Laika’s Wildwood to open Alice nella Città festival in Rome

The 24th edition of the Alice nella Città festival will open on October 14 with a special out-of-competition screening of “Wildwood – I segreti del bosco proibito”. The stop-motion animated film is produced by Laika, a studio whose feature films have all received Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature.

The premiere will take place at the Teatro Sistina, which joins the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone, Cinema Adriano, and Cinema 4Fontane as festival venues. This year, Rome’s historic center is being transformed into an audiovisual and cinema district through various international industry events.

Directed and produced by Travis Knight and written by Chris Butler, the film is based on the fantasy novel by Colin Meloy. The production utilizes Laika’s signature hand-animated stop-motion technique. An immersive sensory installation titled “The Wildwood Sigil Tree” will also accompany the film during the event. “Wildwood” is scheduled for theatrical release on October 22, 2026, distributed by Notorious Pictures.