Early predictions for the 2027 Oscars show that the upcoming stop-motion film Wildwood could win over Toy Story 5. This is a surprise given that the Pixar sequel, which is slated to release on June 19, is expected to be a box office smash and tops a Fandango survey as the most-anticipated movie this summer. That said, the studio behind Wildwood, Laika, has a strong record at the Academy Awards. Every one of its movies have been nominated for Best Animated Feature, though none of them have won the category. But given the huge production behind Wildwood, which is scheduled to come out on October 23, it has the chance to pull off a major upset over Toy Story 5 at the 99th Academy Awards.
2027 could be the year Laika Studios finally gets an Oscar
Laika’s Wildwood is predicted to be a major contender for Best Animated Feature at the 2027 Oscars.
A prediction market on Kalshi reveals that Wildwood has a strong chance to be nominated in the category at 79%. Meanwhile, Toy Story 5 sits right behind with a 77% chance for a nomination. In fact, the film might need to watch out for Pixar’s Hoppers instead, since it has a 85% chance. Other options in the bet include Forgotten Island (64%), Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom (47%), and Ray Gunn (39%). Of course, it’s important to take these predictions with a grain of salt, as it’s still incredibly early in 2026 and these odds will likely change after critics and audiences have their say.
Directed by Travis Knight, the movie is an adaptation of the 2011 novel of the same name by Colin Meloy (who some may know as the frontman for The Decemberists) and his wife and illustrator Carson Ellis. It follows teenager Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) and her classmate Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay) as they enter the dangerous woods near Portland to save her little brother Mac from a murder of crows. The film’s voice cast includes Awkwafina, Mahershala Ali, Charlie Day, Tom Waits, and Angela Bassett as a giant golden eagle named the General.
Though Wildwood won’t come out until the fall, the film is gaining attention and early award buzz. IndieWire’s Wilson Chapman says that he’s “almost confident that Wildwood will be a nominee” for an Oscar and to “consider it one of the biggest contenders.” The movie’s official featurette that released in October 2025 has received a total of 17.7 million views on YouTube, which is nearly twice as much as its title reveal in 2024 had.
It’s been seven years since Laika has had a major film release. Its most notable movies would be 2009’s Coraline and 2016’s Kubo and the Two Strings, though the rest of its catalog of feature films — ParaNorman (2012), The Boxtrolls (2014), and Missing Link (2019) — have been given an Oscar nod. This is part of the reason why movie buffs think that it’s about time that Laika wins an Academy Award, as noted by comments in a thread on the r/Oscars Reddit.
As for Toy Story 5, it’s still the frontrunner to win the Best Animated Film Oscar. Apart from being almost assuredly a summer blockbuster that could rival The Super Mario Galaxy Movie at the box office, both Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 took home the Academy Award in the category. The Toy Story franchise has clear name recognition as well, which could make it the default choice for many Academy voters. However, Pixar has not been able to win in the category for the last five years, with Oscars going to Disney’s Encanto (2021), Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022), The Boy and the Heron (2023), Flow (2024), and KPop Demon Hunters (2025).
