Opening on 15 October 2026, the Design Museum in London is launching LAIKA presents Wildwood: The Exhibition, a major autumn showcase exploring the two-decade stop-motion legacy and physical craftsmanship behind the Oregon-based studio’s forthcoming fantasy adventure film, Wildwood, according to announcements from the museum and LAIKA.
- The Exhibition Dates: Running from 15 October 2026 to 10 January 2027 in the Helene and Johannes Huth Gallery on Level 2 of London’s Design Museum.
- The Featured Studio: Celebrates 20 years of stop-motion innovation by LAIKA, the Certified B Corporation behind Academy Award-nominated classics like Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings.
- The Film Release: Wildwood arrives in UK and Irish cinemas on 23 October 2026, just over a week after the museum exhibition opens its doors to the public.
Stepping Inside the Handcrafted World of LAIKA
For two decades, Portland’s LAIKA studio has focused on physical materials. According to details from the Design Museum, the upcoming autumn exhibition traces the entire developmental pipeline of their newest feature, Wildwood. Visitors can examine early visual research, character designs, costume tests, intricate puppet fabrication, rapid prototyping technology, and miniature set construction before the film hits theaters.
Here is the kicker: this is not merely a collection of static movie props. The exhibition brings together original tools and work by the studio’s visual artists, model makers, and scenic painters. Interactive installations are designed to demystify how physical models transform into seamless, cinematic fantasy worlds on the big screen. To deepen public engagement, the museum has structured a supplementary events program around the exhibition, featuring a children’s clay animation workshop on 27 October, a Halloween curator tour on 31 October, and an adult stop-motion workshop scheduled for 14 November.
Two Decades of Stop-Motion Mastery
To understand the weight of the Design Museum’s retrospective, one has to look at LAIKA’s footprint in modern animation history. Founded in 2005 in Oregon, the studio carved out a distinct niche by marrying traditional stop-motion techniques with cutting-edge technological innovations like 3D printing. Every single feature film produced by the studio has earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature, starting with 2009’s Coraline, followed by ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Missing Link.
The studio’s technical achievements have earned peer recognition. Kubo and the Two Strings secured the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film alongside an extra Oscar nod for visual effects. Meanwhile, Missing Link picked up the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Film. Way back in 2016, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored LAIKA with a Scientific and Technical Award specifically for pioneering advancements in 3D printing applications for stop-motion animation.
| Film Title | Release Year | Key Accolades & Recognition |
|---|---|---|
| Coraline | 2009 | Academy Award Nominee (Best Animated Feature) |
| ParaNorman | 2012 | Academy Award Nominee (Best Animated Feature) |
| The Boxtrolls | 2014 | Academy Award Nominee (Best Animated Feature) |
| Kubo and the Two Strings | 2016 | BAFTA Award Winner, Oscar Nominee (Feature & Visual Effects) |
| Missing Link | 2019 | Golden Globe Award Winner (Best Animated Film) |
| Wildwood | 2026 | Exhibition opens 15 Oct; Theatrical release 23 Oct |
Bridging Exhibition Spaces and Cinema Screens
According to coverage from The Upcoming, Wildwood follows the narrative of a young girl venturing into a hidden forest to rescue her brother. Fans navigating the museum displays can experience the tangible artistry of that adventure either as anticipation before opening day or as a deep-dive post-mortem after watching the feature.
An accompanying publication, the official Wildwood book, will also accompany the launch. Tickets and booking details are currently live through the Design Museum’s official channels as London prepares to host LAIKA’s largest cinematic and artistic showcase to date.
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