LAIKA Studios, the visionary stop-motion animation house behind films like Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings, returns with its most ambitious production yet in Wildwood (2026), a sweeping fantasy adventure directed by Travis Knight and adapted from Colin Meloy’s beloved novel. 

Following a young girl’s journey into a mysterious wilderness to rescue her baby brother, the film pushes the boundaries of practical animation through its intricate environments and immense scale. 

The Rolling Tape is joined by six-time Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and longtime LAIKA production designer Nelson Lowry to discuss the film’s visual language, world-building, and collaboration. The pair discuss everything from lighting to modular miniature environments and what they needed to do to bring the film's vast forest and dramatic sequences to life.

Follow our interviewee online:
Caleb Deschanel
Nelson Lowry

Follow our interview host online:
Nandita Joshi

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Credits:

  • Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
  • Artwork: Danny Jarabek
  • Editor: Danny Jarabek
  • Assistant Producer: Evan Miller