Wildwood Named Opening Film for 40th AFI Fest in Los Angeles

The announcement brings together a prominent animation studio, an established Hollywood festival and an ensemble voice cast featuring several well-known performers, including Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Awkwafina, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg and Tom Waits.

Wildwood is directed and produced by Travis Knight, the filmmaker and Laika executive known for his work on stop-motion productions. The film is based on the fantasy novel by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis and centers on a young girl whose brother is taken by a flock of ravens.

The story follows the girl's journey into a mysterious wilderness where she encounters a world separated from ordinary reality. The film combines fantasy storytelling with Laika's established stop-motion production techniques.

The AFI Fest opening gives the movie a significant platform in Los Angeles, one of the world's major centers for film production and entertainment. The festival is scheduled to present the film as its U.S. premiere, providing audiences with an early opportunity to see Laika's latest feature.

The selection also reflects the continuing role of animation in major film festivals. While animation is frequently associated with family entertainment, stop-motion filmmaking has developed into a distinct artistic form requiring specialized production methods, physical sets and extensive frame-by-frame work.

Laika has become particularly associated with that approach. The studio's earlier features include Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings and Missing Link.

Wildwood is Laika's first feature since Missing Link, making the project an important return for the studio after several years without a new theatrical feature.

The film's voice cast adds another layer of interest. Mulligan and Ali bring established film careers to the project, while Bassett, Awkwafina, Johnson, Day, Stenberg and Clement add experience across film, television and comedy.

Tom Waits also joins the cast, extending the production's connection to performers known for distinctive voices and personalities.

For AFI Fest, the selection provides a recognizable opening title capable of appealing to audiences interested in both mainstream animation and specialized filmmaking.

The festival itself has become an important annual gathering for filmmakers, performers, critics and audiences in Los Angeles. Its programming traditionally includes films from established directors as well as emerging filmmakers, providing a platform for projects across different genres and production styles.

The choice of Wildwood also places stop-motion animation at the beginning of a major festival edition. Stop-motion productions typically require lengthy development and production schedules because filmmakers create physical characters, environments and objects and then animate them incrementally.

That process distinguishes the format from computer-generated animation, even though modern productions can combine traditional physical techniques with digital tools.

The announcement is also notable because it arrives ahead of the festival rather than as part of the event itself. The U.S. premiere is scheduled for the opening of AFI Fest, giving the film an important early theatrical showcase.

For the entertainment industry, the announcement illustrates the continuing relationship between major film festivals and studios seeking to introduce new productions to audiences and industry professionals.

It also highlights the breadth of contemporary animated filmmaking. The presence of an accomplished voice cast and a major festival platform demonstrates that animation continues to occupy an important place within the wider film industry rather than existing separately from mainstream cinema.

The opening-night selection gives Wildwood a high-profile introduction in Los Angeles and provides AFI Fest with a visually distinctive film from one of the leading American stop-motion studios.

As audiences prepare for the festival, the film will enter a competitive entertainment landscape filled with major theatrical releases and streaming productions. Its festival debut will offer an early indication of how the latest Laika project connects with viewers and the wider film community.

For AFI Fest, the announcement establishes a strong opening feature for its milestone 40th edition while giving Wildwood a prominent introduction to U.S. audiences.