker Travis Knight, who is also CEO of Laika, and director of the movies Kubo and the Two Strings and Bumblebee previously. The screenplay is written by Chris Butler (ParaNorman, Kubo and the Two Strings, Missing Link). Based on the graphic novel series written by Colin Meloy & illustrated by Carson Ellis. Produced by Arianne Sutner and Travis Knight. Made by Laika Entertainment’s animators over the past few years based in Portland, OR. Fathom debuts Laika’s Wildwood in theaters starting on October 23rd, 2026. Visit the film’s official site.

Read more posts in: Animation, Featurettes, Hype, To Watch, Trailer