The Decemberists and composer Dario Marianelli will feature on the original motion picture soundtrack to Wildwood, due digitally October 23 via Decca Records. The album combines Marianelli’s original score with three new songs from the band, accompanying the film’s theatrical release in the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Ireland.
Two tracks have been released ahead of the album: The Decemberists’ “The Better Part of Bravery,” which closes the film, and Marianelli’s “Journey to South Wood.” Directed and produced by Travis Knight and written by Chris Butler, the stop-motion feature from LAIKA adapts the novel written by Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis. First published in 2011, the book was Meloy’s debut novel and launched the Wildwood Chronicles, making the adaptation a return to a story he first introduced 15 years ago.
“‘Wildwood’ has been part of my life for many years, and seeing the story transformed like this has been an extraordinary experience,” Meloy said. “Writing the song for the end credits gave me a chance to return to the world of ‘Wildwood’ in a different way. There’s something particularly meaningful about having music accompany the audience as they leave the forest and the story comes to a close.”
Marianelli, an Academy Award winner for Atonement, composed the score for the adaptation. “What a joy it was to venture into Colin Meloy’s wild imagination, and in the beautiful, lovingly handcrafted world of LAIKA’s movie,” he said.
The voice cast is led by Peyton Elizabeth Lee as Prue McKeel and Jacob Tremblay as Curtis. They are joined by 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. Knight previously directed Kubo and the Two Strings, while Butler’s credits include ParaNorman.
Listen to “Journey To South Wood” from the Wildwood soundtrack here.
