Laika to collect Gotham Anniversary Tribute ahead of Wildwood release
Stop-motion studio Laika will receive the Anniversary Tribute at the 36th Gotham Film Awards, organisers announced on 28 September, according to Deadline.
Laika is the first tribute honouree revealed for this year's show. The ceremony takes place on 20 November at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. It is organised by the Gotham Film & Media Institute.
The tribute commemorates 20 years of storytelling by the studio, which was founded in 2005. Laika has earned six Oscar nominations since then, according to Deadline. Its nominated films include Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls and Kubo and the Two Strings.
The honour arrives just as Laika prepares its next feature, Wildwood. Travis Knight, the studio's president and chief executive, directs the film. It was written by Chris Butler, based on the novel by Colin Meloy, and centres on Prue McKeel and Curtis Mehlberg on a rescue mission into the Impassable Wilderness after Prue's baby brother is abducted by crows.
Peyton Elizabeth Lee voices Prue and Jacob Tremblay voices Curtis. The wider voice cast includes Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Awkwafina, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits and Richard E. Grant.
Wildwood will have its world premiere at the London Film Festival on 11 October. It will then serve as the opening-night film at AFI Fest. Theatrical release follows on 23 October through Fathom Entertainment, according to Deadline.
Laika and the Gotham Film & Media Institute have also launched the Laika x Gotham Animation Accelerator for makers of animated short films. Nominations in 10 competition categories for the Gotham Awards will be revealed on 27 October.
What makes this stand out is the craft. Laika builds its worlds with puppets and sets moved frame by frame. For audiences, this autumn offers a straight path from festival premiere to cinema seat.
