Since the 2009 release of “Coraline,” Laika has made a name for itself as a legitimate alternative to Pixar for animated feature films. All of their titles, including “ParaNorman,” “The Boxtrolls,” and “Kubu And The Two Strings” are critical darlings. And outside of 2019’s “Missing Link,” all of their films won at the box office, too. Unfortunately, “Missing Link” was a box office bomb, making only $26.6 million off a $102 million budget.
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Laika looks to rebound hard with their next animated feature, “Wildwood,” and the uber-talented voice cast they’ve assembled for it should help them accomplish that. Laika revealed the cast for the upcoming film on Twitter this morning, and the names listed are huge. Carey Mulligan leads the troupe with Mahershala Ali and Awkwafina. Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Jacob Tremblay round out the main cast.
However, the additional cast of the expansive ensemble is just as impressive. Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, and Jermaine Clement are all on board for supporting roles. So are Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits, and Richard E. Grant.
Based on the 2011 novel of the same name by The Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy, “Wildwood” follows Prue McKeel, a Portland-based teen who enters an enchanted wonderland after her baby brother Mac gets abducted by a murder of crows. Laika president Travis Knight directs an adapted screenplay by Chris Butler, who also wrote “ParaNorman” and “Missing Link.”
No word on a release date yet for “Wildwood,” but with a voice cast like this, expect updates on this project soon.
