Wildwood: A Film 15 Years in the Making
You may know Laika studios from their hit films such as Coraline, Kubo and the Two String, The Boxtrolls, and ParaNorman (nobody cares about The Missing Link). You might also even know about Forest Park, the mass of green extending northward from Portland's west hills which is visible from the fourth floor of Trillium. What you might not know is that Laika’s newest film, Wildwood, is set in Forest Park, and will be released in theaters on Thursday, October 22, conveniently in the middle of our fall break. I highly recommend taking some of your relaxation time to experience an anticipated artful autumnal adventure (but be wary, tickets are selling out rapidly).
Wildwood follows young Portland resident Prue McKeel and her classmate Curtis Mehlberg after her baby brother is kidnaped by a murder of crows and spirited away to the Impassable Wilderness. They adventure their way through the enchanted forest, battling anthropomorphic coyotes, petitioning those in power in Pittock Mansion, and discover the dark secrets of the forest.
The film Wildwood is based off the 2011 children's book of the same name written by Colin Meloy and exquisitely illustrated by Carson Ellis. This dynamic duo are also the lead talent behind the band The Decemberists (who fill a genre I imagine at least some Reedies will be familiar with). The pair have lived in Forest Park for a number of years, so the book is deliciously local, with many of its fantasy elements originating from places around Portland. Of course, the Impassable Wilderness of Wildwood is based on Forest Park, but even beyond that, the Impassable Wilderness is divided in three parts: Southwood (the posh, ‘civilized’ portion), Wildwood (the central wildlands inhabited by bandits and coyotes), and Northwood (where the bumpkins and mystics live). For non-Portland residents, this division is surprisingly accurate, even down to the bandits and mystics (look up the film Leave No Trace). The aforementioned Pittock Mansion, the monarchical seat of power of Southwood in the book, is lifted verbatim from the mansion of the same name in Forest Heights; the Ghost Bridge is a perfect picture of the scenic and very real St. Johns bridge; and the Long Road seems to be based on Leif Erikson Drive, a real gravel road which winds for eleven miles through the forest. All in all, the book is—and the film promises to be—a true love letter to the city.
One might note that I have a somewhat fanatical appreciation for this film, given that I haven’t even seen it yet. This is precisely due to the fact that I was born and raised in Northwest Portland, less than a block from the very edge of Wildwood itself, and I grew up reading and rereading these books. Colin Meloy’s kid went to my elementary school and I have a signed copy of the book from third grade (it just says “‘For Quinn: Sea Monsters!” and I’m honestly still not sure what that means). It seems inevitable, then, that I would highly anticipate a film adaptation. However, what makes Wildwood exponentially cooler is that it’s being made by the Portland-based Laika studios. Laika’s films are all stop-motion—literally handcrafted—and are always extremely high quality. Hence, for Wildwood fans, this pairing is a dream come true. Ever since the book came out in 2011, fans have been praying for the film’s release, and in less than a week, we will finally be satisfied.