LAIKA’s ‘Wildwood’ Brings Portland’s Landmarks to Magical Animated Life
LAIKA Animation Studios' new stop-motion film, "Wildwood," transforms real-life Portland, Oregon, into a magical animated world. The movie features meticulously recreated Portland landmarks and natural settings, highlighting the studio's unique approach to animation.
Bend, OR, November 7, 2026 — LAIKA Animation Studios, known for its groundbreaking stop-motion films, is set to release its latest project, “Wildwood.” This new feature film reimagines the city of Portland, Oregon, transforming its familiar landscapes into a fantastical animated realm.
The core of “Wildwood” lies in its detailed depiction of Portland, with the studio meticulously recreating iconic landmarks and natural settings from the real city. These recognizable elements serve as the foundation for the film’s magical animated world, offering audiences a unique blend of the familiar and the fantastical.
LAIKA’s signature stop-motion technique is central to the film’s aesthetic. This intricate form of animation involves physically manipulating models and sets, frame by painstaking frame, to create the illusion of movement. The studio’s dedication to this craft allows for a high level of detail, evident in the careful construction and rendering of the Portland-inspired environments within “Wildwood.” This approach emphasizes the studio’s distinctive contribution to the art of animation, where physical craftsmanship meets imaginative storytelling.
The film promises to showcase LAIKA’s unique approach to blending real-world inspiration with imaginative narrative. By drawing directly from Portland’s own geography, “Wildwood” aims to create a visually rich and immersive experience that highlights the studio’s commitment to detailed world-building through stop-motion animation. The specific nature of the magical elements and the narrative pathways taken within this animated Portland are anticipated to be a key feature of the film.
Story summarized from the original created by Steven Tonthat on www.opb.org, see more information here.
Media gallery
