‘Wildwood’s’ Murder of the Crows Sequence Took Laika’s Artisans Over Five Years to Complete (EXCLUSIVE)
Laika’s “Wildwood” features a crow abduction sequence that took more than five years to complete, reflecting the scale and technical ambition of the studio’s latest stop-motion film. The scene combines practical puppets with digital birds to make the rescue of Prue’s baby brother feel frightening and emotionally grounded.
The film has 231 puppets, 54 hero characters and 136 locations, and follows 12-year-old Prue into an enchanted forest near Portland. Animators used fishing line to suggest the crows were lifting Mac, while mechanical puppet parts captured breathing and precise movement. The digitally created crows were based on scanned sculpted parts, and facial expressions were 3D-printed frame by frame, with up to 24 faces for each second of film.
- Laika’s crow abduction sequence took over five years to complete.
- “Wildwood” blends handmade puppets with digitally designed crows.
- The production includes 231 puppets and 136 locations.
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Stop-motion animation is made by moving models a little at a time and photographing each position, then playing the images in sequence. Laika is a film studio known for using this method alongside digital effects.
Wildwood follows 12-year-old Prue into an enchanted forest near Portland after her baby brother, Mac, is taken. The story centres on her effort to rescue him, with the forest and its inhabitants creating the dangers she faces.
The film uses puppets, carefully built locations and computer-created elements. Combining these techniques helps explain how its animators can show characters and creatures moving through the same scene.