Crow sculpture lands at City Hall. Label: News article City Hall is hosting one of 30 crow sculptures on Portland's new Wildwood Art Trail - an easy stop for staff and a fun destination for visitors. Meet the crow, snap a photo, and explore the trail with the app and the map! August 7, 2026 10:38 am A unique hand-painted crow sculpture created by Maya McDarragh will be perched at City Hall Plaza from August 7 through October 30, 2026, offering visitors and employees a chance to enjoy an unexpected moment of creativity during their day. The City is welcoming a flock of these striking new visitors as part of Wildwood: Follow the Crows, a free public art trail inspired by LAIKA's upcoming stop-motion film Wildwood. The crow sculpture at City Hall, titled Sakura Hanami, is one of 30 original works of art installed through a partnership among LAIKA, OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital, Wild in Art, the Portland Metro Chamber, Downtown Portland Clean & Safe, and the Visit Downtown Campaign. To ensure the project continues to make a positive impact long after the art comes down, all 30 crow sculptures will be auctioned on November 31, 2026, with proceeds benefiting OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital. Mayor Keith Wilson championed the installation at City Hall, and the Public Environment Management Office (PEMO) facilitated the permitting process among the Bureau of Transportation, Parks & Recreation, and Facilities Services to ensure the sculpture could be safely and securely installed in time for the art trail opening. "The City of Portland is proud to take part in the Wildwood Art Trail, and we're thrilled to welcome Sakura Hanami to City Hall," Wilson said. "This event captures so much of what makes our city special - it's a celebration of Portland's creativity, nature, and adventurous spirit." City Hall's crow brings a touch of whimsy to the heart of civic life, offering a welcome surprise for anyone passing through the courtyard. It also will draw trail explorers to a destination they might not otherwise visit, inviting them to experience City Hall in a different way. Whether stopping for a photo or simply admiring the sculpture, visitors can make City Hall part of their crow-spotting adventure as they travel the trail through the city. To guide your journey, download the map LAIKA Wildwood-Art-Trail-Map and the Wildwood: Follow the Crows app on the Apple App Store or Google Play. Contact. Press Office. Location. City Hall. 1221 SW Fourth Avenue Portland, OR 97204

LAIKA's Wildwood experience hits San Diego Comic-Con: step into "The Forest Is Calling" Table of Contents LAIKA, the amazing animation studio behind dark, magical classics like Coraline, ParaNorman, and Kubo and the Two Strings, is back with a brand-new project that is already turning heads. Their next big movie, Wildwood, is scheduled to hit movie theaters on October 23, but you don't have to wait until autumn to get a taste of the magic. Right now, LAIKA has officially launched a LAIKA Wildwood experience: The Forest is Calling Portal Experience. What is Wildwood? The story behind LAIKA's next epic film. Before Animost dive into the details of the live pop-up installation, let's talk about the movie itself. Wildwood is based on the wildly popular, best-selling fantasy novel written by Colin Meloy (the lead singer and songwriter of the indie rock band The Decemberists) and illustrated by Carson Ellis. Set in a fictionalized, mythical version of Portland, Oregon, the story follows a young girl named Prue McKeel. Prue's life gets turned completely upside down when her baby brother, Mac, is suddenly snatched away by a flock of crows. The birds carry the infant deep into the Impassable Wilderness, a dense, forbidden, and deeply magical forest on the edge of Portland that no normal person has ever entered (or returned from). Determined to save her little brother, Prue sets off into the forest alongside her classmate, Curtis. What they find inside is an incredible, dangerous world filled with: * Talking animals and mystical creatures. * Fierce warring factions and rival kingdoms. * Dark magic and deep secrets. * High-stakes adventure at every single turn. LAIKA is taking this beloved story and giving it their signature stop-motion film treatment. Known for mixing old-school hand craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology, LAIKA is creating a cinematic world that feels rich, tactile, and completely unforgettable. What is "The Forest is Calling Portal Experience"? To give fans a sneak peek before the film hits the big screen, LAIKA didn't just release a standard trailer; they built a real-life doorway into the movie's universe! Co-designed by Wildwood Art Director Matt Maldonado alongside the creative Portland agency KAMP Grizzly, The Forest is Calling is a hands-on, human-scale walkthrough experience. It brings LAIKA's famous movie sets to life so that everyday people can walk right into the story. According to LAIKA's Chief Marketing & Operations Officer, David Burke: "Before audiences discover Wildwood in theatres, we wanted them to discover its world. The Forest Is Calling is the first invitation to step inside." What Can You See and Do Inside the Portal Experience? When you step inside "The Forest is Calling," you are immediately transported out of the city and into the magical atmosphere of the Impassable Wilderness. The installation uses real plants, lush evergreen trees, trailing ivy, natural flora, and ambient woodland soundscapes to make you feel like you've walked into an enchanted forest. Here are a few of the coolest highlights included in the experience: * The Wildwood Sigil: A massive, magical symbol that acts as the physical and symbolic gateway into the portal. * Prue McKeel's Bicycle: Left behind right at the edge of the woods, marking the exact spot where her normal life ended and her adventure began. * Baby Mac's Wagon: A chilling and iconic storytelling prop that references the sudden kidnapping that sets the entire movie into motion. * Hidden Artifacts and Easter Eggs: Die-hard fans can hunt for subtle clues, secret symbols, and movie props hidden throughout the greenery. * Interactive Faction Test: The world of Wildwood is divided into different groups and denizens. Visitors can take part in an interactive journey to figure out which Wildwood faction they belong to! * Collectibles and Photo-Ops: Every visitor gets a personalized faction digital photo to share on social media, alongside a unique collectible keepsake to take home. LAIKA Wildwood experience is built by hand: bringing stop-motion magic to real life. If you know anything about LAIKA, you know they don't do anything half-heartedly. Stop-motion animation requires incredible attention to detail, where artists build tiny puppets, miniature clothes, and microscopic props by hand, frame by frame. For "The Forest is Calling," LAIKA's craftspeople took that same obsession with detail and scaled it up to human size. Every single piece of scenery in the installation was individually textured, hand-painted, and custom-finished. By combining practical fabrication techniques with artistic hand craftsmanship, the team created a physical environment that matches the exact look, feel, and mood of the movie. It's not just a promotional booth; it's an actual extension of LAIKA's filmmaking philosophy. Tour dates & locations: where is the experience going next? The experience officially launched during San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) outside the Hard Rock Hotel, running from July 23 to July 26. If you missed the San Diego event, don't worry! The Forest is Calling is going on the road. LAIKA is taking the portal installation to multiple major cities across North America throughout the late summer and early autumn. While the exact city list and schedule are rolling out gradually, fans can expect the experience to pop up in major metropolitan areas ahead of the movie's October 23 nationwide premiere. How to Get Tickets for the Wildwood Movie: Movie tickets for Wildwood in the United States will officially go on sale later this summer through Fathom Entertainment as well as participating theater box offices. Because theater locations and screening schedules can change, LAIKA is encouraging all moviegoers and animation fans to sign up for notifications online now so they can snag their tickets the moment they go live. Why LAIKA is one of the best animation studios in the world. For nearly two decades, LAIKA has been pushing the boundaries of what is possible in animated cinema. Founded in 2005 just outside of Portland, Oregon, the studio has earned a massive global fan base thanks to its unique combination of dark fantasy, heart, humor, and ground-breaking technology. Every single one of LAIKA's feature-length movies has earned critical acclaim and major awards recognition: | Movie Title | Release Year | Notable Awards & Recognition | | Coraline | 2009 | Nominated for Oscar (Best Animated Feature) | | ParaNorman | 2012 | Nominated for Oscar (Best Animated Feature) | | The Boxtrolls | 2014 | Nominated for Oscar (Best Animated Feature) | | Kubo and the Two Strings | 2016 | Winner of BAFTA Award; Oscar Nominee (Best Animated Feature & Visual Effects) | | Missing Link | 2019 | Winner of Golden Globe (Best Animated Feature); Oscar Nominee | In fact, back in 2016, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave LAIKA a special Scientific and Technical Award to honor their groundbreaking work using rapid 3D printing to create thousands of custom character facial expressions. Expanding horizons: LAIKA's move into live-action. While stop-motion animation remains the beating heart of LAIKA, the company is growing fast. LAIKA has officially launched a live-action subsidiary to develop exciting new film and television projects. They are currently working on adapting high-profile books and stories from famous authors like: * John Brownlow * Taylor Jenkins Reid (Daisy Jones & The Six, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo) * Katie Kitamura * Emily St. John Mandel (Station Eleven) On top of that, LAIKA is partnering with visionary directors and writers including Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck (Captain Marvel), Lulu Wang (The Farewell), Brian Duffield, and Jon Spaihts (Dune), alongside top production partners like Higher Ground and Fruit Tree. Clearly, LAIKA is building a powerful creative empire, and Wildwood is their next big flagship project. Final thoughts: don't miss "The Forest is Calling" Whether you've been reading Colin Meloy's book series for years or you're simply a fan of incredible stop-motion movies like Coraline, the LAIKA Wildwood experience is shaping up to be one of the biggest cinematic events of the year. Keep an eye out for "The Forest is Calling Portal Experience" as it travels across North America this season. Step through the sigil, discover your faction, take a photo by Prue's bike, and get ready for the magic when Wildwood officially lands in theaters on October 23! | Quick Summary Checklist for Fans: * What: Wildwood "The Forest is Calling" Immersive Experience * Where: Started at SDCC (Hard Rock Hotel), now touring North American cities * Movie Release Date: October 23 * Tickets: Available late summer via Fathom Entertainment & local box offices * What to do now: Sign up online to get notified when movie tickets go on sale! |