Travis Knight is having a moment. After helming the live-action Masters of the Universe earlier this year, the Laika chief is returning to his animation roots with Wildwood, the studio's latest stop-motion epic. The film, which hits theaters October 23, marks Knight's first animated feature since Kubo and the Two Strings in 2016, and he's making it clear that Laika's commitment to handcrafted artistry remains unwavering.
At a Telluride Film Festival panel on Sunday, Knight joined cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and film expert Dave Kerger to discuss the making of Wildwood, surrounded by stunning sets from the film. Deschanel, a six-time Oscar nominee, described the process as painstakingly intricate: "In this movie, you do one little piece at a time. It's like this giant mosaic that you have to piece together one piece at a time."
Knight echoed that sentiment with his characteristic wit, noting that the only way to make a proper stop-motion film is to "repeat the process over and over and over again until the film is either done, or until society collapses." He also playfully described the animators as "benevolent gods with lower back pain," hunched over their puppets for hours on end.
But the conversation took a more serious turn when Knight addressed the elephant in the room: artificial intelligence. "We live in an era that's largely frictionless," he said, "where entire worlds can be just generated with a click of a mouse, and things can spring to life with nothing but a prompt." In stark contrast, Laika's approach demands physical labor, patience, and an almost obsessive attention to detail—qualities that Knight believes give stop-motion its unique soul.
This dedication to traditional animation is a hallmark of Laika, which has produced acclaimed films like Coraline, ParaNorman, and The Boxtrolls. With Wildwood, the studio continues to push the boundaries of what can be achieved with puppets, sets, and sheer human effort. The film's voice cast is equally impressive, led by two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, who recently appeared in Jurassic World Rebirth. Jacob Tremblay, known for The Little Mermaid and The Life of Chuck, also lends his voice, alongside Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Carey Mulligan, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Jermaine Clement, and Richard E. Grant.
For fans of animation, Wildwood represents a refreshing counterpoint to the AI-generated content flooding the industry. Knight's remarks at Telluride serve as a rallying cry for those who value the human touch in filmmaking. As he put it, the process is relentless, but the result is something truly magical.
With Wildwood arriving in theaters on October 23, audiences will soon see the fruits of Laika's labor. In the meantime, Knight's dedication to his craft—and his willingness to speak out against the allure of shortcuts—offers a compelling reason to celebrate the art of stop-motion. For more on the film, check out our coverage of Aardman's Pokémon stop-motion series and Disney+'s stop-motion Pokémon trailer, which show that the technique is thriving across the industry.
