There's a fantasy boom on TV right now, with the rights to popular novels being snapped up left and right for adaptations. Even Brandon Sanderson is finally getting into the streaming game. And now, a long-running series is set to hit the screen for the very first time.
On a day pretty much like any other, a girl named Prue is out in a park with her baby brother when the unthinkable happens: he’s swept off by crows and taken into a mysterious forest known as the Impassable Wilderness. Joined by her classmate Curtis, Prue ventures into the magical, sylvan realm where animals have developed a complex society of their own. The search for Prue’s missing sibling plots the course for an epic adventure that is the heart of the young adult novel Wildwood. Soon, the story lights up the big screen.
The forthcoming feature-length film is based on an original story by Colin Meloy—the lead singer of The Decemberists, for the fans out there—and illustrated by Carson Ellis, who also happens to be his wife. (Ellis has also designed phenomenal posters, album covers, and merch for the band over the years.)
Wildwood is directed by Travis Knight and is in the hands of Portland-based LAIKA Studios, which is behind box office favorites like The Boxtrolls and Coraline. At the forefront of feature film animation, LAIKA emphasizes both human-made elements and cutting-edge technology, incorporating meticulously hand-built puppets and sets along with computer-generated graphics.
Through intensive study, LAIKA’s artists captured the movements, behavior, and physical appearance of birds for the film’s so-called Avian Principality, of which a character named Owl Rex is the crown prince.
“Performance starts with observation,” says the narrator of a behind-the-scenes featurette, which you can see below. An ensemble of voice actors includes Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, and many others.
The trailer is out now, and the film is slated for release everywhere on October 23. You might also enjoy peeking behind the scenes of the making of LAIKA’s Kubo and the Two Strings.
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Glimpse the Fantastical Animated World of ‘Wildwood’ appeared first on Colossal.
You may not have realized that Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was Disney's very first PG-13 adventure, but the risky gamble clearly paid off for the House of Mouse. Not only is the first Gore Verbinski-directed picture still considered one of Disney’s best live-action features to date, but it spawned an impressive trilogy that was eventually followed by two more sequels. All these years later, it still holds up as one of the best live-action outings Disney has ever put out — if not the best of all.
One of the biggest draws of cinema has always been its escapism, and no film genre fulfills that need quite as well as fantasy. With their imaginative worlds, endearing characters, and larger-than-life stories, fantasy movies have entertained and inspired audiences for generations. But while there have been a lot of great fantasy films released over the decades, the best of them all are the films that truly transformed the genre, pushing it to heights never before seen.
In 1985, Eiko Kadono released a novel called Kiki's Delivery Service, and it wasn't until 1989 that Studio Ghibli adapted it into a feature-length film. Nearly 40 years later, this fantasy story about a young witch and her black cat will continue, bringing new challenges for Kiki as she embarks on her journey away from home. Kiki's Delivery Service follows Kiki (Kirsten Dunst), a 13-year-old witch-in-training who lives in a world where witches and humans coexist. After leaving home with her cat, Jiji (Phil Hartman), she starts her own delivery service in a new town and faces challenges that come with her newfound independence. The film made over $41.8 million worldwide and had a limited IMAX release early this year.
Now that he's back, Keanu Reeves' difficult decade between 2004 and 2014 seems like a distant memory. He broke the dry spell with John Wick, which has spawned a massively successful franchise that's set to continue with a fifth installment. A decade earlier, Reeves was, of course, best known for starring in the Matrix trilogy. However, after the landmark sci-fi series concluded in 2003, he entered a rather uncertain period during which he mostly starred in small-scale projects, but also headlined a couple of tent poles, and made his feature directorial debut. The big-budget movies he did during this time — The Day the Earth Stood Still and Constantine — underperformed at the box office. His directorial debut, The Man of Tai Chi, performed poorly as well.
Fantasy TV shows often base themselves on prior work, whether it be from novels, movies, video games, or even comics and graphic novels. This is because a lot of fantasy shows have a huge world with a lot of lore, so it's just more practical to bring an already existing universe to life rather than try to craft a new one (although this has still been done).
The next few years promise a lot of blockbuster releases for fantasy enjoyers of all kinds. For those looking for a mythical epic, Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is the event of this summer to look forward to, bringing the director back to theaters to bring to life one of the most famous literary adventures from across history, with Matt Damon in the lead role. Laika is finally releasing their latest effort after over a decade of development, too, in the form of the gorgeous stop-motion film Wildwood in October. Next year, meanwhile, will see the return of two classic series with Greta Gerwig's much-anticipated Narnia: The Witch's Nephew bowing in theaters in February and The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum arriving on December 17, 2027. For those looking to return to a certain long-dormant fantasy video game world this year, however, the wait just got a bit longer.
Fantasy cinema has a unique allure. With its otherworldly appeal and transfixing high-concept nature, it can truly captivate an audience from the opening scene and keep them immersed right up until the credits roll. However, having the ability to do something and actually doing it are two entirely different things. Showcasing the mesmerizing majesty of fantasy cinema in all its glory, these films are all perfect examples of the genre from start to finish.
Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Masters of the Universe.By the power of Grayskull, Masters of the Universe brings the power of He-Man to the big screen! But how does it all end? Does Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) save Eternia from the Overlord of Evil, Skeletor (Jared Leto)? Should moviegoers stick around for extra end-credits scenes? Does the movie set up future installments and potential sequels? Well, time to explore exactly how this epic sci-fi fantasy adventure ends, and how the long-time Eternian faithful will not want to leave their seats once the credits start to roll.
After over a year of silence, Solo Leveling just received an exciting update. The highly acclaimed fantasy action anime based on a South Korean Webtoon finished airing its first two seasons last year, won numerous awards, and became one of Crunchyroll's most successful shows. For a while, there was uncertainty about its future and whether Sung Jin-woo's story would continue on screen. Based on the latest update, it seems more of this popular web novel will continue to find new life through its anime adaptation.
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