"Sense And Sensibility"

"Wildwood" is a 2026 stop-motion animated fantasy film directed by Travis Knight from a screenplay by Chris Butler. Based on Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis’s 2011 novel, it follows Prue, a teenage girl who ventures into an enchanted forest with her classmate Curtis to find her infant brother, abducted by a mysterious woman named Alexandra. Along the way, they discover a fantastical world filled with magical creatures and warring factions. The film features the voices of Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Len Cariou, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits, and Richard E. Grant. Stars Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, Jake Johnson, author Colin Meloy, and illustrator Carson Ellis were all kind enough to spend some time speaking with me about their work and experiences making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Fathom Entertainment. Thank you, and enjoy!

"Wildwood" is a 2026 American stop-motion animated fantasy film co-produced and directed by Travis Knight and written by Chris Butler, based on Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis's 2011 novel. Produced by LAIKA studios, the film stars Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Len Cariou, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits, and Richard E. Grant. In the film, a teenage girl named Prue (Lee) and her classmate Curtis (Tremblay) enter an enchanted forest to search for her infant brother after he is abducted. They find a manor and learn about a coming war from a mysterious woman who tragically lost her son. Development began in September 2011, just weeks after the release of Meloy's novel, when LAIKA announced plans to adapt it as an animated feature. Production was confirmed in September 2021, with Knight directing and co-producing with Arianne Sutner, and Butler writing the script. The feature was produced at LAIKA's studio facility in Hillsboro, Oregon, with Caleb Deschanel as cinematographer. With a theatrical runtime of 131 minutes, the film is the longest stop-motion-animated film and, in terms of overall craftsmanship, the biggest achievement in stop-motion animation history for sheer scale and difficulty. The film premiered at the BFI London Film Festival, where critics widely acclaimed it as not only the best animated film of the year, but the best to ever come out of LAIKA Studios. Knight was kind enough to lend us an hour of his time as he came into the studio and spoke with us about what drew him to Colin Meloy's novel, the painstaking work that goes into the art of stop-motion, his feelings on the current state of animation, what is next for himself and LAIKA Studios, what winning an Oscar would mean to him, and more, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out "Wildwood," which will be released in theaters by Fathom Entertainment on October 23rd. Thank you, and enjoy!

"A Talent For Murder" is a 2026 thriller film directed by Anton Corbijn and adapted by Joanna Murray-Smith from her 2014 play Switzerland. It stars Alden Ehrenreich as a young man who travels from New York to Switzerland to persuade acclaimed thriller writer Patricia Highsmith (Helen Mirren) to write one final installment of her Tom Ripley series, as his efforts gradually turn more sinister. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where critics gave it generally positive reviews. Ehrenreich was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will release in theaters on October 23rd from Bleecker Street. Thank you, and enjoy!

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Following our 512th episode of The Next Best Picture Podcast, we're back with a new episode of Mailbag Monday. Lauren LaMagna and Giovanni Lago join me in this new series dedicated entirely to answering your fan-submitted questions from the NBP Film Community. Covering everything from the latest movie news, awards season, and Oscar predictions to filmmaking, industry trends, and whatever else is on your mind, Mailbag Monday allows us to engage more directly with all of you every week. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions for this episode, whether on our X account or on our Discord (Patreon members get a private link to chat with other members of NBP and me). If you'd like to be featured on a future edition of Mailbag Monday, be sure to leave your questions in the comments or submit them through our social media channels every Sunday morning when prompted on our X account. We hope you'll join us every Monday as we continue the conversation beyond our weekly Sunday podcast. Thank you, as always, for listening, subscribing, and supporting Next Best Picture, and helping us build such an incredible film community. Enjoy!