For the first time in LAIKA’s history, one of the studio’s animated films has received a PG-13 rating.
Wildwood, the upcoming stop motion fantasy from the studio behind Coraline, ParaNorman and Kubo and the Two Strings, has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association. The rating was given for “strong fantasy violence/bloody images, thematic material, suicide-related material, brief partial nudity and language.”
Every previous LAIKA feature received a PG rating, making Wildwood the studio’s first movie to cross into PG-13 territory. The film will be LAIKA’s sixth feature following Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings and Missing Link.
Directed by Travis Knight and written by Chris Butler, Wildwood is based on the novel by Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis. The story follows Prue McKeel, a teenager whose baby brother is taken by a flock of crows into a mysterious forest known as the Impassable Wilderness. Prue enters the forest with her classmate Curtis and becomes caught in a conflict involving talking animals, dangerous enemies and secrets hidden within the wilderness.
The voice cast includes Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Awkwafina, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Maya Erskine, Jemaine Clement, Tom Waits and Richard E. Grant.
The PG-13 rating suggests LAIKA did not tone down some of the darker material to maintain the PG rating associated with its previous films. The inclusion of bloody images and suicide-related material also gives parents a clearer idea of what separates Wildwood from the studio’s earlier releases.
LAIKA has never been afraid of darker stories. Coraline dealt with disturbing imagery and children being trapped by the Other Mother, while ParaNorman included death, ghosts and violence. Both still received PG ratings. Wildwood is the first time the content has gone far enough for the MPA to move one of the studio’s films into PG-13.
Wildwood will arrive in U.S. theaters on October 23, 2026.
