Description
Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel spoke to HeyUGuys at the Wildwood London Junket, discussing his leap into animation on Laika’s handcrafted fantasy epic. The six-time Oscar nominee, whose credits include The Passion of the Christ, reflects on shooting a stop-motion world “one shot at a time”, building a visual “Bible” with director Travis Knight, and the moment he realised just how complex Wildwood would be. Deschanel confesses that Knight “seduced me into doing this” without revealing the full scale of the challenge.
Interviews for Wildwood. The film features the voice talents of Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Awkwafina, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits, Richard E. Grant, Rob Delaney and Blythe Danner, it was written by Chris Butler, adapted from the novel by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis, and directed by Travis Knight.
Freda Cooper ask the questions.
Plot: When a murder of crows abducts her baby brother, Prue McKeel sets out to rescue him, venturing into the Impassable Wilderness, an enchanted forest just outside Portland, Oregon. Joined by her classmate Curtis Mehlberg, she encounters talking animals, bandits and powerful figures caught in a conflict that threatens the fragile balance of Wildwood.
Wildwood will be released in UK cinemas on 23rd October 2026.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Congratulations and a five-year production
00:53 When long productions go wrong
01:22 From The Passion of the Christ to The Lion King
02:12 Shooting animation one shot at a time
02:24 Building a colour scenario and visual “Bible” with Travis Knight
03:33 Why he moved into animation
03:53 Scaling the sets for the tiny rat character
#Wildwood #CalebDeschanel #TravisKnight #Junket #HeyUGuys #Laika #StopMotion #Cinematography #Animation #FantasyFilm
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