In his first visit to the festival, the film’s director and studio CEO will present exclusive material from the upcoming stop-motion feature, along with joining the reveal of a major exhibition marking the opening of the Cité Internationale du Cinéma d’Animation.
Leading animation studio LAIKA will present exclusive first-look material from its upcoming feature, Wildwood, at the Annecy Festival, where the film’s director and company CEO, Travis Knight, will make his first appearance as part of the opening of his film’s special exhibition at the Cité Internationale du Cinéma d'Animation. The festival runs June 21-27.
Festivalgoers will get to see a sneak peek of Wildwood, a sweeping, darkly magical adventure about a young girl who ventures into a dangerous hidden forest to rescue her brother, an odyssey shaped by love, power and the courage to confront the unknown. The film stars Carey Mulligan, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Awkwafina, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits, and Richard E. Grant. It hits theaters October 23.
The presentation will be led by Knight, whose previous film Kubo and the Two Strings won the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film and received Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Visual Effects.
Running through September 27, 2026, the exhibition “Wildwood: A First Glimpse into a Handmade World” at the Cité's Galerie is designed as both an educational and experiential showcase, inviting audiences to explore the tactile artistry behind what the studio describes as its most ambitious world to date. The installation features models, textures and environments inspired by the Pacific Northwest, forming a mysterious and handcrafted setting that reflects the film's scale and tone.
Exhibition highlights include a miniature set inspired by the Pittock Mansion, which required more than 11 weeks of production and involved 45 to 50 artists from design through final dressing. The forest surrounding the mansion includes individually crafted trees based on Pacific Northwest landscapes. Also on display is The General, one of the largest puppets created by the studio, measuring 34 inches from beak to tail with a 64-inch wingspan. Inspired by a golden eagle, the puppet features fully articulated wings and is covered with 3,794 individually placed feathers, part of more than 16,500 feathers produced for the character.
"Wildwood is the biggest world LAIKA has ever built, and the most personal," said Knight. "It's a story about the pull of the unknown, the courage it takes to step into it and who you become along the way. Our movie is a celebration of artistry over algorithms and of the belief that films made by hand, with enormous care, can still feel bold, surprising, dangerous and alive."
The exhibition includes never-before-seen puppets and sets, offering an early look at the studio's evolving approach to stop-motion filmmaking while maintaining its emphasis on handcrafted production. The Annecy presentation marks the beginning of a broader global rollout of first-look material for the film.
"We are especially proud to welcome LAIKA to Annecy for the opening of the Cité Internationale du Cinéma d'Animation,” said Mickaël Marin, CITIA CEO. “Their work embodies a distinctive vision of cinema, one that is ambitious, meticulously handcrafted and profoundly artistic. Having Travis Knight join us for the very first time in Annecy gives even greater resonance to this special moment. It is a true honor to begin this new chapter alongside a filmmaker whose artistic commitment is both powerful and singular. This exclusive exhibition preview in Annecy is one of the very first experiences offered to the public at the Cité. It reflects our ambition to create a place where audiences can connect directly with the creative process, artistry and expertise that make up the very fabric of the works."
Source: Annecy 2026
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
