Pacific University offered an opportunity for students to meet LAIKA studio professionals and view their newest project, Wildwood
The Pacific University student engagement and inclusion office offered an exclusive offer for 30 students to sign up for tickets to see the film, Wildwood produced by local studio LAIKA. Before the movie began students had the pleasure of meeting and asking three people who worked on the film, two of which were Pacific University alum.
The 2026 release of the film Wildwood by local studio, LAIKA is an impressive leap in stop motion animation. Based on the novel by Portland-based and lead singer of the Decembrists’ Colin Meloy, the film encapsulates Portland pride through its elaborate scenes of some of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. Not only has the film inspired millions of people with its stunning visuals in its opening week, but it’s also given space for LAIKA studios to explore darker themes than have previously been seen in their films. With a team of over a 1,000 people and 135 practical sets, LAIKA studios sourced talent from all over, even some previous alumni from Pacific University.
As impressive as the movie is to watch, it’s the small details that create its majestic atmosphere. Like most LAIKA projects this film moved seamlessly from the brightly colored streets of Portland, to the woods just outside the city bounds. Though this was only accomplished through those who worked tirelessly to create this world. The three speakers invited to speak in the Milky Way before the event were Robbie Jones, a model maker and set dresser, Sydona McMullin, a production coordinator for the art department and Gavin Brown, a light and camera person. Both McMullin and Brown are past film alumni of Pacific University.
Before the screening, students had an opportunity to pick their brains on the creation of a film like Wildwood to the process of getting a job in the film industry. “I would just keep applying and so it took a lot. One thing that does help, I’ll tell you, is if you know somebody,” McMullin advised. “Leica as a company is much more open and willing to meet people and talk to people than they were 10 years ago.”
After the initial excitement of asking successful alumni and those in the film industry for tips about the business, students moved on to more pressing questions: film production. “We had to build 130 sets and so, that takes years to build. And all that stuff has to happen before the camera shows up,” noted Jones, who worked closely with the sets themself. “They were still building stuff till the very end because things have to be modeled.”
Those who worked on the film made time to share their favorite aspects of the film. “The thing that was really fun for me is the sequence in the beginning of the film when Prue’s riding a bike through St. John’s,” shared Brown, having worked on a third of the shots. Similarly, Jones enjoyed seeing the props he made show up in shots throughout the film. McMullin mentioned that, “I mean, I’m from Portland so having Pittock Mansion and Powells [are] things specifically I’m extra proud of.”
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