Stop-motion filmmaking is a time-consuming labor of love under any circumstance, but the Oregon-based movie studio Laika (which previously produced fan-favorite classics like Coraline and Paranorman) has always been one step ahead when it comes to pushing the limits of this gorgeous medium.
Their upcoming feature Wildwood is no exception, with theater chains like AMC already listing the hotly anticipated book adaptation on their websites with a surprisingly hefty runtime of two hours and twenty minutes. Not only is this nearly 40 minutes more than Laika’s musical epic Kubo and the Two Strings (their longest movie to date), but the runtime also cements Wildwood as the longest stop-motion animated film of all time!
The previous contender for the record was Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio back in 2022, with that Academy-Award-winning project clocking in at 117 minutes.
Naturally, a longer film doesn’t necessarily translate to a better moviegoing experience, but given Laika’s track record with deeply compelling (and often horror-adjacent) stories that can be appreciated by audiences of all ages, I’d wager that every single second of Wildwood will be worth the price of admission.
Based on Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis’ New York Times Bestseller of the same name, Wildwood hits theaters on October 23.
