Laika Invites Carey Mulligan, Tom Waits, and Fathom to Hollywood’s Handmade Rebellion

Olivia Bennett, 1/21/2026Laika spurns digital monotony with “Wildwood,” partnering with Fathom for a nationwide, handcrafted fantasy event. Expect couture voice casting, tactile magic, and a cinematic stand for artistry in a world obsessed with algorithms. This isn’t just a movie release—it’s a red carpet rebellion, frame by luscious frame.

For its upcoming film “Wildwood,” the studio has extended a well-tailored invitation to Fathom Entertainment—a name previously associated less with weeklong box office glories and more with single-evening affairs: opera transmissions, championship bouts, classic re-releases. Fathom, that discreet host of cinematic soirées, now finds itself donning a fresh persona. Think less museum docent, more maître d’ at the year’s most anticipated banquet. After successfully throwing unexpected anniversary parties for “Coraline” and “ParaNorman”—that “Coraline” encore alone apprehended a swelling $56 million globally—Fathom is doing more than dipping a toe. They’re rehearsing for an enduring run, pulling the curtain wide for “Wildwood” nationwide come October 23, 2026.

It’s not as though Laika has ever been one to follow the template, but this maneuver still raises a delicately shaped eyebrow. With an industry increasingly sounding like a corporate retreat—buzzwords wafting through the air, mergers and acquisitions ready to pounce like paparazzi—choosing a partner based on the unique DNA of a single film feels radical. David Burke, the firm’s chief marketing maestro, summed it up with a flourish: “For ‘Wildwood,’ we’re taking a more customized approach to how we bring the film to audiences, matching partners to the specific needs and ambitions of the project...” It’s a contradiction only the entertainment world could love—independence through collaboration, singularity drawn in bold strokes across a larger canvas.

And then there’s the film itself. “Wildwood” promises something perilous, mythic—like tumbling into a half-forgotten children’s story you trusted just a bit too far. It’s Laika’s most ambitious tapestry yet, woven from tactile marvels and the dreamy folklore that haunts old libraries. Picture this: a brave girl, her brother spirited away; an ancient, forbidden forest pulsing with creatures that might have escaped a lost Grimm’s tale. The dream-factory cast reads almost like a BAFTA after-party candid—Carey Mulligan and Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, Tom Waits (surely he’s contractually obliged to play something unearthly), Richard E. Grant, Amandla Stenberg. The voicework here could outshine even the most elaborate Oscar-night necklace.

Laika’s president, Travis Knight, described the story, in classic Knight fashion, as “a celebration of artistry over algorithms”—a subtle, not-so-gentle dig at the spreadsheet-driven content flooding our living rooms. The movie is meant to be witnessed with a full house, glimpsed in the fleeting hush before the credits roll—felt, not merely viewed. There’s something almost mischievous about trying to bottle that sensation in 2026, a year already overrun with screen innovations and content “experiments” notable mostly for their brevity.

As for Fathom, they’ve thrown aside their usual one-night tuxedos for the long-haul wardrobe of a specialty distributor—an undeniably bold step for a company whose brand used to mean “catch it, or miss it forever.” Perhaps some insiders will mutter about growing pains, but honestly, every lasting trend in entertainment started as a raised glass to the untested. Fathom’s Ray Nutt described the film as “a landmark achievement,” the sort of exuberance you usually reserve for a champagne toast, not a press release.

Internationally, Laika’s partnering with FilmNation Entertainment—the sort of tastemaking powerhouse responsible for “Promising Young Woman,” “Arrival,” and “The Big Sick” (talk about narrative range). FilmNation CEO Glen Basner, never one for coyness, labeled “Wildwood” Laika’s most extraordinary venture—bold, perhaps, but who’s betting against a studio that’s made a habit of pushing envelopes across genres and markets?

It’s almost easy to overlook, amid all this pageantry and orchestrated spectacle, Laika’s current flirtation with live-action. The slate reads as if the guest list for a 2025 Oscar soirée got its genres mixed in the cloakroom. There’s “Atmosphere” (written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck), “Audition” (helmed by Lulu Wang, with Lucy Liu and Charles Melton headlining), even a project with the President’s own Higher Ground Productions in the mix—not to mention rumblings of action-thrillers and high-concept originals produced by the always-boyish Phil Lord and Chris Miller. For those whose memory stretches back a decade or two, such ambition brings to mind the heady polyglot extravaganzas of the late Miramax years, though hopefully with more charm and fewer lawsuits.

What’s truly at stake, though, has less to do with distribution logistics and more with the wider struggle between handmade artistry and digital determinism. In a moment when streaming menus seem to groan with eerily familiar faces and recycled plots, Laika and its carefully chosen partners are making an old-fashioned wager—there’s still an audience whose pulse quickens at something raw, something crafted. There’s a good chance this move could—if not upend—the current temperature of boutique distribution, at least set it shimmering a little.

Step back for a moment: why is it that some film experiences leave a mark, while others pass through us like so many TikTok clips on mute? It seems that, for all its advances, Hollywood often forgets the thrill of entering a darkened room full of strangers, all waiting on that first flicker of magic. “Wildwood,” with its tailored approach and refusal to blend in, swears to deliver precisely that: a kind of collective leap into the unknown, disguised as a family adventure.

In the end, the lights will go down, the screen will glow, and audiences will gather—cell phones put away, perhaps for the first time all week. That’s when the alchemy happens. And as Laika’s lush forest comes terrifically, terrifyingly to life, the feeling will be unmistakable: craftsmanship still counts. Sometimes, in a world of algorithmic collage, it’s the hand-stitched flourish that brings us back to the movies—one velvet frame after another.

If the Hollywood red carpet is a rigid parade of pixel-perfect gowns and predictable pairings, Laika tends to show up wearing something rare—call it bespoke celluloid velvet, the deliberate handiwork of stop-motion’s golden age. While the studios around them quietly accept the algorithm as their new stylist, Laika prefers sequins you can feel. It seems fitting then that the studio, never content to simply RSVP to the industry’s usual galas, has chosen a genuinely surprising plus-one for its latest sojourn into fantasy storytelling.For its upcoming film “Wildwood,” the studio has extended a well-tailored invitation to Fathom Entertainment—a name previously associated less with weeklong box office glories and more with single-evening affairs: opera transmissions, championship bouts, classic re-releases. Fathom, that discreet host of cinematic soirées, now finds itself donning a fresh persona. Think less museum docent, more maître d’ at the year’s most anticipated banquet. After successfully throwing unexpected anniversary parties for “Coraline” and “ParaNorman”—that “Coraline” encore alone apprehended a swelling $56 million globally—Fathom is doing more than dipping a toe. They’re rehearsing for an enduring run, pulling the curtain wide for “Wildwood” nationwide come October 23, 2026.It’s not as though Laika has ever been one to follow the template, but this maneuver still raises a delicately shaped eyebrow. With an industry increasingly sounding like a corporate retreat—buzzwords wafting through the air, mergers and acquisitions ready to pounce like paparazzi—choosing a partner based on the unique DNA of a single film feels radical. David Burke, the firm’s chief marketing maestro, summed it up with a flourish: “For ‘Wildwood,’ we’re taking a more customized approach to how we bring the film to audiences, matching partners to the specific needs and ambitions of the project...” It’s a contradiction only the entertainment world could love—independence through collaboration, singularity drawn in bold strokes across a larger canvas.And then there’s the film itself. “Wildwood” promises something perilous, mythic—like tumbling into a half-forgotten children’s story you trusted just a bit too far. It’s Laika’s most ambitious tapestry yet, woven from tactile marvels and the dreamy folklore that haunts old libraries. Picture this: a brave girl, her brother spirited away; an ancient, forbidden forest pulsing with creatures that might have escaped a lost Grimm’s tale. The dream-factory cast reads almost like a BAFTA after-party candid—Carey Mulligan and Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, Tom Waits (surely he’s contractually obliged to play something unearthly), Richard E. Grant, Amandla Stenberg. The voicework here could outshine even the most elaborate Oscar-night necklace.Laika’s president, Travis Knight, described the story, in classic Knight fashion, as “a celebration of artistry over algorithms”—a subtle, not-so-gentle dig at the spreadsheet-driven content flooding our living rooms. The movie is meant to be witnessed with a full house, glimpsed in the fleeting hush before the credits roll—felt, not merely viewed. There’s something almost mischievous about trying to bottle that sensation in 2026, a year already overrun with screen innovations and content “experiments” notable mostly for their brevity.As for Fathom, they’ve thrown aside their usual one-night tuxedos for the long-haul wardrobe of a specialty distributor—an undeniably bold step for a company whose brand used to mean “catch it, or miss it forever.” Perhaps some insiders will mutter about growing pains, but honestly, every lasting trend in entertainment started as a raised glass to the untested. Fathom’s Ray Nutt described the film as “a landmark achievement,” the sort of exuberance you usually reserve for a champagne toast, not a press release.Internationally, Laika’s partnering with FilmNation Entertainment—the sort of tastemaking powerhouse responsible for “Promising Young Woman,” “Arrival,” and “The Big Sick” (talk about narrative range). FilmNation CEO Glen Basner, never one for coyness, labeled “Wildwood” Laika’s most extraordinary venture—bold, perhaps, but who’s betting against a studio that’s made a habit of pushing envelopes across genres and markets?It’s almost easy to overlook, amid all this pageantry and orchestrated spectacle, Laika’s current flirtation with live-action. The slate reads as if the guest list for a 2025 Oscar soirée got its genres mixed in the cloakroom. There’s “Atmosphere” (written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck), “Audition” (helmed by Lulu Wang, with Lucy Liu and Charles Melton headlining), even a project with the President’s own Higher Ground Productions in the mix—not to mention rumblings of action-thrillers and high-concept originals produced by the always-boyish Phil Lord and Chris Miller. For those whose memory stretches back a decade or two, such ambition brings to mind the heady polyglot extravaganzas of the late Miramax years, though hopefully with more charm and fewer lawsuits.What’s truly at stake, though, has less to do with distribution logistics and more with the wider struggle between handmade artistry and digital determinism. In a moment when streaming menus seem to groan with eerily familiar faces and recycled plots, Laika and its carefully chosen partners are making an old-fashioned wager—there’s still an audience whose pulse quickens at something raw, something crafted. There’s a good chance this move could—if not upend—the current temperature of boutique distribution, at least set it shimmering a little.Step back for a moment: why is it that some film experiences leave a mark, while others pass through us like so many TikTok clips on mute? It seems that, for all its advances, Hollywood often forgets the thrill of entering a darkened room full of strangers, all waiting on that first flicker of magic. “Wildwood,” with its tailored approach and refusal to blend in, swears to deliver precisely that: a kind of collective leap into the unknown, disguised as a family adventure.In the end, the lights will go down, the screen will glow, and audiences will gather—cell phones put away, perhaps for the first time all week. That’s when the alchemy happens. And as Laika’s lush forest comes terrifically, terrifyingly to life, the feeling will be unmistakable: craftsmanship still counts. Sometimes, in a world of algorithmic collage, it’s the hand-stitched flourish that brings us back to the movies—one velvet frame after another.